Vocabulary
What is precipitation?
any solid or liquid water that falls from the atmosphere
What is an air mass?
a body of air that has the same temperature & moisture
What is the layer of atmosphere where weather occurs?
troposphere
What is a hurricane?
swirling storm that forms over water
Instrument that measures air pressure
barometer
What is a meteorologist?
Scientist who studies the atmosphere & weather
What is a stationary front?
cold air mass & warm air mass meet & push up against each other
What do condensed water vapor or ice crystals form?
Clouds
What is a tornado?
a funnel-shaped storm that forms over land & has strong winds
How is rain formed?
water droplets in the clouds join to form larger drops.
What is the atmosphere?
a thin blanket of gases and dust particles that surround earth.
What is a cold front?
a cold air mass pushes through a warm air mass
describe cirrus clouds
thin, wispy, feather-like clouds
When does hail usually fall?
during warm weather
What is snow?
Ice crystals in the clouds that join together and fall to the earth
What is weather?
the condition of the atmosphere at any moment in time
What is a warm front?
when a warm air mass moves over a slower, cold air mass
Describe stratus clouds
thick, flat, blanket-like clouds that sit low in the sky
How is hail formed?
raindrops are pushed up over and over into tall clouds & freeze before falling to earth
What is the high temperature for today?
59 degrees
What instrument shows the direction that the wind is blowing?
wind vane
What is a front?
the boundary where two unlike air masses meet
When the prefix nimbo- is added to the name of a cloud, what does that tell you about it?
the cloud will produce precipitation.
What is the difference between a weather watch & a weather warning?
Watch--severe weather is possible but not happening yet.
Warning--severe weather is happening now, take cover.
How is the atmosphere like a ball that falls towards earth?
gravity pulls the atmosphere towards earth