Weather Flashcards
Humidity
Humidity is the amount of water vapor present in the air
Cumulus Cloud
Cumulus clouds are clouds which have flat bases and are often described as “puffy”, “cotton-like” or “fluffy” in appearance.
Stratus Cloud
Stratus clouds are low-level clouds characterized by horizontal layering with a uniform base, as opposed to convective or cumuliform clouds that are formed by rising thermals
Cirrus Cloud
Cirrus is a genus of atmospheric cloud generally characterized by thin, wispy strands, giving the type its name from the Latin word cirrus, meaning a ringlet or curling lock of hair.
Cumulonimbus Cloud
Cumulonimbus, from the Latin cumulus and nimbus, is a dense, towering vertical cloud associated with thunderstorms and atmospheric instability, forming from water vapor carried by powerful upward air currents.
Condensation
water that 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
the draining away of water (or substances carried in it) from the surface of an area of land
Rain
Rain is liquid water in the form of droplets that have condensed from atmospheric water vapor and then becomes heavy enough to fall under gravity
Sleet
a form of precipitation consisting of ice pellets, often mixed with rain or snow.
Snow
ice crystals that precipitate from the atmosphere and undergo changes on the Earth’s surface.
Hail
pellets of frozen rain that fall in showers from cumulonimbus clouds.
Polar-Maritime Airmass
Maritime polar air masses are cool, moist, and unstable. Some maritime polar air masses originate as continental polar air masses over Asia and move westward over the Pacific, collecting warmth and moisture from the ocean.
Tropical-Maritime Airmass
Maritime tropical air masses originate over the warm waters of the tropics and Gulf of Mexico, where heat and moisture are transferred to the overlying air from the waters below. The northward movement of tropical air masses transports warm moist air into the United States, increasing the potential for precipitation.
Polar-Continental Airmass
Continental Polar Air Masses: cold temperatures and little moisture. Those who live in northern portions of the United States expect cold weather during the winter months. These conditions usually result from the invasion of cold arctic air masses that originate from the snow covered regions of northern Canada.
Tropical-Continental Airmass
They are classified according to latitude and their continental or maritime source regions. Colder air masses are termed polar or arctic, while warmer air masses are deemed tropical. Continental and superior air masses are dry while maritime and monsoon air masses are moist.
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 boundary of an advancing mass of warm air, in particular the leading edge of the warm sector of a low-pressure system.
Thunderstorm
a storm with thunder and lightning and typically also heavy rain or hail.
Lightning
Lightning is a sudden electrostatic discharge that occurs typically during a thunderstorm. This discharge occurs between electrically charged regions of a cloud, between two clouds, or between a cloud and the ground.
Thunder
a loud rumbling or crashing noise heard after a lightning flash due to the expansion of rapidly heated air.
Tornado
A tornado is a rapidly rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud.
Hurricane
a storm with a violent wind, in particular a tropical cyclone in the Caribbean.
