Weather Systems Vocabulary

General Weather Terms:

state of the atmosphere at a given time and place with respect to wind, temperature,
weather
cloudiness, moisture, and pressure; daily or hourly conditions
climate weather over a long period of time (10 years, 50 years, 100 years, etc.)
divisions of the Earth's climates into general zones according to average temperatures and
climate zones average rainfall. The three major climate zones on the Earth are the polar, temperate, and
tropical zones.
meteorologist scientist who studies weather
Sun the driving force of weather
temperature degrees warm or cold; influenced by cloud cover
Humidity the amount of water vapor in the air.
data information (plural; singular = datum)
hemisphere half of a sphere; the Earth has four hemispheres: northern, southern, eastern, western
equator Imaginary, horizontal line around the middle of the Earth
latitude the distance north or south of the Equator
longitude the distance west or east of the Prime Meridian
angle of incidence or
angle the sunlight hits the Earth (more intensity = warmer)
Angle of Insolation
direct sunlight Sun rays that strike the Earth in a straight line (most direct, intense rays = Equator)
indirect sunlight Sun rays that strike the Earth at an angle
Imaginary, vertical line through the middle of the Earth; Earth rotates around it; Earth is tilted on
Earth's axis
its axis at 23.5.
spin; the Earth rotates counter-clockwise on its axis (1 rotation 1 day) Earths rotation causes
rotation
night and day
orbit; the Earth revolves counter-clockwise around the Sun in an elliptical orbit (1 revolution
revolution
365.25 days 1 year)
Orbit Earths path around the sun
tilt of the Earth The Tilt of the Earths Axis causes different seasons
sea level where the ocean meets the land; zero elevation
elevation the height of a place above sea level (Mount Everest has an elevation of 29,029 feet).
the vertical elevation of an object; the distance above sea level or above Earth's surface (The
altitude
airplane was flying at an altitude of 30,000 feet).

Weather Instruments/Tools:
thermometer instrument used to measure temperature (in degrees Fahrenheit or Celsius)
anemometer instrument used to measure wind speed (in miles per hour or mph)
wind vane instrument used to measure wind direction
rain gauge instrument used to measure amount of rain over a specific period of time
barometer instrument used to measure air pressure
Hygrometer Instrument used to measure humidity

1
 Weather Systems Vocabulary
Water Cycle:
the change and movement of the Earths water from liquid to vapor to solid and back again;
water cycle
the water cycle is powered by the sun
precipitation form of water that falls from the cloud to the Earth; a Water Cycle Process
when excess water that the ground cannot absorb travels over the soil surface to the nearest
run-off
stream or channel; a Water Cycle Process
infiltration The process by which water on the ground surface enters the soil
groundwater water that infiltrates, collects, and exists for long periods of time below the Earths surface
when precipitation accumulates in a body of water, in the ground, or as runoff to a body of
collection
water; a water cycle process
evaporation occurs when the sun heats water up and it becomes vapor in the air; a Water Cycle Process
when water is discharged as vapor into the atmosphere as a result of evaporation from the
transpiration soil, plants, and animals (sweating or exhaling moisture into the atmosphere); a Water Cycle
Process
water vapor water in a gas state
occurs when water vapor cools and collects into liquid form; this occurs on the side of a cold
condensation
glass and in the air when clouds form; a Water Cycle Process

