Weather Words (Page 1)

air mass
An air mass is a large widespread body of air with horizontally uniform characteristics, such as temperature and moisture. Air masses are changed by surrounding conditions and generally take on the weather properties of the Earth's surface below it as it moves. Weather is "created" as different types of air masses meet. Examples one might hear in a weather forecast include "artic air mass" and "tropical air mass."

anemometer
Commonly called a "wind gauge," an anemometer is an instrument that measures the speed and direction of wind. Italian Leone Battista Alberti is credited with inventing the first anemometer around 1450. The word anemometer derives from the Greek anemos, meaning "wind".

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atmosphere
The mass of gases surrounding the Earth is known collectively as the atmosphere. The atmosphere has distinct layers and is home to all of the weather on the planet. In a dry atmosphere, nitrogen is the most prevalent gas.

barometer
A barometer is an instrument used to measure atmospheric pressure. Knowing the level of atmospheric pressure in weather systems, aids meteorologists in weather forecasting. Low-pressure regions are generally associated with rainy, cloudy unstable weather and high-pressure systems with clear, dry weather.

blizzard
A blizzard is a storm with strong winds and widespread blowing snow. Wind speeds must exceed 35 mile (56 km) per hour and visibility reduced to less than a quarter mile (400m) by blowing snow, for a snowstorm to be classified as a blizzard by the U.S. National Weather Service.

Typical cumulus cloud
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breeze
In meteorological terms, a breeze is a light to moderate wind.

cloud
A visible mass of water or ice particles suspended in the atmosphere is called a cloud.

Coriolis force
The Coriolis force is a force due to the rotation of the Earth that acts on moving objects, such as such as airplanes. In weather, wind flow is diverted by the Coriolis force, moving air particles clockwise in the southern hemisphere and counterclockwise in the northern hemisphere. [See cyclone below.]

cyclone
A rapidly circulating air mass with a low-pressure center that rotates clockwise in the southern hemisphere and counterclockwise in the northern hemisphere is known as a cyclone. The term cyclone is sometimes used to refer to any violently rotating windstorm. The Coriolis force initiates cyclonic rotation in weather systems. Both hurricanes and typhoons are cyclonic storms.

doldrums
The doldrums is an area with calm winds, located just north of the equator between the northern and southern winds of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

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See Also: Climate and Seasons