Weather :) Flashcards
Humidity
the state or quality of being humid
Cumulus Cloud
puffy, cotton-like clouds with flat bases and rounded tops, often associated with fair weather
Stratus Cloud
low-lying, flat, gray clouds with a uniform base that can appear as fog or mist
Cirrus Cloud
high altitude, wispy, feathery clouds composed entirely of ice crystals
Cumulonimbus Cloud
dense, towering, vertical clouds associated with severe weather like heavy rain, hail, lightning, and potentially tornadoes
Condensation
water which collects as droplets on a cold surface when humid air is in contact with it.
Evaporation
the process of turning from liquid into vapor.
Precipitation
the action or process of precipitating a substance from a solution.
Runoff
precipitation (like rain or snow melt) that flows over the land surface or through it, rather than soaking into the ground, eventually reaching streams, rivers, and larger water bodies
Rain
moisture condensed from the atmosphere that falls visibly in separate drops
Sleet
a form of precipitation consisting of ice pellets, often mixed with rain or snow
Snow
atmospheric water vapor frozen into ice crystals and falling in light white flakes or lying on the ground as a white layer.
Polar - Maritime Airmass
cool and moist, forming over cold ocean waters in high latitudes and often bringing cloudy, damp weather to coastal areas
Tropical - Maritime Airmass
a warm, moist air mass that forms over tropical and subtropical ocean waters, characterized by high humidity and potential for precipitation
Polar - Continental Airmass
a cold, dry air mass that forms over large, high-latitude land areas like northern Canada or Siberia, bringing cold and dry weather conditions
Tropical - Continental Airmass
a hot, dry air mass that forms over warm, land regions in the tropics or subtropics, typically bringing clear skies and low humidity
Cold Front
the boundary of an advancing mass of cold air, in particular the trailing edge of the warm sector of a low-pressure system
Warm Front
the leading edge of a warm air mass that is moving to replace a cooler air mass, where the warmer air slides over the colder air
Thunderstorm
a storm with thunder and lightning and typically also heavy rain or hail.
Lightning
the occurrence of a natural electrical discharge of very short duration and high voltage between a cloud and the ground or within a cloud, accompanied by a bright flash and typically also thunder
Thunder
a loud rumbling or crashing noise heard after a lightning flash due to the expansion of rapidly heated air
Tornado
a mobile, destructive vortex of violently rotating winds having the appearance of a funnel-shaped cloud and advancing beneath a large storm system.
Hurricane
a storm with a violent wind, in particular a tropical cyclone in the Caribbean
Thermometer
an instrument for measuring and indicating temperature, typically one consisting of a narrow, hermetically sealed glass tube marked with graduations and having at one end a bulb containing mercury or alcohol that expands and contracts in the tube with heating and cooling.
Anemometer
an instrument for measuring the speed of the wind, or of any current of gas.
