Weather Flashcards
Weather
Is it raining outside? Or is it bright and sunny? The weather is what gives you an idea of how things are outside. It is a way to describe the outdoors at a given time and pla
Cumolunimbus Cloud
Sometimes cumulus clouds move upward with rising air. As they rise, they become dark and big. They are now called cumulonimbus clouds. They are also called thunderclouds. These clouds can cause sudden and heavy rains.
cumulus clouds
Cumulus clouds are white and puffy. They are made up of water droplets. They look like balls of cotton wool in the sky. Cumulus clouds are flat at the bottom and rounded at the top. These clouds can grow upward and develop into thunderstorm clouds.
Cloud
Where does rain come from? Clouds are formed by tiny drops of water in air. When these drops get bigger and heavier, they fall to Earth. That’s where rain comes from.
Cirrus Cloud
You can predict the weather by looking at the clouds in the sky. Some clouds are formed high in the sky and look like feathers. They are called cirrus clouds. Cirrus clouds are white and made up of ice crystals. If you see these clouds in the sky you should expect a change in the weather.
Drought
Droughts are prolonged periods of little or no rain. Lack of rain can affect us in many ways.
Dew Drops
Sometimes you can see tiny dew drops on blades of grass and leaves. How is dew formed? When air is warm it can hold more water vapor. At night air cools down. When the temperature drops below a certain point some vapor changes to water. We see this water as dew. The temperature at which dew is formed is called the dew point.
Typhoon
A typhoon is a severe tropical storm that originates in the Pacific Ocean, west of the International Dateline.
Forecast
How does your teacher pick the best day for a field trip? She listens to the weather forecast. A forecast tells you what kind of weather you will have. Forecasts are made by studying things like temperature and wind direction.
Front
You are enjoying a sunny afternoon at the beach. Suddenly, you see thunderclouds forming in the sky. How did this happen? The clouds formed when a mass of cool air runs into a mass of warm air. The area where these air masses meet is called a front. The weather can change very quickly at fronts.
Climate
the weather conditions prevailing in an area in general or over a long period.
Tropical Depression
A hurricane usually starts as a low pressure system over warm tropical oceans. As the intensity increases, it develops into a tropical disturbance. As the storm develops sustained winds up to 38 mph, it is classified as a tropical depression. Winds rotate in a counter-clockwise direction in the Northern hemisphere.
Tornado
When a mass of cold air meets a mass of warm air, the cold air pushes the warm air up at great speeds. Sometimes this creates a twisting column of air, called a tornado. Tornadoes travel very fast. They can destroy anything in their path. Tornadoes are also called twisters.
Barometer
How does a weather man know when it’s going to rain? He measures the air pressure using a barometer. When the barometer shows low air pressure, the weather man knows that bad weather is on its way.
Funnel Cloud
Thunderstorms can make a funnel-shaped column of clouds. This column stretches down from the sky but does not reach the ground. When funnel clouds touch the ground, they are called tornadoes.
Humidity
On a rainy day, wet clothes take longer to dry. Why does this happen? This is because air has a lot of water vapor in it. It cannot take water from the clothes as easily as on a sunny day. The amount of water vapor in the air is called humidity.
Thunderstorm
Sometimes hot and cold air meet in the atmosphere. The hot air rises above the cold air very quickly. Dark clouds form. Lightning flashes across the skies. These are followed by loud booms of thunder and rain. This is a thunderstorm.
Thunder
Sometimes, when it rains, you see big flashes of light in the sky. Lightning superheats the air. Superheating the air causes a loud noise called thunder.
Tropical
The tropical zone is the region that lies just above and below the equator, which is hit by the direct rays of the Sun. It is characterized by heavy rainfall and dense vegetation. The animals commonly seen here are animals like howler monkeys, elephants and tigers; snakes like boa constrictors; and birds like macaws, cockatoos, and toucans.
Meteorology
Air masses form over large areas that have similar weather. A front is the boundary along which two air masses meet or collide. Different types of fronts bring different characteristic weather conditions. Recording and studying weather patterns makes it possible for meteorologists to forecast the weather.
Air Pressure
What causes hot air balloons to fly? Air has weight. It pushes down on things on Earth. This is called air pressure.
Barometric Pressure
The atmosphere is made up of layers of gases. These layers of gases push down on Earth. This push is called barometric pressure.
