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Daily 
Warm-Up
13
Nonfiction: Current Events
Weather Is a Current Event
Weather is a current event. People talk about the 
weather more than almost anything else. Some 
hurricanes make national news, due to the loss of lives 
and the amount of property damage they can cause.
Tornadoes also leave devastation in their wakes. These 
types of severe storms often affect a specific geographic 
area. However, weather that affects people across large 
geographic areas becomes a national weather event.
The winter storm that swept across the country in 
December of 2013 may not hold the record for amount 
of snow, but it made the news for the number of states 
that were impacted. Within the same two-to-three-day 
period, severe weather affected much of the nation.
This included snow, ice, sleet, wind, and record cold 
temperatures. The Pacific coast saw rare snow—up to 
two inches in some places. The western United States 
received blasts of Arctic air accompanied in some 
locations by gusty winds. This led to dangerous wind-
chill factors. The icy path of the storm stretched across 
two thousand miles, affecting at least nine states.
Temperatures were expected to drop considerably 
below normal across the Midwest and across the nation.
The National Weather Service posted alerts for winter 
storm activity in the western and eastern United States.
The eastern United States had a forecast for heavy 
snowfall. At the same time, an alert for extreme wind 
chill was issued across the Pacific Northwest and the 
Midwest. One news report listed effects of the storm in 
23 states. That’s almost half of the United States!
This winter storm example is no longer current, but 
weather affects us every day. Scientists and climate 
researchers constantly monitor temperatures and 
weather trends. Their goal is to predict the weather.
Their forecasts and observations affect more than our 
daily activities. Climate data gives us information on 
national and worldwide trends, such as global warming.
This, in turn, informs the choices we make as a people 
and a society.
Text Questions
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 1 . Why did this story include a weather event that has already happened?
a. It was an example to show how weather can affect many people at the same time.
b. It was an example of an event that caused great property damage.
c. It illustrated a current trend in climate or climate change.
d. It made the national news.
 2 . What is the main idea of the third paragraph?
a. It describes major weather events.
b. It describes an example of a national 
weather event.
c. It summarizes how weather is a current event.
d. It describes ways weather affects us.
 3 . Which statement does not explain how weather is a current event?
a. People talk about the weather more than almost anything else.
b. The winter storm of 2013 made news for a number of states.
c. Weather affects us every day.
d. Scientists and climate researchers constantly monitor temperatures and weather trends in their efforts to 
predict the weather.