5th 6 Weeks - Weather Vocabulary

  1. Weather - the condition of the atmosphere at a place for a short period of time
  2. Weather Forecast - a prediction of what the weather will be, based on weather data
  3. Weather System - an area in the lower atmosphere where the air is moving around a high or low area
  4. Atmosphere - the air that surrounds the Earth
  5. Temperature - the average speed of the particles moving in a substance; how hot or cold an area is
  6. Meteorology -the study of weather and weather patterns
  7. Meteorologist - a scientist who studies the weather and weather patterns
  8. Wind - moving air
  9. Precipitation - water that falls to Earth's surface as rain, snow, sleet, or hail
  10. Rain Gauge - a weather instrument that measures rainfall
  11. Anemometer - a weather instrument that measures wind speed
  12. Wind Vane - a weather instrument that measures wind direction
  13. Barometer - a weather instrument that measures air pressure
  14. Thermometer - a tool used to measure temperature
  15. Humidity - water vapor in the air
  16. Hygrometer - a weather instrument that measures relative humidity
  17. Hydrosphere - all the liquid water and ice on earth’s surface, liquid water in the ground and water vapor in the atmosphere
  18. Weather Map - a map or chart showing the principal meteorological elements at a given hour and over an extended region
  19. Weather symbols - symbols used on a weather map to represent particular weather conditions
  20. Map key - an explanation of symbols on a map
  21. High (pressure) - on a weather map, an area where the air pressure is higher than it is in surrounding areas.
  22. Low (pressure) - on a weather map, an area where the air pressure is lower than it is in surrounding areas
  23. Front - a place where two air masses of different temperatures and pressures meet
  24. Cold front - the leading edge of a moving mass of cooler air-generally brings violent storms followed by cooler weather
  25. Warm front - the leading edge of a moving mass of warmer air-it moves over the top of cold air masses - generally brings rain and showers followed by warmer, more humid weather
  26. Stationary front - a boundary between two air masses in which the masses are not moving - generally brings many days of continuous precipitation
  27. Occluded front - forms when a cold front overtakes a warm front, capturing the warm air mass between two cold air masses-generally produces light rain or other precipitation
  28. Cloud cover - the amount of sun being blocked by clouds
  29. Fog- a layered cloud that forms close to the ground
  30. Blizzard-a snowstorm with high winds and low temperatures
  31. Flash flood-a sudden rush of water that overflows a stream after a heavy rain
  32. Flurries-a brief, light snowfall
  33. Hurricane-a very large and violent tropical storm
  34. Thunderstorm-a storm with lightning, thunder, rain, and sometimes, hail
  35. Tornado-a powerful funnel of very strong winds that can form during a thunderstorm