Brains On! Science podcast for kids · Brains On Universe

How do weather stations predict the weather?

May 27, 2025·28 min·2 clips

Meteorologist Sarah Johnson compares satellites to a cake's top and radar to slicing through its layers.

Molly Bloom hosts Brains On with Pedro from San Diego to answer Max from Sharpsburg, Georgia's question about how weather stations predict the weather. The episode opens with a sketch involving a committee of geese debating what formation to fly in so they show up impressively on Doppler radar, which also illustrates a real phenomenon where large flocks of migrating birds appear on weather radar systems. Nico Gonzalez-Whistler visits the National Weather Service station in Mount Holly, New Jersey, which covers parts of New Jersey, Delaware, and Pennsylvania. Meteorologist Sarah explains the two primary remote sensing tools: weather satellites in geostationary orbit above the Earth that take photographs every 30 seconds and measure temperature, cloud cover, and atmospheric conditions, and radar towers on the ground that send out radio waves, which bounce off precipitation like rain, snow, and hail and return to the receiver, allowing meteorologists to determine the location, intensity, and movement direction of storms. The satellite view covers a much wider area than radar, with the Mount Holly station's radar showing only New Jersey and Pennsylvania while the satellite shows those states plus New York, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina. Sarah demonstrates a live radar screen showing a sharp cold front expected later that week. Pedro asks whether tracking weather is something he does, and he notes his parents use weather apps to make him bring a jacket. Molly explains that the National Weather Service is the only official forecaster in the United States and produces over one million forecasts per year. The episode draws an analogy between radar echolocation and bats using echolocation to detect bugs. Nico explains that radar stands for Radio Detection And Ranging and that the white dome-shaped structures on radar towers look like giant ping-pong balls. The episode also briefly notes the Brains On Live tour visiting Chattanooga, Durham, San Francisco, Toronto, and other cities.

As heard by us

A kid-friendly weather episode that turns geese, radar, and weather stations into an easy-to-picture forecast lesson.

The episode opens with geese noticing their migration on the Doppler radar humans use for weather forecasts, then settles into a kid-friendly tour of weather stations and how forecasting works.

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Want to know how weather stations help forecast the sky, with geese and radar along the way?

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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