In this exercise, you will download monthly data for a station of your choice. You will then perform actions in Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets to answer the questions below.
You can either 1) download the spreadsheet to your own computer and do plots/calculations there, 2) copy the spreadsheet from Google Drive and edit it in Google Sheets, or 3) view the spreadsheet and manually do the calculations with a calculator and manually chart the data on a piece of paper.
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Download Sample Answers for Denver Station
Download Spreadsheet with Answers for Denver Station
1. Make a line chart of the average maximum temperature for September. What are some things you notice (example: an increase over time, a decrease over time, which year had the warmest September, which year had the coldest, etc.)?
2. What is the average maximum temperature during the month of April?
3. Make a line chart of the average minimum temperature for December. What are some things you notice?
4. What was the wettest May on record (provide both the amount and the year)?
5. What is the driest year on record (provide both the amount and the year)?
6. Make a bar chart of the monthly average precipitation for all 12 months. What are some things you notice (wettest month of the year, driest month of the year, etc)?