Hurricane Prediction Lab Activity

Science teacher Michael Calhoun developed this activity to help students explore the difficulty of predicting the advance of a developing hurricane.

In this game, students are given background information on the development of hurricanes and use this information to predict whether a storm will develop into a hurricane. Then, working in pairs, students roll the Storm Data Die. Each chance roll provides data on wind speeds and surface pressure. Students use this data to classify the severity of the storm over a simulated six day period. They also use data provided to track and plot the movement of the storm.

The activity can be completed in a single class period. An optional post-activity quiz is provided. This kit includes materials for up to 15 pairs of students per class.