Weather Flashcards
What is Humidity?
The amount of water vapor present in the air.
What is a Cumulus Cloud?
Fluffy, white clouds often associated with fair weather.
What is a Stratus Cloud?
Low, gray clouds that cover the sky like a blanket, often bringing overcast weather.
What is a Cirrus Cloud?
High, wispy clouds made of ice crystals, often signaling changes in the weather.
What is a Cumulonimbus Cloud?
Tall, dense clouds associated with thunderstorms and severe weather.
What is Condensation?
The process by which water vapor cools and changes into liquid droplets.
What is Evaporation?
The process by which water changes from liquid to vapor due to heat.
What is Precipitation?
Any form of water (rain, snow, sleet, hail) that falls from the atmosphere to the Earth’s surface.
What is Runoff?
Water that flows over the ground surface, typically after rain, and drains into rivers and lakes.
What is Rain?
Liquid water droplets that fall from clouds when they become too heavy to remain suspended.
What is Sleet?
Small, translucent balls of ice that form when raindrops freeze before reaching the ground.
What is Snow?
Frozen water crystals that fall from the sky as ice flakes.
What is Hail?
Solid balls of ice formed within thunderstorms when updrafts carry raindrops into cold areas of the atmosphere.
What is a Polar – Maritime Airmass?
A cold and moist air mass originating from the polar oceans.
What is a Tropical – Maritime Airmass?
A warm and moist air mass originating from tropical oceans.
What is a Polar – Continental Airmass?
A cold and dry air mass originating from land in polar regions.
What is a Tropical – Continental Airmass?
A warm and dry air mass originating from land in tropical regions.
What is a Cold Front?
A boundary where a cold air mass pushes into a warmer air mass, often causing storms.
What is a Warm Front?
A boundary where a warm air mass moves over a cooler air mass, bringing gradual weather changes.
What is a Thunderstorm?
A storm characterized by lightning, thunder, and often heavy rain or hail.
What is Lightning?
A sudden electrostatic discharge that occurs during thunderstorms.
What is Thunder?
The sound caused by the rapid expansion and contraction of air heated by lightning.
What is a Tornado?
A rotating column of air that extends from a thunderstorm cloud to the Earth’s surface, often causing destruction.
What is a Hurricane?
A powerful tropical storm with strong winds and heavy rain, typically forming over warm ocean waters.
What is a Thermometer?
An instrument used to measure temperature.
What is an Anemometer?
An instrument used to measure wind speed.
