Describing Weather
What does temperature describe?
How hot or cold it is
What is it called when water heats up, changes to water vapor and moves to the atmosphere?
Evaporation
What do the blue H and red L on a weather map stand for?
High and low pressure systems
What is a polar air mass?
Cold air mass that forms near the polar regions
What are the 4 fronts called?
Warm, cold, stationary, occluded
What does precipitation describe?
The fall of water from the atmosphere (rain, sleet, snow, hail, etc.)
What is condensation?
Water vapor in the atmosphere cooling and turning back into water droplets to form clouds
As you move higher into the atmosphere, air pressure ________________.
Decreases
What is a warm air mass called?
Tropical air mass
What is a stationary front?
When a warm air mass and cold air mass collide, but neither replaces they other. They just stay put.
What does wind describe?
The movement of air between high and low pressure systems; describing its speed and direction
What is runoff?
Water that flows over land or bodies of water such as streams and rivers after precipitation
What type of weather is associated with high pressure systems?
Cool, breezy, fair weather, sunny, HAPPY
How many labels does each air mass get? Explain your answers.
2. One describes the temperature and another describes the moisture level
What is an occluded front?
When a warm front and a cold front collide
What does humidity describe?
What is it called when water soaks into the soil after precipitation?
Infiltration
What type of weather is associated with low pressure systems?
Warm, humid, cloudy, rainy, LOUSY
What are the air masses related to land and water called?
Land- Continental
Water- Maritime
What is a warm front and what type of weather does it bring?
Warm air replaces cold air. Brings mild storms and warmer temperatures
What does air pressure describe?
The weight of the atmosphere over a given area
What are the two steps of the water cycle that relate to plants?
Absorption & Transpiration
What is the movement of wind like in high and low pressure systems?
Wind moves outwards from high pressure systems and inward towards low pressure systems.
What can happen when two different air masses collide?
A front will form that causes storms. Sometimes extreme weather can form as well
What is a cold front and what type of weather does it bring?
Cold air replaces warm air. Brings heavy storms and winds and cooler temperatures