Download WeatherBasics_PPT - Northview Middle School

Weather
.Label Item: WEATHER VOCABULARY
Complete Definitions over the weekend for the
terms listed below!
1. Air pressure –
10. Condensation –
2. *Barometer –
11. Precipitation –
3. Weather –
12. Humidity –
4. *Wind –
13. *Saturation –
5. Global wind –
14. *Relative
humidity –
6. *Coriolis effect –
15. *Dew point –
7. Jet stream –
16. Freezing rain –
8. Monsoon –
17. Sleet –
9. Evaporation –
18. Hail –
19. Acid rain –
The Water Cycle
Types of Precipitation
• Rain/Drizzle – form from water droplets or ice crystals
that melt as they fall
• Freezing Rain – rain that freezes when it hits the ground
or other surfaces
• Sleet – rain that freezes while falling through the cold air
• Snow – forms from ice crystals that merge in clouds
• Hail – forms when ice pellets move up and down in
clouds, growing larger as they gain layers of ice
Why is dust necessary
for precipitation?
• These particles are solids but are
light enough to stay in the
atmosphere for long periods of
time. Water vapor will only
condense on something solid.
• Cirrus
–
–
–
–
Cloud Types
Feathery, wispy
Form in cold air at high altitudes
Made of ice crystals
Fair weather
• Cumulus
– Cotton ball clouds (puffy white)
– Usually fair weather, daytime
• Stratus
– Spread out, flat layers, blanket
– When the whole sky looks gray
– Produce steady, light precipitation
• Fog
– Low-lying clouds
– Form when ground is cooler than air above it
Cloud Prefixes & Suffixes
• -nimbus or nimbo– Carries precipitation
– Example: Cumulonimbus (TALL storm clouds)
• alto– Clouds that form at medium altitudes
• Cirro– High altitudes
Cloud Types
What is the difference in
WEATHER & CLIMATE?
• Weather
– The condition of earth’s atmosphere
at a particular time & place (daily)
• Climate
– The characteristics of weather
conditions in a specific area over a
LONG PERIOD OF TIME
• 20 years
Different Climates
• POLAR
– extremely cold
– very little precipitation
– Penguins, polar bears, arctic fox,
seals, puffin
Different Climates
• HIGHLAND
– Located in high altitudes
– Rocky Mountains
– Grizzly Bears, Mountain Lions
Different Climates
• MILD
– Experience all 4 seasons
– Summers are warm/hot
– Winters are cool/cold
– Moist climate
Different Climates
• DRY
– Very little precipitation
– Hot during the day and cold at night
– Cactus, scorpions, lizards
– Death Valley, CA (desert)
Different Climates
• TROPICAL
– Located near the equator
– Very hot and wet
– Colorful birds and plants
– Amazon Rainforest
Different Climates
• SEVERE
– Extreme weather differences
– Very cold and very hot
Climate Change
• El Nino
– A disturbance in wind patterns and
ocean currents in the Pacific Ocean.
• Ice Age
• Temperature
Weather Basics
– How fast/slow the molecules in the air move.
– Qualitative: “It’s hot outside.”
– Quantitative: “It’s 90 degrees outside.”
• Air Pressure (Atmospheric Pressure)
– Air moves from an area of high pressure to
an area of low pressure.
• Wind
– Air that moves horizontally (parallel to the
ground)
• Relative Humidity
– The amount of water vapor in the air
• Dew Point –
– The temperature at which air with a given
amount of water vapor will reach saturation.
Air Masses
• Air mass – large body of air that has the
same temperature & humidity
• Naming Air Masses
– Temperature Classifications
• (T) tropical – warm
• (P) polar – cold
• (A) arctic – extremely cold
– Humidity Classifications
• (c) continental – dry
• (m) maritime - moist
Air Masses
•
Describe following air masses:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
cP
cA
mP
cT
mT
Fronts
• Front – boundary between 2 air
masses that meet
• Weather conditions typically
change as fronts pass by.
3 Types of Fronts
• Cold – cold air mass that is under
running and displacing the warmer
air in its path
(convection…remember?)
• Warm – warm air mass that is
replacing a retreating relatively
colder air mass
• Stationary – a battle between
warm and cold fronts
Air Pressure
• Barometer – measures air
pressure
High Pressure System
• Formed when air moves all the
way around a high-pressure center
• Brings clear skies and calm air
• Happy (weather) = HIGH
Low Pressure System
• Formed when air moves all the
way around a low-pressure center
• Brings stormy weather
• Lousy (weather) = LOW
Other Definitions
• Tropical Storm – a lower-pressure system
that starts the equator
• Hurricane – tropical low pressure system
with winds of 74mph +
• Storm Surge – huge mass of ocean water
from a hurricane
• Blizzard – blinding snowstorm
• Thunderstorm – a storm with lightning and
thunder
• Tornado – violently rotating column of air
stretching from a cloud to the ground
• Meteorologist - scientist who studies the
weather
• Isobar – line that connects places that have
the same air pressure
Wind
• Wind travels in patterns on Earth.
• Wind moves from an area of high
pressure towards an area of low
pressure.
• Coriolis Effect
– Winds bend to the right in the
Northern Hemisphere.
– Winds bend to the left in the
Southern Hemisphere.
Global Winds
• Doldrums
– Low pressure zone
– Air rises
• Horse Latitudes
– High pressure zone
– Air sinks
• Trade Winds
– Blow from horse latitudes towards equator
• Westerlies
– Blow from horse latitudes towards poles
• Easterlies
– Blow away from polar regions
Global Winds
Reading Weather Maps
• What type of precipitation is
Maiden getting?
WEATHER LOG
(40 POINTS)
• Write your NAME at the top.
• Pick a city & write it in the blank.
• Find out the zip code of your city and
write it in the blank.
• Go to www.noaa.gov and find the
latitude & longitude of your city.
• Write the time zone of your city in the
blank.
• Pick a TIME to record your data each
day.
• Record the specified data for your city
using the websites posted on Edmodo.
Weather Log
• Please use your iPad to collect data
for today’s weather & record it on
your weather log.
• If you need to do your log for
yesterday, go to wunderground.com
and click on “calendar view.”
• You may use the following:
– AccuWeather app
– WeatherStation app
– www.wunderground.com (via Safari)
Review
• P. A73-74
– #9-19
– #34-38 (do not have to draw table)
• P.75
– #1-7 (use diagram)
TEAM REVIEW POSTERS
Groups:
1. Clouds
2. Fronts and Air Masses and Pressure
3. Severe WX
4. Water Cycle
5. Wind
6. Types of Precipitation
7. Weather Technology
8. How Human Activities Affect Our Atmosphere
Rubric:
5 points: Teamwork 
5 points: Colored Pretty & Matches Up Well
5 points: Accurate & Adequate Information
5 points: Presentation