Atmosphere
The layer of the atmosphere where all weather occurs.
What is the troposphere?
A 30-year period of averages for climate variables.
What is a climate normal?
The weather-related phenomenon that causes the most death in the United States.
What is Extreme Heat?
Which cloud is commonly associated with thunderstorms?
Cumulonimbus
What instrument measures temperature fluctuations?
Thermometer
The most abundant gas in our atmosphere.
What is nitrogen? (78%)
When glaciers advance and retreat. It's a period of time that’s colder than the mean global temperature.
What is an ice age?
Common to Arizona during the monsoon season, when a thunderstorm collapse,s and all the air it collected is blown out in powerful gusts
Haboob
A base level in the atmosphere where water becomes saturated and condenses into clouds.
What is the Lifting Condensation Level? (LCL)
The decreased perceived air temperature because of the effect of wind on skin.
What is wind chill?
This law explains how warm air rises because its positively buoyant; it is lighter and less dense.
What is ideal gas law?
The interior of Phoenix is 5-7° warmer than the surrounding outskirts.
What is Urban Heat Island?
These delicate formations require a precise balance of moisture, snow, wind, and temperature to form.
Snow Roller
Which cloud formation is often linked to a change in weather patterns?
Cirrus
How can weather radar detect precipitation intensity levels?
By measuring radar reflectivity
The physics behind the rotation of Earth deflecting winds to the right in the northern hemisphere and to the left in the southern hemisphere.
What is Coriolis?
Analyzing proxy data to figure out past climates.
What is paleoclimatology?
An optical effect that casts a rainbow halo around the head of an observer’s shadow.
Glory
How do stratus clouds appear on standard weather diagrams?
Layered and Uniform
A measure of how much energy is available for convective thunderstorm and severe weather development.
What is Convective Available Potential Energy (CAPE)? (J/kg)
Suspended liquids or solids
What are aerosols?
An oscillatory atmospheric pressure pattern that correlates to sea-surface temperatures (SST) anomalies in specific regions of the Pacific Ocean.
What is El Niño Southern Oscillation? ENSO
What are pouch-like sacs hanging from the base of a cloud, often a cumulonimbus, formed by sinking, cold, precipitation-enriched air that evaporates in the warmer, drier air below?
Mammatus Clouds
Clouds that are hazardous to aviation and are usually formed because of topographic obstacles.
What are lenticular clouds?
HRRR is its acronym.
What is the acronym for the High-Resolution Rapid Refresh weather model?