Journey North Tulip Garden and Climate Change Study

Tulip Test Gardens

Temperature Maps Tell Stories
Normal or Unusual Temperatures?

Background
Weather maps are like pictures that tell a story. If you study them carefully, you can discover many things. The patterns you see can help you make predictions about spring’s arrival.

Activity
The maps below show how much December temperatures varied from normal temperatures during one week and one month in 2006.

   1. Click to enlarge the maps.
   2. Look at them carefully. What do you notice?
   3. Write your observations on this handout:
       Temperature Maps Tell Stories >>.

Departure (Change) from Normal Average Temperatures


Week of December 24-30, 2006	Month of December 2006

Example: 9 (red) means the average temperature was 9 degrees above normal.

Lessons for Digging Deeper

Tulips and Temperatures: Is This a Normal Spring? >>
Observing Weather and Collecting Data >>