Describing Weather
What is weather?
Atmospheric conditions along with short-term changes, of a certain place at a certain time.
what is a maritime tropical air mass?
Form over the western Atlantic Ocean. These are moist air masses bringing hot, humid air to the southeastern US during the summer.
What is a surface report?
A set of weather measurements made on Earth's surface
What is a blizzard?
A violent winter storm characterized by freezing temperatures, strong winds, and blowing snow
What are isobars?
Lines that connect all places on a map where pressure has the same value.
What is precipitation?
Water in liquid or solid form, that falls from the atmosphere.
What is a low-pressure system?
A large body of circulating air with low pressure at its center and higher pressure outside of the system.
A cold front brings _________ to an area.
severe storms
What is a hurricane?
An intense tropical storm with winds exceeding 119 km/hr
What is a weather front?
boundary between two air masses
Air pressure is measured with a(n) ________.
barometer
What is an arctic air mass?
Contain bitterly cold, dry air. During winter, an artic air mass can bring temperature down to -40 degrees C.
The amount of water vapor in the air relative to what that air could hold is the __________.
relative humidity
What is a tornado?
Violent whirling column of air in contact with the ground
Which type of precipitation reaches Earth in a frozen form?
hail, snow
What is a dew point?
Temperature when air is fully saturated with water vapor.
The force that a column of air exerts on the air or surface below it is...
pressure
What is an upper air report?
Describes wind, temperature, and humidity conditions above Earth's surface.
Hurricanes form when ...
warm, moist air rises over an ocean
What is a high-pressure system?
A large body of circulating air with high pressure at its center and lower pressure outside of the system.
What is relative humidity?
The amount of water vapor present in the air compared to the maximum amount of water vapor the air could contain at that temperature.
What is an air mass?
Large bodies of air that have uniform temperature, humidity, and pressure.
What is a Doppler radar?
A Doppler radar is a specialized type of radar that can detect precipitation as well as the movement of small particles, which can be used to approximate wind speed.
What are three stages of thunderstorms?
1. Cumulus
2. Mature
3. Dissipation
What is the water cycle?
A series of natural processes by which water continually moves among oceans, land, and the atmosphere.