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Weather instruments & clouds

Match weather instruments and cloud types (cirrus, cumulus, stratus) to what they measure or indicate. Review suitability for your learners before teaching.

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Worksheet StudioPractice pack · Ages 4-6

Weather instruments & clouds

Take your time. Show your thinking.

1. What tiny water droplets form on cool grass and leaves early in the morning when water vapour condenses on cold surfaces: dew or hail?
What tiny water droplets f… · Weather instruments & clouds
2. Which weather instrument collects falling rain in a graduated cylinder to measure rainfall depth in millimetres (mm): a rain gauge or a wind vane?
Which weather instrument c… · Weather instruments & clouds
3. Which weather instrument measures air or water temperature in degrees Celsius (°C) or Fahrenheit (°F): a thermometer or a barometer?
Which weather instrument m… · Weather instruments & clouds
4. On a sunny afternoon at the coast, land heats up faster than the sea, drawing cool air inland from the water. What is this breeze called: a sea breeze or a land breeze?
On a sunny afternoon at th… · Weather instruments & clouds
5. What are the fluffy, white, flat-based clouds that look like cotton wool floating in a blue sky on a sunny day: cumulus clouds or stratus clouds?
What are the fluffy, white… · Weather instruments & clouds
6. Which weather instrument has spinning cups that rotate in the breeze to measure wind speed: an anemometer or a thermometer?
Which weather instrument h… · Weather instruments & clouds
7. What causes the loud sound of thunder during a thunderstorm: lightning rapidly heats the air, causing it to expand explosively as a shock wave, or clouds bumping together?
What causes the loud sound… · Weather instruments & clouds
8. Why are weather station thermometers housed inside a white, slatted wooden box (a Stevenson screen): to shade the thermometer from direct sunlight while allowing air to circulate freely, or to keep rain inside?
Why are weather station th… · Weather instruments & clouds
9. What scale from 0 (calm) to 12 (hurricane force) is used by sailors and weather observers to estimate wind speed from sea and land conditions: the Beaufort scale or the pH scale?
0 · 12 · Weather instruments & clouds
10. Which weather instrument points into the wind to show the direction (N, S, E, W) from which the wind is blowing: a wind vane (weather vane) or a rain gauge?
Which weather instrument p… · Weather instruments & clouds
11. What hard pellets of ice form inside strong updrafts of a thunderstorm cloud before falling to the ground: hail (hailstones) or mist?
What hard pellets of ice f… · Weather instruments & clouds
12. Why do you see the flash of lightning before you hear the clap of thunder from a distant storm: light travels much faster than sound in air, or lightning happens ten minutes earlier?
Why do you see the flash o… · Weather instruments & clouds

12 questions · Seed 58 · Age guidance, not curriculum certification

View the answer key

Worksheet StudioAnswer key · Ages 4-6

Weather instruments & clouds

Answers and reasoning. Review before teaching.

