Educator's Weather Videos
Each correlates to science standards. Many come with a teacher's
guide with exercises, experiments, written quizzes, or coloring
pages. All of these target specific grade levels and are available
by subscription as streaming video, with each video further divided
into segments. These programs are produced by Alan
Sealls, an educator, an AMS Fellow, and an award-winning
meteorologist and producer. See series previews at the bottom of
this page. These videos are distributed by DiscoveryEducation.com
and boclips.com
under the name "Weatherthings". Go to those websites for
subscription or licensing detail.

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HD- Weather
Start 4-part animated cartoon SERIES for grades k-2,
available in English, Spanish, Canadian French
Weather and Seasons; The Sun, Heat and Air; Storms, and
Clouds; Rain & the Water Cycle
The littlest kids are introduced to the wonders of weather.
Each program is 15 minutes |
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Hands
on Weather: Weather Experiments, 19 minutes, grades 4-8
Weather lessons come alive for students in simple
experiments and demonstrations.
Hands on Weather II: More
Weather Experiments, 19 min, grades
4-8
Over a dozen more experiments and projects including making
a wind vane and measuring humidity.
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HD- Severe
Weather Safety: Watch for the Warning, 23 minutes,
grades 3-8
Students and teachers see and learn the basics of severe
thunderstorm hazards and how to find safety from threats of
damaging wind, flash flood, lightning and tornadoes. Applies
to situations in schools, in homes, and outdoors. |
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HD- Weather
Smart 10-part SERIES for grades 3-8. Programs are
15 to 18 minutes
Tornadoes; Thunderstorms; Hurricanes; Climate;
Forecasting & Weather Instruments; Heat, Wind &
Pressure; The Water Cycle & Clouds; Ozone &
Pollution; Winter & Snow; Weather
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HD- Water
Smart 4-part SERIES for grades 3-8. Each program
is 15 minutes
The full picture of water's existence, motion, changes, and
value to Earth.
Water in the Air; Water on Earth; Water as a Natural
Resource; The Sun, Water Cycle, & Climate
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HD- Weather
Things: Sun, Air, Wind and Atmosphere, 28 minutes,
high school and up
Solar energy; radiation; power; light; sun
safety; tanning; spectrum; atmosphere composition;
aurora; ozone; troposphere; stratosphere; thermosphere; gas
properties; nitrogen; oxygen; air mass; high pressure; low
pressure; density; water vapor; transport; circulation;
coriolis; jetstream; regional winds; global winds; chinook;
santa anna; eddies; cycles; monsoon. |
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HD- Weather
Things: Water Cycle, Hydrology and Floods, 28
minutes, high
school and up
Water; storage; clouds; liquid; ice; ocean; lake;
river; dew; frost; vapor; phases; properties; motion;
precipitation; flood; hydroelectric; energy; vapor; latent
heat; runoff; snow melt; erosion; floodplain; hazards; rain;
crystal; snowflake; blizzard; drought; desert; water usage;
sleet; graupel; hail; snow; virga; dust storm; probability;
chance of precipitation. |
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HD- Weather
Things: Clouds, 24 minutes, high
school and up
Classification; cumulus; convection; properties;
stratus; formation; advection; heights; motion; fog;
visibility; steam; movement; hazards; patterns; mammatus;
turbulence; funnel; scud; wall cloud; man-made; condensation
trail; vapor trail; contrail; dissipation trail; distrail;
hole punch; cirrus; ice crystals; nacreous; noctilucent;
view from space; cloud lessons. |
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HD- Weather
Things: Seasons and Weather Cycles, 25 minutes, high school and up
Earth axis; astronomy; sun angle; heat index; extreme heat;
hazards; ozone; equinox; myths; leaf change; tropical storm;
hurricane; frost; snow; ice; winter storm; jetstream; lake
effect; glaze; hypothermia; frost bite; wind chill; tornado;
pollen; sea ice; polar vortex; daily weather; patterns;
math; sine wave; predict; marine layer; el nino; la nina. |
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HD- Weather
Things: Radar, Satellite, and Weather Instruments,
23 minutes, high
school and up
Doppler; dual polarization; frequency; detect; satellite;
geostationary; polar; sensors; GOES; channels; infra-red;
weather balloon; radiosonde; thermometer; hygrometer;
barometer; data; hygrometer; anemometer; wind vane; rain
gauge; measure; ceilometer; transmissometer; electric field
mill; lightning; calibration; instrument errors; history;
forecast. |
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HD- Weather
Things: Lightning and Thunderstorms, 25 minutes, high school and up
Lightning properties; heat; energy; electricity;
circuit; discharge; thunder; fulgurite; safety; injury;
fatality; myths; statistics; lightning rod; woods fire
initiation; pyrocumulus; thunderstorm ingredients; wind
extremes; severe; gust; downburst; microburst; watch vs.
