Weather Flashcards
science honors Curry
Temperature
use a thermometer degrees celsius or fahrenheit.
Humidity
a quantity that represents how much water vapor is in a gas/ the air.
Precipitation
rain, hail, snow, sleet.
cloudiness
The percent the sky is covered with clouds.
visibility
How far you can see corresponding with the weather.
wind
Natural movement of the air that flows in a current in a certain direction.
Barometric Pressure
The measurement of air pressure in the atmosphere.
dew point
The temperature in which condensation happens(form a cloud)
Climate
the weather of a place averaged over a long period of time like 30 years.
air mass
a body of air with uniform temp, humidity, and pressure. they form when large masses remain stagnant over a surface for long periods of time. they can be over thousands of square miles. they are moved by wind systems.
cP
continential polar; cold and dry
cA
continential artic; very cold and very dry
cT
continential tropical; hot and dry.
mP
maritime polar; humid and cold.
mT
maritime tropical; humid and hot.
front
the boundry where two air masses meet. they are generally accompanied by clouds and precipiation. cold air masses sink and warm air masses rise.
Why do cold air masses sink and warm air masses rise?
warm air is less dense than cold air. cold dry air is heavier that warm moist air.
cold front
symbol: blue line with triangles
brings clouds and rain and thunderstorms. its also slower moving. behind it the skies are clear.
warm fornt
symbol: red line with half moons. brings snow or freezing rain in colder climates and drizzles in moderate climates. its also a slow moving front.
stationary front
blue triangles one direction and red half moons the other direction. The air masses push against each other but no one wins. the intensity of the precipitation depends on how big the temp difference is. thunderstorms occur if temp is above 60.
occluded front
purple alternating half moons and triangles. two cold air masses against one warm air mass. clear skies behind with clouds and showers infront.
combination of atmosphere?
78 nitrogen, 21oxygen, <1 others
air pressure
the force exterted by the weight of all the air above. its exerted in all directions and its caused by cold air sinking and warm air rising combined with Earth’s rotation. BALANCE.
barometers
they mesure air pressure using rising and falling of mercury . standard air pressure is 29.92 inches of mercury.
Low air pressure
associated with poor weather. blue L symbol.
high air pressure
associated with good weather. symbol is red H.
low air pressure
air flows inward and counterclockwise
high air pressure air flow
air flows outwards and clockwise.
isobars
on a weather map, the closer they are together the stronger the wind is.
coriolis effect
is caused by the rotation of Earth. in the northern hemnisphere the wind is directed to the right and in the southern hemnisphere the wind is directed to the left. there is no coriolis effect at the equator.
