Download 2016-2017 weather vocab part 2

Isotherms
Lines on a weather map that
connect points where the
temperature is the same.
Orographic Lifting
Lifting of air caused by its
passage up and over mountains
or other sloping terrain.
Frontal Wedging
Warm air and cold air
collide, since warm air
is less dense it is wedged
upward and usually causes
rain
Cold Wave
Extended period of lower
than normal temperatures
caused by large, high
pressure systems of
continental polar or
arctic origin
El Nino
Warm ocean current that develops
off the western coast of South
America and can cause short term
climate changes felt worldwide.
La Nina
A cooling of the surface water of the eastern and
central Pacific Ocean, occurring every 4-12 years
causing unusual weather patterns. The
cooler water brings drought
to western South America and heavy rains to
Australia and Indonesia
Coriolis Effect
Deflects moving particles such as air to the
right above the equator and to the left
below the equator:
caused by Earth's rotation and combines
with the heat imbalances found on Earth to
create the trade winds
Cyclone
A system of winds that spiral in toward a
region of low atmospheric pressure,
circling counter-clockwise
in the Northern Hemisphere and
clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere
Wind
The horizontal movement
of air relative to the
earth's surface.
Frontal Thunderstorms
Type of thunderstorm usually produced by an
advancing cold front, which can result in a line
of thunderstorms or, more rarely, an
advancing warm front, which
can result in a relatively solid thunderstorm.
Thunderstorm
A storm with lightning and thunder.
Its produced by a
cumulonimbus cloud, usually
producing gusty winds, heavy rain
and sometimes hail.
Tornado
Appears as a violent funnel-shaped wind vortex in
the lower atmosphere with upward spiraling winds
of high speeds - spawned by
severe thunderstorms. In area, it
is one of the least extensive of all storms, but in
violence, it is the world's most severe.
Severe Thunderstorm
A thunderstorm which produces
tornadoes, large hail, or winds of 50
knots or more.
Structural wind damage may imply
the occurrence of a severe
thunderstorm.
Severe Weather
Refers to any dangerous
meteorological phenomena with
the potential to cause
damage, serious social disruption,
or loss of human life.
Station Model
Is a symbolic illustration showing the weather
occurring at a given reporting station.
Meteorologists created the station model to fit
a number of weather elements
into a small space on weather maps.
Fujita Tornado Intensity Scale
Classifies tornado according to their
wind speed, duration,
and path of destruction
on a scale of F0 to F5
Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale
Classifies hurricanes according to air
pressure in the center, wind speed, and
property damage potential
on a scale ranging from
Category 1 to Category 5
Temperature Inversion
condition in which the temperature of
the atmosphere increases with
altitude in contrast to the normal
decrease with altitude. When
temperature inversion occurs, cold air
underlies warmer air at higher
altitudes.
Hurricane
Also known as Typhoon, Tropical Cyclones, Willy- Willies.
Tropical storms with wind speeds of 64 knots (117km/h) up
to 240 knots (414 km/h) that can be thousands of square
kilometers in size. Such systems usually have a lifespan of
several days.
Urban Heat Island
(UHI) is an urban area or metropolitan area
that is significantly warmer than its
surrounding rural areas due to human
activities. The main cause
of the urban heat island effect is from the
modification of land surfaces.