Water in the Atmosphere
Precipitation
Air Masses and Fronts
Storms
Predicting the Weather
100
Molecules of water vapor in the air become liquid water.
What is condensation?
100
Any form of water that falls from clouds and reaches Earth's surface.
What is precipitation?
100
A huge body of air that has similar temperature, humidity, and air pressure at any given height.
What is air mass?
100
A sudden spark or electric discharge.
What is lightning?
100
Standard symbols on weather maps show fronts, areas of high and low pressure, types of precipitation, and temperature.
What can be learned from the information on weather maps?
200
The temperature at which condensation begins.
What is a dew point?
200
Water that freezes when touches the ground.
What is freezing rain?
200
The boundary where air masses meet.
What is a front?
200
A violent disturbance in the atmosphere.
What is a storm?
200
Scientists who study the causes of weather and try to predict it.
What is a meteorologist?
300
Clouds that look fluffy, rounded piles of cotton.
What is a cumulus cloud?
300
The most common type of precipitation.
What is Rain?
300
Warm air masses that form in the tropics and have low air pressure.
What is a tropical air mass?
300
A small storm often accompanied by heavy precipitation and frequent thunder and lightning.
What is a thunderstorm?
300
Lines joining places that have the same temperature.
What is an Isotherm?
400
Wispy, feathery clouds.
What is a cirrus cloud?
400
Round pellets of ice larger than 5 millimeters.
What is Hail?
400
Air masses that form over land.
What is a continental air mass?
400
A tropical cyclone that has winds of 119 kilometers per hour or higher.
What is a hurricane?
400
Lines joining places on the map that have the same air pressure.
What is an Isobar?
500
Clouds that form in flat layers.
What is a stratus cloud.
500
Ice particles smaller than 5 millimeters.
What is sleet?
500
Cold air masses that have high air pressure.
What is a polar air mass?
500
A rapidly whirling, funnel-shaped cloud that reaches down from a storm cloud to touch Earth's surface.
What is a tornado?
500
Meteorologists use maps,charts, and computers to analyze weather data and to prepare weather forecasts.
How do forecasters predict the weather?
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