Weather Flashcards
Air Mass
Air that stays over an area takes on properties of that area
Continental polar
Warm and dry
Maritime polar
Cold and dry
Continental tropical
Warm and dry
Maritime tropical
Warm and wet
Front
A way winds move
Warm Front
The boundary of an advancing mass of warm air, in particular the leading edge of the warm sector of a low-pressure system.
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.
Occluded front
A composite front produced by occlusion.
Stationary front
A stationary front is a pair of air masses, neither of which is strong enough to replace the other. On a weather map, this is shown by an inter-playing series of blue spikes pointing one direction and red domes pointing the other.
Wind vane
A wind vane is a tool for measuring wind direction and was probably one of the first weather instruments ever used.
Rain gauge
A device for collecting and measuring the amount of rain that falls.
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 boule containing mercury or alcohol that expands and contract in the tube with heating and cooling.
Hygrometer
An instrument for measuring the humidity of the air or a gas.
Barometer
An instrument measuring atmospheric pressure, used specially in forecasting the weather and determining altitude.
