Weather and Climate Vocabulary Flashcards
Air pressure
The force exerted on a surface by the air above it as gravity pulls it to Earth
Tropical
On either sides of the equater which is cancer and capricorn
Celsius
Denoting a scale of temperature on which water freezes at 0 degrees and boils at 100 degrees under standard conditions
Cumulus cloud
Detached, individual, cauliflower-shaped clouds usually spotted in fair weather conditions
Cirrus cloud
Form from the ascent of dry air, making the small quantity of water vapor in the air then into ice
Thermometer
Measures the degree of hotness or coldness of a given substance
Tropical depression
Forms when a low pressure area is accompanied by thunderstorms that produce a circular wind flow with maximum sustained winds below 39 mph
Ocean current
The movement of water from one location to another
Dew point
The temperature the air needs to be cooled to in order to achieve a relative humidity of 100%
Hurricane
Tropical storm with winds that have reached a constant speed of 74 mph or more
Desert
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
Typhoon
a tropical storm in the region of the Indian or western Pacific oceans
Humidity
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
Forecast
a statement saying what the weather will be like the next day or for the next few days
Atmosphere
made of the layers of gases surrounding a planet or other celestial body
Hail
pellets of frozen rain which fall in showers from cumulonimbus clouds
Thunderstorm
a storm with thunder and lightning and typically also heavy rain or hail
Cloud
a visible mass of condensed water vapor floating in the atmosphere, typically high above the ground
Precipitation
any liquid or frozen water that forms in the atmosphere and falls back to the earth
Drought
prolonged period of abnormally low rainfall, leading to a shortage of water
Front
boundary between two air masses
Meteorology
the science dealing with the atmosphere and its phenomena, including both weather and climate
Freezing point
the temperature at which a liquid becomes a solid at normal atmospheric pressure
Tornado
a mobile, destructive vortex of violently rotating winds having the appearance of a funnel-shaped cloud :a large storm system
Cumulonimbus clouds
menacing looking multi-level clouds, extending high into the sky in towers or plumes
Thunder
caused by sudden expansion of the air in the path of the electrical discharge
Weather
the state of the air and atmosphere at a particular time and place
Waterspout
a whirling column of air and water mist
Barometer
a scientific instrument used to measure atmospheric pressure
Global warming
the long-term warming of the planet’s overall temperature
Temperature
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
Barometric pressure
the measurement of air pressure in the atmosphere
Funnel cloud
cone-shaped cloud which extends from the base of a cloud towards the ground without actually reaching the surface
Climate
the weather conditions prevailing in an area in general or over a long period
