INQ-240 | Statistics and the Weather

Full Title: Statistics and the Weather

Topic Description:

How accurate are weather forecasts? What current or past weather phenomena best predict current weather? What do the numbers in news articles and reports about Hurricane Katrina or storm chasers really mean? We will learn the methodologies of modern statistics and use them to address these questions. By recording data about forecasts and observations of your hometown, we will statistically critique your weather forecaster. We will also create weather forecasts for the Roanoke area using past history to obtain both best guess estimates for weather, as well as determining the best predictor variables for tomorrow’s weather. A large focus will be on understanding and interpreting what statistics can and cannot tell us.

Counts as Global? No

Topic Approved: April 2009