Weather and Climate Vocabulary

Question 1

Air pressure

Answer 1

The force exerted on a surface by the air above it as gravity pulls it to Earth

Question 2

Tropical

Answer 2

On either sides of the equater which is cancer and capricorn

Question 3

Celsius

Answer 3

Denoting a scale of temperature on which water freezes at 0 degrees and boils at 100 degrees under standard conditions

Question 4

Cumulus cloud

Answer 4

Detached, individual, cauliflower-shaped clouds usually spotted in fair weather conditions

Question 5

Cirrus cloud

Answer 5

Form from the ascent of dry air, making the small quantity of water vapor in the air then into ice

Question 6

Thermometer

Answer 6

Measures the degree of hotness or coldness of a given substance

Question 7

Tropical depression

Answer 7

Forms when a low pressure area is accompanied by thunderstorms that produce a circular wind flow with maximum sustained winds below 39 mph

Question 8

Ocean current

Answer 8

The movement of water from one location to another

Question 9

Dew point

Answer 9

The temperature the air needs to be cooled to in order to achieve a relative humidity of 100%

Question 10

Hurricane

Answer 10

Tropical storm with winds that have reached a constant speed of 74 mph or more

Question 11

Desert

Answer 11

An area of land that gets no more than ten inches of annual precipitation and evaporates more than 10 inches per year. The key here is dry, not hot

Question 12

Typhoon

Answer 12

a tropical storm in the region of the Indian or western Pacific oceans

Question 13

Humidity

Answer 13

It measures how close the air is to being saturated - that is how much water vapour there is in the air compared to how much there could be at that temperature

Question 14

Forecast

Answer 14

a statement saying what the weather will be like the next day or for the next few days

Question 15

Atmosphere

Answer 15

made of the layers of gases surrounding a planet or other celestial body

Question 16

Hail

Answer 16

pellets of frozen rain which fall in showers from cumulonimbus clouds

Question 17

Thunderstorm

Answer 17

a storm with thunder and lightning and typically also heavy rain or hail

Question 18

Cloud

Answer 18

a visible mass of condensed water vapor floating in the atmosphere, typically high above the ground

Question 19

Precipitation

Answer 19

any liquid or frozen water that forms in the atmosphere and falls back to the earth

Question 20

Drought

Answer 20

prolonged period of abnormally low rainfall, leading to a shortage of water

Question 21

Front

Answer 21

boundary between two air masses

Question 22

Meteorology

Answer 22

the science dealing with the atmosphere and its phenomena, including both weather and climate

Question 23

Freezing point

Answer 23

the temperature at which a liquid becomes a solid at normal atmospheric pressure

Question 24

Tornado

Answer 24

a mobile, destructive vortex of violently rotating winds having the appearance of a funnel-shaped cloud :a large storm system

Question 25

Cumulonimbus clouds

Answer 25

menacing looking multi-level clouds, extending high into the sky in towers or plumes

Question 26

Thunder

Answer 26

caused by sudden expansion of the air in the path of the electrical discharge

Question 27

Weather

Answer 27

the state of the air and atmosphere at a particular time and place

Question 28

Waterspout

Answer 28

a whirling column of air and water mist

Question 29

Barometer

Answer 29

a scientific instrument used to measure atmospheric pressure

Question 30

Global warming

Answer 30

the long-term warming of the planet’s overall temperature

Question 31

Temperature

Answer 31

the degree or intensity of heat present in a substance or object, especially as expressed according to a comparative scale and shown by a thermometer or perceived by touch

Question 32

Barometric pressure

Answer 32

the measurement of air pressure in the atmosphere

Question 33

Funnel cloud

Answer 33

cone-shaped cloud which extends from the base of a cloud towards the ground without actually reaching the surface

Question 34

Climate

Answer 34

the weather conditions prevailing in an area in general or over a long period