Entertainment

Education Days: Pittsburgh Pirates Host Stephen Cropper, Scott Harbaugh

From classroom to Pittsburgh cityscape, chalkboard to Jumbotron, thousands of students from Western Pennsylvania schools traveled to PNC Park to learn about the weather and meet WPXI meteorologists Stephen Cropper and Scott Harbaugh for Pirates Education Days.

"This is valuable because we know kids don't watch weather on a daily basis," Harbaugh said. "It's our way to make sure they stay safe especially heading into summer."

Cropper and Harbaugh started the event with National Weather Service warning coordinator Fred McMullen by sharing some fun facts about how weather impacts the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Jumbotron read: "What do you do during a rain delay?" followed by a message from shortstop Jordy Mercer, which was mostly about stretching, staying warm, and playing video games.

When it was time for the question and answer segment, dozens of hands shot up.

"Why are the clouds white?" a student asked into the microphone.

"Good question!" Harbaugh remarked from the stage. The answer by the way, has to do with the way light interacts with small water droplets.

A fun morning of weather facts ended with students leaping to their feet to catch free Pittsburgh Pirates T-shirts.

Getting kids interested in the process of weather is important, Cropper said.

"Severe weather can strike at any time," he said. "If we can get some information out there about safety, and also just to spark a little imagination, maybe some of these kids will be meteorologists."