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Weather
Term | Definition |
---|---|
Latitude | N: an imaginary line around the Earth parallel to the equator |
Longitude | N: the angular distance between a point on any meridian and the prime meridian at Greenwich |
Hemisphere | N: half of the terrestrial globe N: half of a sphere |
Atmosphere | N: the envelope of gases surrounding any celestial body N: the mass of air surrounding the Earth |
Weather | N: the atmospheric conditions that comprise the state of the atmosphere in terms of temperature and wind and clouds and precipitation |
Climate | N: the weather in some location averaged over some long period of time |
Polar | Adj: of or existing at or near a geographical pole or within the Arctic or Antarctic Circles |
Continental | Adj: being or concerning or limited to a continent especially the continents of North America or Europe Adj: of or relating to or characteristic of a continent |
Maritime | Adj: relating to or involving ships or shipping or navigation or seamen Adj: bordering on or living or characteristic of those near the sea |
Cloud | V: to make or become cloudy V: to darken or hide with or as if by a cloud |
Condensation | N: the act or process of condensing N: the quality or state of being condensed N: a product of condensing |
Cirrus Clouds | wispy, feathery, and composed entirely of ice crystals. |
Rain | N: water falling in drops from vapor condensed in the atmosphere N: drops of fresh water that fall as precipitation from clouds N: anything happening rapidly or in quick successive V: precipitate as rain |
Freezing Rain | N: rain that freezes on impact with the ground or solid objects. |
Sleet | N: partially melted snow (or a mixture of rain and snow) V: precipitate as a mixture of rain and snow |
Snow | N: atmospheric water vapor frozen into ice crystals and falling in light white flakes or lying on the ground as a white layer. |
Hail | N: many objects thrown forcefully through the air V: precipitate as small ice particles |
Rain Gauge | N: gauge consisting of an instrument to measure the quantity of precipitation |
Hygrometer | N: measuring instrument for measuring the relative humidity of the atmosphere |
Map | N: a diagrammatic representation of the earth's surface (or part of it) V: make a map of; show or establish the features of details of V: depict as if on a map |
Globe | N: an object with a spherical shape N: a sphere on which a map (especially of the earth) is represented |
Cumulonimbus | a dark cloud of great vertical extent charged with electricity; associated with thunderstorms |
Cirrocumulus | a cloud at a high altitude consisting of a series of regularly arranged small clouds resembling ripples |
Stratocumulus | cloud forming a low layer of clumped or broken gray masses. |
Cirrostratus | a thin uniform layer of hazy cloud at high altitude |
Nimbostratus | a type of cloud forming a thick uniform gray layer at low altitude, from which rain or snow often falls (without any lightning or thunder). |
Wind | the perceptible natural movement of the air, especially in the form of a current of air blowing from a particular direction. |
Anemometer | an instrument that measures wind speed and wind pressure. |
Wind Vane | an instrument that tells you the wind direction. |
Coriolis Effect | a force that affects a moving object over a rotating body. |
Trade Winds | a wind blowing almost constantly toward the equator from an easterly direction. |
Prevailing Westerlies | These winds blow from the west and are located at midlatitudes of the Earth. |
Polar Easterlies | winds that are found between 60 and 90 degrees north and south latitude that blow from the poles and are deflected towards the west. |
Land Breeze | a breeze blowing towards the sea from the land, especially at night, because the sea is warmer than land |
Sea Breeze | a breeze blowing towards the land from the sea, especially during the day, because land is warmer than sea |
Air Pressure | the force exerted on a surface by the air above it as gravity pulls it to Earth. |
Low Pressure | characterized by or exhibiting atmospheric pressure that is below average. |
High Pressure | characterized by or exhibiting atmospheric pressure that is above average. |
Barometer | A weather instrument that measures air pressure |
Jet Stream | currents of air high above Earth |
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. |
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. |
Occluded Front | A warm air mass pushes into a colder air mass (the warm front), and then another cold air mass pushes into the warm air mass (the cold front). |
Stationary Front | when a warm air mass and a cold air mass meet. |
El Nino | a warming of the ocean surface, or above-average sea surface temperatures, in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. |
Gulf Stream | a huge, warm ocean current, or large body of water moving in a certain direction together that runs from the Gulf of Mexico and up along the eastern coast of the United States. |
Hurricane | a tropical storm with winds that have reached a constant speed of 74 miles per hour or more |
Air Mass | a large body of air with roughly the same temperature and humidity. |
Cumulus (cumulo) | fair weather clouds with white puffy tops and dark flat bottoms |
Stratus | lowest clouds that cover the sky like a thick gray blanket. |
Nimbo/Nimbus | precipitating cloud, such as nimbostratus or cumulonimbus cloud. |
Precipitation | water that falls to the Earth’s surface as rain, snow, sleet, or hail. |
Evaporation | the process of changing from a liquid to a gas |
Air mass | a large “bubble” of air that has about the same temperature and humidity throughout it |
Temperature | the average speed of the particles in a substance |
Humidity | water vapor in the air |
Thermometer | a tool that measures temperature |
Front | a place where one air mass meets and pushes aside another air mass |