Vocabulary
This is a description of the short-term conditions of the atmosphere at a particular time and place.
What is weather?
The differences in this type of pressure eventually cause air masses to move.
What is air?
This is something weather forecasts can be used to predict; it tells how hot or cold it is.
What is temperature?
Energy from this source powers the Earth system and Earth's climate.
What is the sun?
This is the average weather conditions in an area over a long period of time.
What is climate?
This is what forms when water vapor condenses onto particles in the air to form liquid water droplets or ice crystals.
What are clouds?
This is something weather forecasts can be used to predict; it tells how much water vapor is in the air.
What is humidity?
Sun radiates energy in this form, and has to go about 150 million km through space before it reaches Earth.
What are waves?
This is a measure of how hot or cold something is, which has to do with the motion of the particles (air in this case) that make up matter.
What is temperature?
Energy from this source drives interactions among Earth's subsystems, affecting weather patterns.
What is the sun?
This is something weather forecasts can be used to predict; it tells how fast or strong air will be moving.
What is wind?
These are two main parts of a climate description, expressed as an average.
What is temperature and precipitation?
This is a measure of the amount of water vapor in the air. It also affects how warm or cool you feel.
What is humidity?
This type of system forms where air sinks toward the surface.
What is high-pressure?
This is something weather forecasts can be used to predict; it tells how much and what forms of water will fall to the ground.
What is precipitation?
These are two things that can happen to the energy that enters the Earth from the sun.
What is reflect or absorb?
This is the percentage of water vapor in the air relative to the amount needed to saturate the air at the same temperature.
What is relative humidity?
This type of system forms when warm, less dense air rises from Earth's surface.
What is low-pressure?
This is one word to describe the phenomenon of weather because it is affected by so many factors.
What is complex?
Aside from precipitation and temperature, these are some other factors that may be described in a climate.
What is windy, cloudy, or humid?
This is the force of air pushing on an object.
What is air pressure?
A thunderstorm is most likely associated with this type of front.
What is cold?
This type of weather forecasts make predictions for 3-7 days into the future.
What are medium-range forecasts?
Surfaces with this type of coloring generally reflect a lot of sunlight, so they have high albedos.
What is light-colored?
This is a large body of air that has a similar temperature and humidity throughout.
What is an air mass?
This is why air temperatures vary.
What is the sun warms Earth's surface unevenly?
This type of weather forecast makes predictions for 0-3 days into the future.
What are short-range forecasts?
An area's climate in dependent upon this because it determines the intensity and amount of sunlight an area receives.
What is latitude?
This is a boundary between air masses.
What is a front?
These are forms that droplets and crystals in clouds can fall to the ground as.
What is rain, sleet, hail, and snow?
This type of weather forecast, or "outlooks," can range from weeks to months into the future.
What are long-range weather forecasts?
The intensity of sunlight, and therefore the temperature, is greater along this area than at the poles.
What is the equator?
This is a prediction about the state of the atmosphere at a given place and time.
What is a weather forecast?
These are the four different types of fronts.
What are cold, warm, stationary, and occluded fronts?
These are two factors that a small change in can make a large impact on weather conditions.
What is wind direction and ocean circulation?
This type of climate commonly exist near the equator.
What is rainy?
This is how much sunlight a surface reflects.
What is albedo?
The type of front that forms depends on these factors.
What is temperature, humidity, and air mass motion?
These are the titles of professionals who analyze weather forecast model results before they are shared with the public.
What are meteorologists and forecasters?
(Name at least one)
Temperatures in these areas do not tend to vary as greatly as areas that are farther inland along similar latitudes.
What is coastal?