Term | Definition |
Cumulus clouds | Are puffy, "cotton-like" or fluffy in appearance, and have flat bases |
Stratus clouds | Are flat layers that form close to the Earth. They are often connected with stormy weather. |
Cirrus clouds | Are thin wispy and form high in the sky. They appear before a change in the weather. |
Water Cycle | The process in which water moves through the ground, evaporates from the earth into the air, forms clouds, and falls back to earth. |
Precipitation | Rain, snow, sleet, or hail. |
Condensation | The process in the water cycle by which gas becomes a liquid. |
Evaporation | The process in the water cycle in which a liquid becomes a gas due to the sun's heat |
Runoff | Water flowing over the Earth's surfaces into the lakes, rivers, and oceans. |
Groundwater | Water that has soaked into the soil. |
Weather | The state of atmosphere at a certain time and place. |
Temperature | Is the measure of how warm or cold something is. |
Climate | is the average weather conditions in an area over a long period of time. |
Humidity | the amount of water vapor in the air. |
Barometer | An instrument that measures air pressure |
Rain gauge | An instrument that measures the precipitation |
Meteorologist | A person who forecast the weather and studies the climate patterns. |
Anemometer | An instrument that measures wind speed |
Weather Vane | An instrument that measures wind direction |
Thermometer | An instrument that measures air temperature |
Weather Satellites | An instrument used to photograph and track large-scale air movements |
Wind | Is caused by differences in air pressure |
Air Mass | A large body of air that has the same temperature and level of humidity throughout |
Cool Air Mass | Forms where the land temperature is cool. |
Warm Air Mass | Form over the land that is warm |
Low Air Pressure | A mass of rising warm air that usually bring wet, stormy weather. |
High Air Pressure | A mass of sinking cool air that usually bring fair weather. |
Occluded Front | Forms when a warm air mass is caught between two cold air masses. |
Stationary Front | Occurs when a warm air mass and a cold air mass meet. |
Cold Front | A cold air mass moves under a warm mass and pushes the warm air upward. |
Warm Front | Forms when warm air bumps with colder air. As the air cools, water vapor can condense, creating precipitation. |
Altitude | The farther up you go the temperature decreases. Air is less dense and cannot hold the heat. |
Sea Breeze | The movement of air caused by cool air over the ocean moving toward the land. |
Land Breeze | The movement of air created by cool air over land moving toward the ocean. |
Transpiration | The process in the water cycle in which plants give off water |
Cumulonimbus Clouds | A type of cumulus cloud that is tall and gray, and associated with thunderstorms. |
Tornado | A violent whirling wind with a funnel shaped cloud. |
Hurricane | A violent storm that forms over warm ocean water and his winds of 74+ mph. |
Local winds | Wind that forms in a small area due to temperature changes |
Prevailing Winds | A global wind that blows constantly from the same direction. |
Gulf Stream | A warm ocean current that flows from the Gulf of Mexico |
El Niño | A climate pattern where the water in the Pacific Ocean near the equator gets hotter than usual and affects the atmosphere and weather around the world |
La Niña | A climate pattern where the water in the Pacific Ocean near the equator gets colder than usual and affects the atmosphere and weather around the world |