Weather and Climate Vocabulary

Question 1

the force that air puts on an area (related word: pressure)

Answer 1

Air pressure

Question 2

describing a climate that is very hot and humid; describing an area of Earth that is near the equator

Answer 2

Tropical

Question 3

the metric temperature scale: Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius, and it freezes at 0 degrees Celsius.

Answer 3

Celsius

Question 4

large, fluffy, white clouds, often seen in fair skies; can develop into cumulonimbus clouds

Answer 4

cumulus cloud

Question 5

thin, wispy-looking clouds; commonly found at heights greater than 6 km

Answer 5

cirrus cloud

Question 6

a device used to measure temperature

Answer 6

thermometer (weather)

Question 7

a region of low pressure with counter-clockwise wind rotation that develops into a hurricane or tropical storm

Answer 7

tropical depression

Question 8

large-scale movement of water within the oceans in a certain direction

Answer 8

ocean current

Question 9

the temperature at which water vapor in the air condenses into water

Answer 9

dew point

Question 10

a storm with strong winds and rain that forms over tropical waters (related term: typhoon, tropical cyclone)

Answer 10

hurricane

Question 11

an area that gets little precipitation and has very little vegetation

Answer 11

desert

Question 12

a hurricane or tropical storm originating in the Pacific Ocean

Answer 12

typhoon

Question 13

the measure of how much water vapor is in the air

Answer 13

humidity

Question 14

(v) to analyze weather data and make an educated guess about weather in the future; (n) a prediction about what the weather will be like in the future based on weather data

Answer 14

forecast

Question 15

layers of gas that surround a planet (related word: atmospheric)

Answer 15

atmosphere

Question 16

small, icy balls that fall from the sky

Answer 16

hail

Question 17

a weather system that produces heavy precipitation, winds, lightning, and thunder

Answer 17

thunderstorm

Question 18

a collection of water droplets or ice crystals in the atmosphere

Answer 18

cloud

Question 19

water that is released from clouds in the sky; includes rain, snow, sleet, hail, and freezing rain

Answer 19

precipitation

Question 20

a prolonged shortage of rainfall

Answer 20

drought

Question 21

in weather, the boundary between two masses of air with different properties

Answer 21

front

Question 22

the study of patterns of weather

Answer 22

meteorology

Question 23

the temperature at which a liquid turns into a solid

Answer 23

freezing point

Question 24

a funnel-shaped cloud or column of air that rotates at high speeds and extends downward from a cloud to the ground

Answer 24

tornado

Question 25

anvil-shaped cloud that is often involved in heavy or violent storms: Cumulonimbus clouds are also called thunderheads. (related words: cumulus, nimbus)

Answer 25

cumulonimbus cloud

Question 26

a loud noise that happens when lightning heats the air and causes it to expand and contract quickly

Answer 26

thunder

Question 27

the properties of the atmosphere at a given time and location, including temperature, air movement and precipitation

Answer 27

weather

Question 28

a funnel-shaped cloud that forms over water and pulls water upward

Answer 28

waterspout

Question 29

a tool used to measure air pressure (related word: barometric)

Answer 29

barometer

Question 30

the slow warming of Earth’s atmosphere due to climatic change

Answer 30

global warming

Question 31

the measure of how hot or cold the air is outside

Answer 31

temperature (weather)

Question 32

the pressure (force per unit area) of the atmosphere against a surface

Answer 32

barometric pressure

Question 33

a rotating, funnel-shaped cloud: Funnel clouds do not touch the ground.

Answer 33

funnel cloud

Question 34

the average weather conditions in an area (related word: climatic)

Answer 34

climate