weather Flashcards
(26 cards)
humidity
amount of water vapor in air
cumulus cloud
puffy white clouds with flat bottoms
stratus cloud
clouds that form in layers
cirrus cloud
thin feathery white clouds
cumulonimbus cloud
large, vertically developed clouds associated with heavy precipitation, lightning, and potentially severe weather like hail and tornadoes
condensation
change of state from a gas to a liquid
evaporation
the process where a liquid transforms into a gas or vapor
precipitation
any form of water that falls to the Earth’s surface from the clouds
runoff
water that flows across land and collects in rivers, streams, and oceans
rain
moisture condensed from the atmosphere that falls visibly in separate drops
sleet
a form of precipitation consisting of ice pellets, often mixed with rain or snow
snow
atmospheric water vapor frozen into ice crystals and falling in light white flakes or lying on the ground as a white layer
hail
pellets of frozen rain which fall in showers from cumulonimbus clouds
polar- maritime airmass
a cold, moist air mass that forms over cold ocean waters in high latitudes, often bringing cool, cloudy, and damp weather
tropical- maritime airmass
a warm, moist air mass that forms over tropical and subtropical ocean waters, characterized by high humidity and potential for precipitation
polar- continental airmass
a cold, dry, and stable air mass that forms over high-latitude land areas like northern Canada and Siberia, characterized by low temperatures and little moisture
tropical– continental airmass
a warm, dry air mass that forms over large, hot, and dry land areas in subtropical and tropical latitudes
cold front
the boundary of an advancing mass of cold air, in particular the trailing edge of the warm sector of a low-pressure system
warm front
the boundary of an advancing mass of warm air, in particular the leading edge of the warm sector of a low-pressure system
thunderstorm
a storm with thunder and lightning and typically also heavy rain or hail
lightning
the occurrence of a natural electrical discharge of very short duration and high voltage between a cloud and the ground or within a cloud, accompanied by a bright flash and typically also thunder
thunder
a loud rumbling or crashing noise heard after a lightning flash due to the expansion of rapidly heated air
tornado
a mobile, destructive vortex of violently rotating winds having the appearance of a funnel-shaped cloud and advancing beneath a large storm system
hurricane
a storm with a violent wind, in particular a tropical cyclone in the Caribbean