Wind:
horizontally moving air; caused by uneven heating of the Earth's surface, which creates warm
wind and cool air masses, resulting in differences in air pressure from place to place; moves from
high pressure area to low pressure area, like when deflating a balloon;
wind speed changes as air pressure changes
reported by the direction from which wind originates; prevailing westerly winds blow from the
wind direction
west to the east
moves across small distances close to Earth's surface; unpredictable; changes frequently with
local wind
air pressure fluctuation (examples include: sea breeze, land breeze, Chinook, Santa Ana, etc.)
moves great distances over the globe; predictable and stable; also called atmospheric
global wind
circulations (examples include: Polar Easterlies, Prevailing Westerlies, and Trade Winds)
winds that occur between 30 N and 30 S; blow from east to west; blow continuously toward
Trade Winds
the Equator; global winds
winds that occur between 30 and 60 in both hemispheres; blow from west to the east; blow
Prevailing Westerlies
towards the poles; global winds
winds that occur between 60 and 90 in both hemispheres; blow from east to west; blow
Polar Easterlies
away from the poles; global winds
sea breeze a convection current where air flows from sea to land during the daytime; a local wind
(land heats up and cools down faster than water; see convection current)
land breeze a convection current where air flows from land to sea during the nighttime; a local wind
(land heats up and cools down faster than water; see convection current)
windward side of the mountain facing the wind; evaporating (heated) air is pushed up by the mountain, it
cools, condenses, and precipitates frequently; vegetation is dense; sometimes called wayward
leeward side of the mountain not facing the wind; cooled air sinks; air is dry because it has already
condensed and precipitated on the windward side; vegetation is sparse; deserts are found on
the leeward side of mountains
2
 Weather Systems Vocabulary
Clouds/Precipitation:
a large collection of tiny water droplets or ice crystals in the atmosphere; classified by shape
cloud and altitude; formation depends on air mass movement; usually form at frontal boundaries and
in low pressure areas
cloud cover fraction of the sky covered by clouds; cloudy, partly cloudy, partly Sunny
a violent, tropical, whirling, low pressure system, having wind speeds of or in excess of 72
hurricane
miles per hour
low level clouds (up to 6,500 feet); means "to spread out" looks like layers or blankets that
Stratus Clouds cover the sky; result in overcast weather and sometimes produce precipitation; fog is a stratus
cloud at ground level
Cirrus Clouds Thin, wispy clouds blown by high winds into long streamers. They are considered "high clouds"
forming above 6000 m (20,000 ft). They usually move across the sky from west to east. They
generally mean fair to pleasant weather.
Cumulus Clouds 1. These are puffy clouds that sometimes look like pieces of floating cotton. The base of
each cloud is often flat lower to the ground. The top of the cloud has rounded towers.
Cumulonimbus Clouds Thunderstorm clouds Precipitating Cumulus clouds
Nimbus Clouds A Rain Cloud (Nimbo=precipitating cloud)
Nimbostratus Clouds Precipitating Stratus Clouds; low gray rain clouds (Nimbus + Stratus=rain plus low clouds)

Fronts/Air Pressure/Air Masses:

the weight of the air above the surface of the Earth, applies pressure on objects; high
barometric pressure brings clear skies; low barometric pressure brings lots of clouds and
Air (Barometric) pressure
precipitation; When pressure is high, the rivers are dry. When pressure is low, the rivers will
flow.
the measure of how tightly packed the matter in an object is (hot air = less dense,
density
cool air = more dense)
atmosphere A layer of gases surrounding a planet. The Earth's atmosphere is divided into five layers:
exosphere, thermosphere, mesosphere, stratosphere, and troposphere.
troposphere layer of the atmosphere ~0-11 miles up; we live here; almost all of weather occurs here
air mass A large region of the atmosphere where the air has similar properties throughout, such as
temperature, humidity, and air pressure.
High pressure system A whirling mass of cool, dry air. Because cool air is heavy and denser than warm air, it sinks.
High pressure brings fair weather, sunny skies, light winds, and stable weather. High pressure
systems rotate clockwise.
Low pressure system A whirling mass of warm, moist air. Because warm is lighter and less dense than cool air, it
rises, and then cooler air flows in underneath. Low pressure systems bring storms, strong
winds, and changing, unstable weather. Low pressure systems rotate counter-clockwise.
front A boundary between two air masses, resulting in stormy weather. A front is usually a line of
separation between warm and cold air masses.
cold front A boundary between two air masses (one cold and the other warm) moving so that the colder
air replaces the warmer air.
warm front A boundary between two air masses (one cold and the other warm) moving so that the warmer
air replaces the colder air.
stationary front A boundary between two air masses that more or less doesn't move, but some stationary
fronts can wobble back and forth for several hundred miles a day.
3
 Weather Systems Vocabulary
Gulf Stream/Jet Stream/Currents
Gas Convection current in the upper atmosphere, located above North America; has powerful
jet stream influence over weather conditions; flows from west to east; meandering - changes location
depending on global conditions
Gulf Stream The Gulf stream is a warm water convection current in the Atlantic ocean that moves from the
south of Florida up the eastern seaboard and then across the Atlantic. The Gulf stream
moderates weather along the eastern seaboard, warming the air and land there during cooler
months; it influences weather in the Southeast, including North Carolina. Cities along the
coast, such as Wilmington, NC, and Kitty Hawk, NC, will generally be a few degrees warmer in
winter when compared to inland cities such as Raleigh, NC, and Greensboro, NC
Convection Current A continual cycle of heat rising, cooling, sinking, and replacing rising heat. (examples by
liquids: gulf stream, El Nino/La Nina) (examples by gases: jet stream, sea breeze, land breeze