warning; polygon; shear; derecho; squall line; supercell;
wall cloud; tornado; Skywarn; dust storm. |
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HD- Weather
Things: Tornadoes, 25 minutes, high
school and up
Statistics; size; motion; pressure; funnel; scud;
safety; watch vs. warning; pds; mobile home; waterspout;
twister; shear; ingredients; geography; topography;
outbreak; alleys; Fujita scale; damage; debris; destruction;
fatalities; sirens; shelter; caught on camera; mysteries;
storm chaser; tornado safety; safe room; tornado shelter;
dust whirl; dust devil. |
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HD- Weather
Things: Hurricanes, 27 minutes, high
school and up
Formation; ocean; circulation; wave; disturbance;
invest; depression; tropical storm; naming; typhoon; eye;
bands; motion; satellite tracking; latitude; longitude;
rain; dust; quadrant; Saffir Simpson; wind; pressure; storm
surge; damage; supply kit; evacuation; flood; shutters;
data; tools; sensors; hurricane hunters; radar; models;
forecasting; cone; benefits; myths. |
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HD- Weather
Things: Atmospheric Optics and Sky Sights, 21
minutes, high
school and up
Physics; refraction; reflection; diffraction;
dispersion; scattering; aerosols; blue sky; spectrum;
crepuscular; folklore; rainbow; primary; secondary;
supernumeraries; forecast; water droplet; halo; ice crystal;
parhelia; parhelic circle; sun dog; circumhorizontal; arc;
coronas; glory; aurora; solar wind; snow; mirage;
scintillation; oblate moon; blue marble; density. |
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HD- Weather
Things: Climate and Climate Change, 25 minutes, high school and up
Zones; air mass; climate vs. weather; fronts; climate
change; natural causes; sun; tilt; orbit; history;
anthropogenic; cirrus clouds; albedo; aerosol;
transpiration; aquifer; carbon dioxide; emissions; fossil
fuel; global warming; isotopes; projections; land; sea;
methane; nitrous oxide; climatologist; data; glacier; ice;
core; sediment; trees; climate models; misconceptions. |
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HD- Weather
Things: Meteorology is Weather, 28 minutes, high school and up
Weather &. climate; CO2; global warming; seasons;
air mass; sun; air; water; pressure; wind; precipitation;
hydrologic cycle; fronts; instruments; storms; flood;
hurricane; typhoon; tornado; thunderstorm; blizzard; safety;
meteorologists; atmospheric degree programs; data;
forecasting; broadcasting; certification; optics; clouds;
extremes; patterns. |
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HD- Rip
Current Safety, 14 minutes, 3rd
grade and up
Oceanography; meteorology; swim; safety; current;
water; rescue; lifeguard; rip; drown; beach. The science of
what, where, and how of rip currents. Emphasis on avoiding
rip currents and learning safety from these killer currents
on beaches. |
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HD-
Wildfire Safety, 22 minutes, 3rd grade and up
Fire; safety; burn; prescribe; manage; control;
ecosystem. How, when, and where wildfires happen, with a
focus on safety. Wildfires impact human, animal and plant
life. Tremendous dollar and human resources go into fighting
wildfires. |
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HD-
Hurricane Sandy. The Meteorology, and the
Impact on Society, 11 minutes, 3rd
grade and up
Hurricane; tropical storm; superstorm; destruction;
death; society; storm surge; category 3. What led to the
unique path of Hurricane Sandy and why it had such a large
impact, as the second most-costly hurricane to hit the US in
modern times. |
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HD-
Hurricane Katrina. The Meteorology, and
the Impact on Society, 11 minutes, 3rd
grade and up
Hurricane; tropical storm; destruction; death;
society; storm surge; category 5. The causes of the extreme
power of Hurricane Katrina and why it took so many lives, as
the most costly hurricane to hit the US in modern times. |

