New Website is Live!

Happy 2018! The new website for the updated Weather or Not resources is now live! You can visit the site at the link below:

http://weatherornotso.weebly.com/

The site is currently a work in progress, but I hope to get most of the site done before the next school year. If you want to wait before the resources are fully complete, you can still use the old resources from before.

Good luck studying!

Meteorology Slideshow Complete!

The Meteorology slideshow is complete! You can access it here:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1dySXHhMj4dA-oQ_K4_7_qkwsrYfx_HET-MT-etriydc/edit#slide=id.g382bf9713e091939_331

The slideshow contains all the essentials of Meteorology required for the competition (and more)! In addition, this slideshow comes with additional resources (worksheets and activities). These resources can be found in the folder below:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B32_sm0oWRWdZ21SUHZJZDlSZUU

It is important to note that the activities are not fully complete yet (it is still a work in progress, since college is getting busy). I will also be developing a site that houses these resources. The site can be found at the URL below:
http://weatherornotso.weebly.com/

If you have any questions, please contact me at ajzhou@umich.edu.

New Resources and Site for 2017-2018!

Hello everyone! I'm astonished at how much attention this site has gotten over the past year, even after the 2015-2016 school year's completion. Thank you all for that.

However, if things go to plan, I will be able to have a new site (with new resources) beginning with the 2017-2018 school year. You can view the progress here:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B32_sm0oWRWdZ21SUHZJZDlSZUU

This will be the new resources folder beginning next year, with a more comprehensive review of topics that cover not only the Division A event but also the Division B one. Do note that this folder is currently a work in progress. It will be gradually updated over the summer. The old resources will still remain on this site for those who prefer the old format.

Thank you!

Congratulations, Martin!

Remember when I made a post last year about how the World Meteorological Organization needed a new name that started with the letter M? Well, they've officially announced the new M name that will be on the hurricane list in 2022 last week.

Congratulations, Martin! I know I made a lot of practice questions using your name for hypothetical hurricane names last year, but your name is officially on the roster now.

http://www.noaa.gov/media-release/world-meteorological-organization-retires-storm-names-matthew-and-otto

Quick Update

Hello guys! Hopefully middle school is treating you well.

I'm currently very busy in college, so I'll be holding off on my Weather or Not project until I have a bit more free time. I have finished the first 10 units or so, and I'll try my best to have the material ready for the 2017-18 school year.

So yeah, recent weather news! If you guys haven't heard, we had our first Category 5 hurricane in the Atlantic since 2007 just a few weeks ago — in other words, the last time such an event occurred, I was a 4th grader (younger than you guys). I am fairly certain that this will show up on the competition exams this year simply because of how rare Cat 5 hurricanes are.

If you want to read a bit more about the life of Hurricane Matthew, you can go to this page (that is, if you haven't paid attention to the news already): https://weather.com/storms/hurricane/news/hurricane-matthew-bahamas-florida-georgia-carolinas-forecast

Speaking of which, the name Matthew will probably be retired next year, meaning that a new male name starting with the letter "M" will replace it on the 2022 Atlantic hurricane name list. I don't know about you, but that seems rather familiar... you know, there might be a chance that one of you guys' names will end up on the list (although it is rather low since there are many male names that begin with M out there...).

I'm looking at you, Martin. ;)

Official Results

Official results can be viewed here:
http://wayneoaklandso.weebly.com/uploads/2/4/1/3/24133078/2016_woso_schoolcraft_scores.pdf

Weather or Not is on page 16. You guys missed 2nd place by just 1 point!

Anyway, I am building a slideshow for next year's team since I didn't have time to make one this year (hopefully the reviews were fine). If you guys want to give me feedback on this, you can visit the slideshow here: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Resj_ijWfY6_R-5IJrIEkgQsvIM7m1YTb3p_9Hn5U_c/

Also, I'll be launching a new website for the event next year (not on Blogger). It'll be nice and awesome, so you can look forward to that if you guys plan on doing Meteorology next year. I'll post the site link once I'm done with it over the summer.

Have a wonderful summer! It's going to be in the 80s this week.

Regional Competition Essay Answers

Here are the answers to the two tiebreaker essay questions at the competition Saturday:

73. What event occurred in the equatorial Pacific in 2015, and how did it affect Michigan weather?
Answer: There was a strong El Niño in 2015, causing warmer than average temperatures in Michigan and drier conditions (that's why we didn't get much snow this winter). Whenever you see the words "equatorial Pacific," I guarantee you that the answer will either be El Niño or La Niña.
http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2015/101515-noaa-strong-el-nino-sets-the-stage-for-2015-2016-winter-weather.html

74. What weather event occurred in the Southern Plains in May 2015, and which states were impacted the most?
Answer: This question was testing the May 5-10, 2015 tornado outbreak. Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, & Texas all counted for points, but only 1 or 2 states were needed. The two target states were Oklahoma & Texas.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_5%E2%80%9310,_2015_tornado_outbreak_sequence