--- title: "Using Weather Instruments" description: "Use weather instruments to measure and record temperature in °C, rainfall in mm, the direction wind comes from, and wind speed. Keep dated readings in a weather diary." canonical: https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/using-weather-instruments-mt_sA0RvWXSYY source: https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/using-weather-instruments-mt_sA0RvWXSYY.md retrieved: 2026-11-12 --- > **Agent view.** This is the Markdown twin of the page, for tools and assistants. > When to use this site, and the call that answers each job: https://lightmysky.com/agent-instructions.md > API description (OpenAPI 3.1): https://lightmysky.com/openapi.json · Authentication: https://lightmysky.com/auth.md > Pricing: https://lightmysky.com/pricing.md · Catalog: https://lightmysky.com/llms.txt · Full catalog: https://lightmysky.com/llms-full.txt > Every machine-readable file on this domain: https://lightmysky.com/.well-known/ai-catalog.json > Ask for Markdown with `Accept: text/markdown`, a `.md` address, or `?mode=agent`. # Using Weather Instruments Use weather instruments to measure and record temperature in °C, rainfall in mm, the direction wind comes from, and wind speed. Keep dated readings in a weather diary. Subject: Science · Area: Weather & Climate · Ages 7 to 9 Page: https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/using-weather-instruments-mt_sA0RvWXSYY ## Ready when they can - Name at least three weather instruments and explain what each measures - Read a thermometer and record the temperature in degrees Celsius - Record weather data in a table or diary over several days ## Lesson: Using Weather Instruments You have learned that a thermometer measures temperature: how hot or cold something is. Degrees Celsius are written °C. On a liquid thermometer, read the number where the liquid column ends. Record the number and °C. Our practice scales use a dot to mark that reading. Check how much each space stands for. *(drawing: This practice scale is not a thermometer tube. Each space is 1°C. The dot marks 18°C.)* A rain gauge collects rain. Read its marked rainfall scale at the water level in millimeters (mm). A wind vane's arrow points toward where the wind comes from. An anemometer measures wind speed. On a cup anemometer, faster wind makes the cups spin faster. Read its speed scale or display. Spin counts alone do not give wind speed. **Example.** Ben records daily rainfall. Each bar shows one day's amount. Read the number above each bar. Tuesday has the most rain. Wednesday's 0 mm means a reading was taken and no rain was measured. In a diary, use one row for each date. Write the time, temperature in °C, rainfall in mm, and the direction wind comes from. Copy each reading beside its unit. Check at the same time each day to compare days. Empty a daily rain gauge after recording it. Write 'missing' for a missed reading, not 0. **Example.** Some scales have spaces worth more than 1°C. Here, the numbers go 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10. Each space is 2°C. Four spaces above 0°C reach 8°C. Use the scale's numbers when counting spaces. To compare rainfall for two whole months, add all the daily rainfall readings in each month, including 0 mm readings. Compare the totals. The larger total means more rain fell. Missing days may leave rain out of a total. Comparing diary entries can reveal patterns, but it cannot tell you exactly what tomorrow's weather will be. **Recap.** Different weather instruments measure different things, and writing down what they show each day helps you spot patterns over time. *Lesson revisions, question replacements and revised cards written for this dataset.* ## Practice 8 questions on this page, each with its working shown. ## Needs first - [Types of Weather](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/types-of-weather-mt_jc9k_HJQGd) - [Temperature & Thermometers](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/temperature-and-thermometers-mt_PrWc-HZzDl) ## Optional connections - [Local weather patterns](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/local-weather-patterns-mt_HZvTriQWTh) - [What Is Wind?](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/what-is-wind-mt_j7cj9eWN7w) ## Opens up - [Weather Forecasting](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/weather-forecasting-mt_AghN5YcCHX)