Land and water heat the air above through convection currents.
Because land and water absorb and release (transfer) heat at different rates, the air
temperature above land and water varies at all times. Therefore, geographical areas closer to
bodies of water remain slightly warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer--because the air
above the water takes longer to cool down in the winter and heat up in the summer than the air
above the land.
Land Breeze A gas Convection Current where air flows from LAND to SEA during the nighttime; (land heats
up and cools down faster than water so wind blows from land to sea) LAND WILL BE
COOLER THAN WATER AT NIGHT
Sea Breeze A gas Convection Current where air flows from SEA to LAND during the daytime; (land heats
up and cools down faster than water so wind blows from sea to land) LAND WILL BE
WARMER THAN WATER DURING DAY
El Nino/La Nina Liquid Convection Currents that affect weather in the United States
Ocean Currents Currents are movements of ocean water in a continuous flow, created largely by surface winds
(and also partly by temperature, salinity in the water, gravity, and the Earths rotation)

Weather patterns are driven largely by Ocean Currents.

Ocean currents act much like a conveyer belt, transporting warm water and precipitation from
the equator toward the poles and cold water from the poles back to the tropics. Thus, currents
regulate global climate. Without currents, regional temperatures would be more extreme
super hot at the equator and frigid toward the polesand much less of Earths land would be
habitable.

4
 Weather Systems Vocabulary
Heat Transfer (Conduction, Convection, Radiation):
heat energy that exists in matter
Temperature Measurement of heat; high temperature indicates more thermal energy
transfer of thermal energy (heat) by electromagnetic waves through places with or without
radiation
matter (examples: light bulb, campfire, fireplace, microwave, Sunlight traveling through space)
transfer of thermal energy (heat) by liquids or gases (examples by liquids: hotter at surface of
convection a swimming pool, cup of soup, or boiling water on stove) (examples by gases: hot air balloon,
lower floors being cooler than top floors in a building) WARM AIR RISES
a continual cycle of heat rising, cooling, sinking, and replacing rising heat. (examples by
convection current
liquids: gulf stream, El Nino/La Nina) (examples by gases: jet stream, sea breeze, land breeze)
transfer of thermal energy (heat) between things that are touching (examples of conduction:
conduction touching the handle of a hot metal pot, electrical circuit, ice in water) (examples of insulation:
rubber surrounding electrical wires, insulation inside walls)
conductor any object that allows heat (energy) to pass through easily; heats and cools quickly
insulator any object that is difficult for heat (energy) to pass through; heats and cools slowly
potential energy stored energy; energy of position
kinetic energy energy of motion; moving energy
thermal energy the total potential and kinetic energy of the particles in an object;
(more kinetic energy of particles = more heat, less kinetic energy of particles = less heat)