click below
click below
Normal Size Small Size show me how
weather tools&clouds
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Cumulus | Puffy with flat bottoms |
| cirrus | Wispy, feathery clouds made of ice crystals that form at high levels. |
| stratus | Clouds that form in flat layers and often cover much of the sky |
| nimbus | a rain cloud |
| fog | a stratus cloud that forms when air is cooled to its dew point near the ground |
| anemometer | An instrument used to measure wind speed |
| wind vane | Instrument used to measure wind direction |
| thermometer | An instrument used to measure temperature |
| sling psychrometer | tool made of a wet and dry thermometer that measures relative humidity and requires a table to interpret the two temperatures |
| barometer | An instrument that measures atmospheric pressure |
| rain gauge | An instrument used to measure precipitation. |
| weather map | a map that uses symbols to show weather data |
| weather satellites | type of satellite that is primarily used to monitor the weather and climate of the Earth |
| weather radar | is an instrument that sends pulses of electromagnetic energy into the atmosphere to find precipitation, determine its motion and intensity, and identify the precipitation type such as rain, snow or hail |
| isobar | line on a map connecting points having the same barometric reading at a given time |
| cumulonimbus | are thunderstorm clouds. High winds can flatten the top of the cloud into an anvil-like shape. Cumulonimbus clouds are associated with heavy rain, snow, hail, lightning and even tornadoes. The anvil usually points in the direction the storm is moving. |
| relative humidity | The amount of water vapor in the air at any given time is usually less than that required to saturate the air. Expressed as a percentage. |
| isotherm | - A line on a weather map that joins places that have the same temperature. |