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Chapter 13 Vocab ES
Vocab Words
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Air-Mass Thunderstorm | Type of thunderstorm in which air rises because of unequal heating of Earth's surface within a single air mass and is most common during the afternoon and evening |
| Mountain Thunderstorm | Occurs when an air mass rises from orographic liftin, which involves air moving up the sie of a mountain. |
| Sea-Breeze Thunderstorm | Local air-mass thunderstorm that commonly occurs along a costal area because land and water store and release thermal energy differently. |
| Frontal Thunderstorm | Type of thunderstorm usually porduced by an advancing cold front, which can result in a line of thunderstorms hundreds of kilometers long, or, more rarely, an advancing warm front, which can result in a relatively mild thunderstorm |
| Stepped Leader | The channel of partially charged air; the breakdown in charges in between positive and negative regions. |
| Return Stroke | A branch channel of positively charged ions that rushes upwaard from the ground t meet the stepped leader. |
| Supercell | Extremely powerful, self-sustaining thunderstorm characterized by intense, rotating updrafts. |
| Downburst | Violent downdrafts that are concentrated in a local area. |
| Tornado | Violent, whirling golumn of air in contact with the ground that forms when wind direction and speed suddenly change with height, is often associated wit a supercell, and can be extremely damaging. |
| Fujita Tornado Intensity Scale | Classifies tornados according to their wind speed, duration, and path of desttruction on a scale raging from F0 to F5 |
| Tropcial Cyclone | Large, low-pressure, rotating tropical storm that gets its energy from the evaporation of warm ocean water and the release of heat. |
| Eye | Calm center of a tropical cyclone that develops when the winds around its center reach at least 120 km/h |
| Eyewall | Band where the strongeest winds in a hurricane are usually concentrated, surrounding the eye. |
| Saffir-Simpson Hurricae Scale | Classifies hirricans according to wind speed, potential for property damage, and potential for flooding in ters of the effect on the height of sea level on a scale ranging from Category 1 to Category 5 |
| Storm Surge | Occurs when powerful, hurricane-force winds drive a mouund of ocean water towards shore, where it washes over the land, often causing enormous damage. |
| Drought | Extended period of well-below-average rainfall, usually caused by shifts in global wind paters, allowing high-pressure systems to remain for weeks or months over continental areas. |
| Heat Wave | Extended period of above-average temperatrues caused by large, high-pressure systems that warm byy compression and block cooler air masses. |
| Cold Wave | Extended period of below-average temperatures caused by large, high-pressure systems of contenental polar or arctic origin. |
| Windchill Index | Measures the windchill factor, by estimating the heat loss from human skin caused by a combination of wind and cold air. |