Milton Elementary Third Graders Learn from Local Meteorologist During Hands-On Weather Lesson

Third-grade students at Milton Elementary School recently welcomed WRDE Coast TV Meteorologist, Bob Trihy to their school for an engaging and informative presentation that brought their ARC weather and climate unit to life. The visit offered students a real-world connection to what they have been learning in the classroom, as they were able to hear how meteorologists observe, forecast, and communicate about the weather to the community.

During the presentation, students explored the fundamentals of weather, what it is, how it forms, and why it changes. Mr. Trihy explained that weather includes everything happening outside daily, such as sunlight, wind, rain, snow, and temperature. Students also examined different cloud types and learned at which heights they typically form, helping them understand how clouds can be indicators of changing conditions.

The presentation even included interactive questions to test students’ knowledge and spark deeper discussions about weather patterns. A key part of the presentation focused on distinguishing between regular weather and severe weather and allowed students to learn about the wide range of conditions experienced across Delmarva, including tornadoes, snowstorms, flash flooding, heat and humidity, thunderstorms, tropical storms, and hurricanes.

A common question often asked about weather reports and alerts, is what’s the difference between a weather watch and a weather warning? Mr. Trihy was able to break down these differences for the third graders, explaining that a watch means the conditions are favorable for severe weather (all the ingredients needed for storm are there), and a warning means severe weather is imminent or already occurring (the ingredients have come together and there is a storm present or going to happen.)

Students were perhaps most excited to hear more about the major weather events they have been studying, and Mr. Trihy made sure to highlight each, and identified the science behind them. These included, tornados, hurricanes, blizzards, thunderstorms, flash floods and even heat waves.

Ahead of the visit, third graders prepared thoughtful questions for a Q&A session with the meteorologist. The opportunity not only supported their ongoing research project but also strengthened their understanding of how weather affects daily life. “Our third graders were very excited to hear from a real Meteorologist,” said Riley Bateman, third grade teacher at Milton Elementary and coordinator of the visit. “You could tell our students were intrigued by all the weather facts Mr. Trihy shared, that they were learning new things, and continuing to absorb information that they read themselves during their own research. It is exciting for them to hear it from an expert in the field. We are grateful to Mr. Trihy and CoastTV for sharing their knowledge with us!”