MAthematical Precitions of Weather

I think the article is overly technical. It jumps straight into formulas or jargon right away and doesn't do an especially good job of giving these terms or mathematical formulations context.

I would try to shape the discussion more like a funnel, by starting out to give reasons for why people might care about mathematical weather prediction. For instance one thing I think is missing here is using math to predict the paths of hurricanes. That would be especially relevant to people living the Gulf region of the Atlantic. After giving a better reason for what I should care about the mathematical basis for weather prediction I might be more inclined to read about it in depth.

One last point is that the paragraph on scaling constants is very difficult to understand and still have no idea as to what they are used for.

Barry's Response - I think the article needs a little work. I tried not to be too cryptic with the mathematics. (Click for a general overview of math used in meteorology.)

Check out the Marshall Palmer formula for an introductory look at the reflectivity relation obliquely referred to in the radar reflectivity article.

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Weather Wizards Decoding Math in Forecasting

We've got a fantastic topic today, and I have to tell you, it's a real winner.  You might find math a little tricky, but we'll continue to try making it easier on you.  It's about predicting the weather, and you don't have to be a genius to do it.

Why should we care about math in weather prediction?  Let's start with the big one: hurricanes.  Especially if you live near the Gulf, who doesn't want to know where those things are going?  Math helps us figure out a hurricane's path.  Think about how important that is.

People say the math here is like a Rubik's Cube, all twisted and tricky.  It's about those scaling constants.  You wonder, what are they?  It's like seasoning in a recipe.  Just a pinch here, a dash there, and you've got a great dish.  In weather prediction, scaling constants are what make the math work.

Hold on, I hear you and I know what you're thinking.  We've got you covered.  Constants act like magic spells that turn numbers into weather predictions.  In that article, I used them to figure out raindrop sizes, air pressure, and all that.  You know what?  All you need to know is that these constants help to make the weather forecasts you rely on every day.

When you look at that weather forecast on your phone, remember there's some amazing math going on.  It's like the weather wizards working their magic, and it's all thanks to those scaling constants.  So let's appreciate math, because without it, we'd be left out in the cold without an umbrella.  Math makes the world go round, even the weather world.