NESDIS education strives to provide educational material for teachers nationwide. Our goal is to help students understand the science behind satellite data and its impact on our world. Use the engaging educational resources, games, simulations, and videos below to help inspire the next generation of scientists.
Educational Resources Directory
Make it rain and snow in this precipitation simulator! Set the air temperature (green) and dew point (yellow)
Every snow crystal has a six-sided (hexagonal) shape, but they come in all different arrangements and sizes.
Below, the image to the left is an image of a cloud captured in the visible spectrum of light—the kind of light that we can see.
When you move the slider back and forth in the activity above, you’re seeing the sun – up close – in different wavelengths! Light travels in waves, and the distance between the peaks of a wave is called the wavelength. The different colors you see in this slider activity aren’t actually color photos of the sun, but they do represent different wavelengths of light and different temperatures.
Derechos are fast-moving bands of thunderstorms with destructive winds. The winds can be as strong as those found in hurricanes or even tornadoes! Unlike hurricanes and tornadoes, these winds follow straight lines.
A nor'easter is a storm that forms along the East Coast of North America. Nor'easters are named after the direction from which the strongest winds typically blow over the northeast states, including New England and the Mid-Atlantic states. The storms can bring wind, snow, rain and flooding to these regions.
Sometimes winds rip the roofs off houses or pick up cars and drop them miles away. In some places it rains so hard you could almost drown by looking up at the sky.
Wind is a part of weather we experience all the time, but why does it actually happen? The air will be still one day, and the next, powerful gusts of wind can knock down trees. What is going on here?
