Dunne (Gjhs)Weather And Climate Vocabulary Terms

Front 1

advection fog

Back 1

- a fog formed when warm, moist air is blown over a cool surface.

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cloud

Back 2

a form of condensation best described as a dense concentration of suspended water droplets or tiny ice crystals.

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condensation

Back 3

gas to a liquid

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cold front

Back 4

a front along which a cold air mass thrusts beneath a warmer air mass.

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contiental air mass

Back 5

An air mass that forms over land; its normally relatively dry.

Front 6

doppler radar

Back 6

In addition to the tasks performed by conventional radar, this new generation of weather radar can detect motion directly and hence greatly improve tornado and severe storm warnings.

Front 7

eye

Back 7

A zone of scattered clouds and calm averaging about 20 kilometers in diameter at the center of a hurricane.

Front 8

fog

Back 8

A cloud with its base at or very near earths surface.

Front 9

front

Back 9

The boundary between two adjoining air masses having contrasting characteristics

Front 10

hail

Back 10

Nearly spherical pellets having concentric layers and formed by the successive freezing of layers of water.

Front 11

humidity

Back 11

A general term referring to water vapor in the air but not to liquid droplets of fog, cloud, or rain.

Front 12

hygrometer

Back 12

An instrument designed to measure relative humidity.

Front 13

lake effect snow

Back 13

snow showers associated with a cP air mass to which moisture and heat are added from below as the air mass traverses a large and relatively warm lake (as one of the Great Lakes), rendering the air mass humid and unstable.

Front 14

maritime air mass

Back 14

An air mass that originates over the ocean. These air masses are relatively humid.

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middle latitude cyclone

Back 15

Large center of low pressure with an associated cold front and often a warm front. Frequently accompanied by abundant precipitation.

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occluded front

Back 16

a front formed when a cold front overtakes a warm front. It marks the beginning of the end of a middle-latitude cyclone.

Front 17

psychrometer

Back 17

A device consisting of two thermometers (wet bulb and dry bulb) that is rapidly whirled and, with the use of tables, yields the relative humidity and dew point.

Front 18

rain

Back 18

Rain is liquid water in the form of droplets that have condensed from atmospheric water vapor and then precipitated—that is, become heavy enough to fall under gravity.

Front 19

rime

Back 19

a thin coating of ice on objects produced when supercooled fog droplets freeze on contact.

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sleet

Back 20

Frozen or semifrozen rain formed when raindrops freeze as they pass through a layer of cold air.

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stationary front

Back 21

A situation in which the surface position of a front does not move; the flow on either side of such a boundary is nearly parallel to the position of the front.

Front 22

storm surge

Back 22

the abnormal rise of the sea along a shore as a result of strong winds.

Front 23

sublimiation

Back 23

The conversion of a solid directly to a gas without passing through the liquid state.

Front 24

tornado

Back 24

A small, very intense cyclonic storm with exceedingly high winds, most often produced along cold fronts in conjunction with severe thunderstorms.

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tropical air mass

Back 25

an air mass that is wet and humid

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tropical stom

Back 26

By international agreement, a tropical cyclone with maximum winds between 61 and 119 kilometers (38 and 74 miles) per hour.

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air mass

Back 27

a large body of air that is characterized by a sameness of temperature and humidity.

Front 28

cirrus

Back 28

One of three basic cloud forms’ also one of three high cloud types. They are thin, delicate ice-crystal clouds often appearing as veil-likes patches of thin wispy fibers.

Front 29

condensation nuclei

Back 29

Tiny bits of particulate matter that serve as surfaces on which water vapor condenses.

Front 30

cumulus

Back 30

One of the three basic cloud forms; also the name given one of the clouds of vertical development. Cumulus are billowy individual cloud masses that often have flat bases.

Front 31

dew point

Back 31

The atmospheric temperature (varying according to pressure and humidity) below which water droplets begin to condense and dew can form.

Front 32

evaporation

Back 32

The process of converting a liquid to a gas.

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eye wall

Back 33

the doughnut-shaped area of intense cumulonimbus development and very strong winds that surround the eye of a hurricane.

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freezing

Back 34

The change of state from a liquid to a solid.

Front 35

frontal fog

Back 35

- Fog formed when rain evaporates as it falls through a layer of cool air.

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high cloud

Back 36

cloud that normally has its base above 6000 meters; the base may be lower in winter and at high-latitude locations.

Front 37

hurricane

Back 37

- A tropical cyclonic storm having winds in excess of 119 kilometers (74 miles) per hour.

Front 38

latent heat

Back 38

The energy absorbed or released during a change in state.

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low clud

Back 39

a cloud that forms below a height of 2000 meters.

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melting

Back 40

The change of state from a solid to a liquid.

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middle cloud

Back 41

a cloud occupying the height range from 2000 to 6000 meters.

Front 42

polar air mass

Back 42

a cold air mass that forms in a high-latitude source region.

Front 43

radiation fog

Back 43

- Fog resulting from radiation heat loss by earth.

Front 44

relative humidity

Back 44

The ratio of the air’s water vapor content to its water vapor capacity.

Front 45

saturation

Back 45

The maximum quantity of water vapor that the air can hold at any given temperature and pressure.

Front 46

snow

Back 46

a solid form of precipitation produced by sublimation of water vapor.

Front 47

steam fog

Back 47

Fog having the appearance of steam, produced by evaporation from a warm water surface into the cool air above.

Front 48

stratus

Back 48

One of the three basic cloud forms; also the name given one of the flow clouds, they are sheets or layers that cover much or all of the sky.

Front 49

thunderstorm

Back 49

a storm produced by a cumulonimbus cloud and always accompanied by lightening and thunder. It is of relatively short duration and usually accompanied by strong wind gusts, heavy rain, and sometimes hail.

Front 50

tornado warning

Back 50

a warning issued when a tornado has actually been sighted in an area or in indicated by radar.

Front 51

tropical depression

Back 51

By international agreement, a tropical cyclone with maximum winds that do not exceed 61 kilometers (38 miles) per hour.

Front 52

warm front

Back 52

a front along which a warm air mass overrides a retreating mass of cooler air.