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HD-
Hurricane Matthew. The Meteorology, and
the Impact on Society, 12 minutes, 3rd
grade and up
Hurricane; tropical storm; flood; drown; destruction;
death; storm surge; category 4. The science behind Hurricane
Matthew and the impact it had on 4 countries, with hundreds
of deaths in Haiti, and extreme flooding in the US. |
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HD-
Hurricane
Harvey. The Meteorology, and the Impact on Society,
10 minutes, 3rd
grade and up
Hurricane; tropical storm; flood; drown; destruction;
death; storm surge; category 4. How Harvey left historic
rain in Texas, resulting in it becoming the 2nd most
expensive hurricane to strike the United States. |
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HD-
Hurricane Irma. The
Meteorology, and the Impact on Society, 11 minutes,
3rd grade and up
Hurricane; tropical storm; flood; drown; destruction;
death; storm surge; category 5. Intense Irma made 7
different landfalls and became one of the most expensive
hurricanes in the last century. It broke records. |
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HD-
Hurricane
Maria. The Meteorology, and the Impact on Society,
10 minutes, 3rd
grade and up
Hurricane; tropical storm; flood; drown; destruction;
death; storm surge; category 5. This $90 billion-dollar
extremely powerful storm was a catastrophe for Puerto Rico
in property damage, destruction, and deaths. |
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HD-
Hurricane
Florence. The Meteorology, and the Impact on Society,
11 minutes, 3rd
grade and up
Hurricane; tropical storm; flood; drown; destruction;
death; storm surge; category 4. How this slow-moving storm
left record rain and record flooding, causing over $17
billion in damage, with dozens of people killed. |
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HD-
Hurricane
Michael. The Meteorology, and the Impact on Society,
9 minutes, 3rd
grade and up
Hurricane; tropical storm; flood; drown; destruction;
death; storm surge; category 4. The record-breaking powerful
storm caused billions in losses to timber and crops, while
taking several dozen lives. |
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HD-
Kilauea
2018: Hawaii's Most Active Volcano, 19 minutes, 3rd grade and up
Hawaii; leilani; kopho; volcano; erupt; fissure;
magma; lava; fountain; tephra; cinder; cone; caldera;
chamber; fissure; ash; evacuate; danger; earthquake;
volcanologist; geologist; vog; laze. Kilauea eruptions on a
rift zone covered 14 square miles of land, created new land
and destroyed hundreds of homes in 2018. |
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HD-
Hurricane
Hunters, 7 minutes, 3rd
grade and up
Hurricane hunter; c-130; p3-orion; gulfstream; noaa;
usaf; 53rd wrs; investigate; research; weather; data;
instrument; dropsonde; mission; national hurricane center;
fly; storm; tropical; fire. In the United States there are
two different groups of hurricane hunters that fly into
tropical storms and hurricanes to gather weather data. |
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HD-
Hurricane
Dorian, 11 minutes, 3rd
grade and up
Hurricane; tropical storm; flood; drown; destruction; death;
storm surge; category 5; bahamas; record; carolinas; canada;
rain; evacuate; missing. Hurricane Dorian was the most
powerful storm known to ever hit the Bahamas. It tied for
the second most powerful hurricane in the Atlantic as it
destroyed life and the landscape of the northern Bahamas. |
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HD- Deepwater
Horizon: Timeline of a Tragedy, 13 minutes, 3rd grade and up
Gulf of Mexico; oil; gas; rig; explosion; spill;
leak; cleanup; disaster; emergency; fish; beach; sand;
people; recover; burn; boom; skim; well; pipe; BP; lawsuit;
settlement; environment. In 2010, the Deepwater Horizon oil
spill in the Gulf of Mexico was the largest in United States
history. Killing 11 people, it injured people, ecosystems,
