RSI Storm Systems

Cyclones ties together the concepts of cyclones and fronts to provide a clear understanding of the development of storm systems and the weather they cause. It's intended for any teacher who is looking for a way to show how important observable weather elements like wind, pressure and temperature change as cyclones pass by. More than just a pictorial weather cycle display, it's dynamic -- and interactive:

	Adjust the factors that control the cyclone's intensity and path to make the cyclone pass to your north, south, or overhead. Cyclones uses realistic storm tracks for systems born in the Great Plains, Alberta, the Gulf of Mexico, and the eastern Pacific Ocean
	See how cyclones move and intensify. See how atmospheric temperature, pressure, wind, cloud cover and precipitation change as a cyclone progresses. Use weather stations to see the conditions at specific locations on the map, and to create time series of weather variables
	Have your students make forecasts based on what they've learned, and have the forecasts automatically scored
	See 3D displays of fronts in motion that include winds and clouds
	Use interactives to teach about station models, unit conversions, and isobars/isotherms

Cyclones augments your use of daily weather maps and observations by presenting classic cyclones and the weather that is associated with them. Your students will learn from Cyclone's clear, easy-to-use displays -- making it easier for them to understand the real, more complex (and sometimes confusing) weather that they observe.

Sample Screens (click images for larger views, use "back" button to return)

	The Main Screen shows a cyclone as it moves eastward from the area of its formation. As the cyclone develops, it intensifies, winds grow stronger, and pressure changes are more pronounced. You can examine different aspects of the weather at any time and use two weather stations to observe the weather at specific locations.
	Another Main Screen view that illustrates the pressure and wind fields caused by the cyclone. You can choose to display isobars, winds, isotherms, cloud amounts, cloud types, and precipitation on the map. These can be shown alone or in any combination.
	This Main Screen view shows the rain and winds associated with a nor'easter. There are three pre-programmed cases to help you teach about cyclones: Nor'easter, cyclone passing north of Chicago, and cyclone passing south of Chicago.
	Changing a cyclone's path and intensity is easy. You can choose between four cyclone origins -- the Great Plains, Alberta, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Pacific Ocean
	The Forecast Screen lets your students choose a location and forecast the weather it will have over a five-day period. The screen at left shows how the forecast can be set up; once that's done, the student can see an initial weather map. They then enter their forecasts as station models (an editor is provided) and the program automatically scores the forecast. They can view, print and save the results as a web browser-ready file. You can also create forecast worksheets for at-home activities.
	Animated 3D interactives show you the structures of cold, warm, stationary and occluded fronts. You can overlay clouds, surface winds to show how fronts cause air to rise, and surface stations to show how wind/temperature/pressure change as a front passes

Most PCs sold during the past several years meet these requirements. We suggest that you download the free evaluation version if you have doubts about your system's ability to run Cyclones.

The Teacher's Guide for Cyclones is a PDF file than can be read with Adobe Reader. The version available here omits the answers to the questions posed within it; the Teacher's Guide you receive with the software will contain the answers.

Clicking on the link below will open the Teacher's Guide for viewing (if your browser is so configured). To save the file, right click on the link and choose the Save Target As... option.