1. What tiny water droplets form on cool grass and leaves early in the morning when water vapour condenses on cold surfaces: dew or hail?
Dew
When overnight surfaces cool below the dew point, water vapour condenses into liquid dew.
2. Which weather instrument collects falling rain in a graduated cylinder to measure rainfall depth in millimetres (mm): a rain gauge or a wind vane?
Rain gauge
A rain gauge measures the depth of precipitation that falls over a set period.
3. Which weather instrument measures air or water temperature in degrees Celsius (°C) or Fahrenheit (°F): a thermometer or a barometer?
Thermometer
A thermometer measures how hot or cold the air or liquid is.
4. On a sunny afternoon at the coast, land heats up faster than the sea, drawing cool air inland from the water. What is this breeze called: a sea breeze or a land breeze?
Sea breeze
Warm air rises over the heated land and cooler air flows in from the sea as a sea breeze.
5. What are the fluffy, white, flat-based clouds that look like cotton wool floating in a blue sky on a sunny day: cumulus clouds or stratus clouds?
Cumulus clouds
Fair-weather cumulus clouds have rounded white tops and flat bases.
6. Which weather instrument has spinning cups that rotate in the breeze to measure wind speed: an anemometer or a thermometer?
Anemometer
An anemometer counts rotations to measure how fast the wind is blowing.
7. What causes the loud sound of thunder during a thunderstorm: lightning rapidly heats the air, causing it to expand explosively as a shock wave, or clouds bumping together?
Lightning rapidly heats the air, causing it to expand explosively as a shock wave
A lightning bolt heats the surrounding air channel to ~30,000 °C, creating a sonic shock wave (thunder).
8. Why are weather station thermometers housed inside a white, slatted wooden box (a Stevenson screen): to shade the thermometer from direct sunlight while allowing air to circulate freely, or to keep rain inside?
To shade the thermometer from direct sunlight while allowing air to circulate freely
A Stevenson screen ensures the thermometer measures true air temperature in the shade.
9. What scale from 0 (calm) to 12 (hurricane force) is used by sailors and weather observers to estimate wind speed from sea and land conditions: the Beaufort scale or the pH scale?
Beaufort scale
Admiral Francis Beaufort devised the 0–12 wind force scale based on observable wave and tree motion.
10. Which weather instrument points into the wind to show the direction (N, S, E, W) from which the wind is blowing: a wind vane (weather vane) or a rain gauge?
Wind vane (weather vane)
A wind vane pivots so its arrow points into the oncoming wind.
11. What hard pellets of ice form inside strong updrafts of a thunderstorm cloud before falling to the ground: hail (hailstones) or mist?
Hail (hailstones)
Hailstones grow as raindrops are carried repeatedly up into freezing layers of a cumulonimbus cloud.
12. Why do you see the flash of lightning before you hear the clap of thunder from a distant storm: light travels much faster than sound in air, or lightning happens ten minutes earlier?
Light travels much faster than sound in air
Light travels at ~300,000 km/s, whereas sound in air travels at ~340 m/s (about 1 km every 3 seconds).

12 questions · Seed 58 · Age guidance, not curriculum certification

Worksheet StudioPractice pack · Ages 4-6

Weather instruments & clouds

Take your time. Show your thinking.

1. What tiny water droplets form on cool grass and leaves early in the morning when water vapour condenses on cold surfaces: dew or hail?
What tiny water droplets f… · Weather instruments & clouds
2. Which weather instrument collects falling rain in a graduated cylinder to measure rainfall depth in millimetres (mm): a rain gauge or a wind vane?
Which weather instrument c… · Weather instruments & clouds
3. Which weather instrument measures air or water temperature in degrees Celsius (°C) or Fahrenheit (°F): a thermometer or a barometer?
Which weather instrument m… · Weather instruments & clouds
4. On a sunny afternoon at the coast, land heats up faster than the sea, drawing cool air inland from the water. What is this breeze called: a sea breeze or a land breeze?
On a sunny afternoon at th… · Weather instruments & clouds
5. What are the fluffy, white, flat-based clouds that look like cotton wool floating in a blue sky on a sunny day: cumulus clouds or stratus clouds?
What are the fluffy, white… · Weather instruments & clouds
6. Which weather instrument has spinning cups that rotate in the breeze to measure wind speed: an anemometer or a thermometer?
Which weather instrument h… · Weather instruments & clouds
7. What causes the loud sound of thunder during a thunderstorm: lightning rapidly heats the air, causing it to expand explosively as a shock wave, or clouds bumping together?
What causes the loud sound… · Weather instruments & clouds
8. Why are weather station thermometers housed inside a white, slatted wooden box (a Stevenson screen): to shade the thermometer from direct sunlight while allowing air to circulate freely, or to keep rain inside?
Why are weather station th… · Weather instruments & clouds
9. What scale from 0 (calm) to 12 (hurricane force) is used by sailors and weather observers to estimate wind speed from sea and land conditions: the Beaufort scale or the pH scale?
0 · 12 · Weather instruments & clouds
10. Which weather instrument points into the wind to show the direction (N, S, E, W) from which the wind is blowing: a wind vane (weather vane) or a rain gauge?
Which weather instrument p… · Weather instruments & clouds
11. What hard pellets of ice form inside strong updrafts of a thunderstorm cloud before falling to the ground: hail (hailstones) or mist?
What hard pellets of ice f… · Weather instruments & clouds
12. Why do you see the flash of lightning before you hear the clap of thunder from a distant storm: light travels much faster than sound in air, or lightning happens ten minutes earlier?
Why do you see the flash o… · Weather instruments & clouds