and economies. |
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HD-
Weather
Balloons, 7 minutes, 3rd
grade and up
Weather balloon; radiosonde; instrument; fly; float;
data; research; wind; temperature; pressure; humidity;
launch; national weather service; noaa; military. Weather
balloons are launched around the world, twice a day, at the
same time to gather and share data about the atmosphere. The
data helps create better computer-model forecasts. |
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HD-
Swim
Water Quality, 7 minutes, 3rd
grade and up
Beach; lake; ocean; swim; water; quality; advisory;
safety; algae; bacteria; algal bloom; toxic; flesh-eating
bacteria; phosphorus; nitrogen; waste; runoff; dead zone;
hypoxia. Water quality for swimming can be compromised by
high levels of bacteria and harmful blooms of algae. These
can cause illness in people, along with harm to other
creatures and plants. |
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HD-
Saharan
Dust, 7 minutes, 3rd
grade and up
Dust; sand; sahara; plume; haze; air quality; air;
wind; storm; tropical; sunrise; sunset; noaa; nasa;
satellite; earth; caribbean; bahamas; mexico; gulf; united
states; sal; saharan air layer; asthma; breathe. Tremendous
dust plumes from the Sahara desert can cross the Atlantic to
reach the United States, with benefits and negative
outcomes. |
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HD- Island
Cloud Vortex, 4 minutes, 3rd
grade and up
Cloud; water; air; wake; vortex; vorticies; eddy;
mountain; swirl; space; ocean; sea; land; atmosphere; earth;
planet; spin; hole; flow; shadow; stream; wind; satellite;
von karman. Downwind of isolated, small, mountainous
islands, a feature known as an island cloud vortex can form.
A series of them can line up as vortex streets of cloud
vorticies. |
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HD
2021- Hurricane
Laura & Hurricane Delta, 21 minutes, 3rd
grade and up
Hurricane; tropical storm; flood; drown; destruction;
death; storm surge; category 4; louisiana; rain; evacuate;
generator; trees. Louisiana was struck by two hurricanes
within six weeks in 2020. One was a Category 4. The two,
combined, took dozens of lives, destroying communities, and
causing billions of dollars of damage. |
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HD
2021- Hurricane
Sally, 16 minutes, 3rd
grade and up
Hurricane; tropical storm; flood; destruction; stall;
storm surge; category 2; track; florida; alabama; record;
rain; evacuate; generator; trees. Hurricane Sally made
landfall, only moving at 3mph, leading to tremendous
rainfall, and an extremely long period of hurricane-force
winds for southwest Alabama and northwest Florida. |
Hands on Weather
series, grades 4-8, sampler
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Weather Smart series, grades
3-8, sampler
Water Smart series, grades
3-8, sampler
Watch for the Warning, grades
3-8, sampler
Weather Start series, grades
k-2, sampler
Weather Things series for
high school and up, sampler
Rip Current Safety, sampler
Wildfire Safety, sampler
Hurricane Sandy- The
Meteorology and the Impact on Society, sampler
Hurricane Katrina- The
Meteorology, and the Impact on Society, sampler
Hurricane Matthew- The
Meteorology, and the Impact on Society, sampler
Hurricane Harvey- The
Meteorology, and the Impact on Society, sampler
Hurricane Maria- The
Meteorology, and the Impact on Society, sampler
Hurricane Irma- The
Meteorology, and the Impact on Society, sampler
Hurricane Florence- The
Meteorology, and the Impact on Society, sampler
Hurricane Michael-
The Meteorology, and the Impact on Society, sampler
Kilauea 2018:
Hawaii's Most Active Volcano, sampler
Hurricane Dorian-
The Meteorology, and the Impact on Society, sampler
Hurricane Hunters,
sampler
Swim Water Quality,
sampler
Weather Balloons
& Radiosondes, sampler
Deepwater Horizon:
Timeline of a Tragedy, sampler
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