Weather Vocab Flashcards
Air pressure
The force exerted by air
Tropical
very hot and humid:
a tropical climate.
Celsius
Thermodynamics. of or relating to a temperature scale having the same units as the Celsius scale but in which the zero point has been shifted so that the triple point of water has the exact value 0.01°; Celsius temperatures are computed from Kelvin values by subtracting 273.15 from the latter
Cumulus Cloud
Large, white, puffy clouds that generally appear during fair weather, although they also form thunderheads on hot days. Some carry rain.
Cirrus cloud
Lacy or wispy clouds that form at high altitudes, generally before a change in the weather.
Thermometer
an instrument for measuring temperature, often a sealed glass tube that contains a column of liquid, as mercury, that expands and contracts, or rises and falls, with temperature changes, the temperature being read where the top of the column coincides with a calibrated scale marked on the tube or its frame.
tropical depression
an atmospheric low-pressure system originating in the tropics, specifically, a tropical cyclone in which the maximum sustained wind speed is 38 miles per hour (62 kilometers per hour) or less.
Ocean current
a flowing; flow, as of a river.
something that flows, as a stream.
Dew point
the temperature to which air must be cooled, at a given pressure and water-vapor content, for it to reach saturation; the temperature at which dew begins to form.
Hurricane
Meteorology. a tropical cyclone of the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, or eastern Pacific Ocean, having sustained wind speeds of at least 64 knots (74 miles per hour, 33 meters per second): hurricanes form in waters with surface temperatures of about 80°F (27°C), intensifying as temperatures rise.Compare typhoon
Desert
a region so arid because of little rainfall that it supports only sparse and widely spaced vegetation or no vegetation at all
Typhoon
Meteorology. a tropical cyclone in the western Pacific Ocean or northern Indian Ocean, having sustained winds of at least 64 knots (74 miles per hour, 33 meters per second): typhoons form in waters with surface temperatures of about 80°F (27°C), intensifying as temperatures rise.Compare hurricane
Humidity
humid condition; moistness; dampness.
relative humidity.
an uncomfortably high amount of relative humidity:
Forecast
to predict (a future condition or occurrence); calculate in advance: to forecast a heavy snowfall; to forecast lower interest rates.
Atmosphere
the gaseous envelope surrounding the earth; the air
Hail
hailstorm. noun [ C ] us. /ˈheɪlˌstɔrm/ a storm that produces hail (= balls of ice that fall like rain)Feb 23
Thunderstorm
a transient storm of lightning and thunder, usually with rain and gusty winds, sometimes with hail or snow, produced by cumulonimbus clouds
Cloud
a visible collection of particles of water or ice suspended in the air, usually at an elevation above the earth’s surface
Precipitation
the amount of rain, snow, hail, etc., that has fallen at a given place within a given period, usually expressed in inches or centimeters of water
Drought
a period of dry weather, especially a long one that is injurious to crops
Weather front
A weather front is a boundary between two air masses. It can be thought of like the frontline in a battle, where the warm air represents one side and its ‘enemy,’ the cold air, the other side. Across a front, there can be large variations in temperature, as warm air comes into contact with cooler air.
Meteorology
the science dealing with the atmosphere and its phenomena, including weather and climate.
the atmospheric conditions and weather of an area.
Freezing point
the temperature at which a liquid freezes:
The freezing point of water is 32°F, 0°C
Tornado
Meteorology. a potentially violent and destructive system of atmospheric circulation, characterized by a long, funnel-shaped cloud extending toward the ground and made visible by condensation and debris: although tornadoes have occurred on all continents except Antarctica, they are most common in the United States, especially in the area known as Tornado Alley
Cumulonimbus Cloud
a cloud of a class indicative of thunderstorm conditions, characterized by large, dense towers that often reach altitudes of 30,000 feet (9,000 meters) or more, cumuliform except for their tops, which appear fibrous because of the presence of ice crystals: occurs as a single cloud or as a group with merged bases and separate tops
Thunder
a loud, explosive, resounding noise produced by the explosive expansion of air heated by a lightning discharge
Weather
the state of the atmosphere with respect to wind, temperature, cloudiness, moisture, pressure, etc
Waterspout
Meteorology.Also called fair-weath·er wa·ter·spout [fair-weth-er] . a funnel-shaped column laden with mist and spray that develops on the surface of a body of water and climbs upward to the cloud that has spawned it: usually formed during conditions of light winds, fair-weather waterspouts have little lateral movement and are not normally accompanied by thunderstorms.
Meteorology.Also called tor·na·dic wa·ter·spout [tawr-nad-ik] . a tornado that forms in a downward direction over a body of water, typically during a severe thunderstorm and often accompanied by high winds, dangerous water turbulence, and large hail: although tornadic waterspouts tend to dissipate rapidly upon landfall, they may occasionally move inland.
Barometer
Meteorology. any instrument that measures atmospheric pressure.Compare aneroid barometer, mercury barometer.
Global warming
an increase in the earth’s average atmospheric temperature that causes corresponding changes in climate and that may result from the greenhouse effect.
Temperature
a measure of the warmth or coldness of an object or substance with reference to some standard value. The temperature of two systems is the same when the systems are in thermal equilibrium
Barometric Pressure ( Atmospheric pressure)
the pressure exerted by the earth’s atmosphere at any given point, being the product of the mass of the atmospheric column of the unit area above the given point and of the gravitational acceleration at the given point.
a value of standard or normal atmospheric pressure, equivalent to the pressure exerted by a column of mercury 29.92 inches (760 millimeters) high, or 1013 millibars (101.3 kilopascals).
Funnel cloud
a rapidly rotating funnel-shaped cloud extending downward from the base of a cumulonimbus cloud, which, if it touches the surface of the earth, is a tornado or waterspout.
Climate
the composite or generally prevailing weather conditions of a region, as temperature, air pressure, humidity, precipitation, sunshine, cloudiness, and winds, throughout the year, averaged over a series of years