12 questions · Seed 58 · Age guidance, not curriculum certification

Worksheet StudioAnswer key · Ages 4-6

Weather instruments & clouds

Answers and reasoning. Review before teaching.

1. What tiny water droplets form on cool grass and leaves early in the morning when water vapour condenses on cold surfaces: dew or hail?
Dew
When overnight surfaces cool below the dew point, water vapour condenses into liquid dew.
2. Which weather instrument collects falling rain in a graduated cylinder to measure rainfall depth in millimetres (mm): a rain gauge or a wind vane?
Rain gauge
A rain gauge measures the depth of precipitation that falls over a set period.
3. Which weather instrument measures air or water temperature in degrees Celsius (°C) or Fahrenheit (°F): a thermometer or a barometer?
Thermometer
A thermometer measures how hot or cold the air or liquid is.
4. On a sunny afternoon at the coast, land heats up faster than the sea, drawing cool air inland from the water. What is this breeze called: a sea breeze or a land breeze?
Sea breeze
Warm air rises over the heated land and cooler air flows in from the sea as a sea breeze.
5. What are the fluffy, white, flat-based clouds that look like cotton wool floating in a blue sky on a sunny day: cumulus clouds or stratus clouds?
Cumulus clouds
Fair-weather cumulus clouds have rounded white tops and flat bases.
6. Which weather instrument has spinning cups that rotate in the breeze to measure wind speed: an anemometer or a thermometer?
Anemometer
An anemometer counts rotations to measure how fast the wind is blowing.
7. What causes the loud sound of thunder during a thunderstorm: lightning rapidly heats the air, causing it to expand explosively as a shock wave, or clouds bumping together?
Lightning rapidly heats the air, causing it to expand explosively as a shock wave
A lightning bolt heats the surrounding air channel to ~30,000 °C, creating a sonic shock wave (thunder).
8. Why are weather station thermometers housed inside a white, slatted wooden box (a Stevenson screen): to shade the thermometer from direct sunlight while allowing air to circulate freely, or to keep rain inside?
To shade the thermometer from direct sunlight while allowing air to circulate freely
A Stevenson screen ensures the thermometer measures true air temperature in the shade.
9. What scale from 0 (calm) to 12 (hurricane force) is used by sailors and weather observers to estimate wind speed from sea and land conditions: the Beaufort scale or the pH scale?
Beaufort scale
Admiral Francis Beaufort devised the 0–12 wind force scale based on observable wave and tree motion.
10. Which weather instrument points into the wind to show the direction (N, S, E, W) from which the wind is blowing: a wind vane (weather vane) or a rain gauge?
Wind vane (weather vane)
A wind vane pivots so its arrow points into the oncoming wind.
11. What hard pellets of ice form inside strong updrafts of a thunderstorm cloud before falling to the ground: hail (hailstones) or mist?
Hail (hailstones)
Hailstones grow as raindrops are carried repeatedly up into freezing layers of a cumulonimbus cloud.
12. Why do you see the flash of lightning before you hear the clap of thunder from a distant storm: light travels much faster than sound in air, or lightning happens ten minutes earlier?
Light travels much faster than sound in air
Light travels at ~300,000 km/s, whereas sound in air travels at ~340 m/s (about 1 km every 3 seconds).

12 questions · Seed 58 · Age guidance, not curriculum certification