WW FOSS Investigation 1 Severe Weather Vocab

tornadoes

a mobile, destructive vortex of violently rotating winds having the appearance of a funnel-shaped cloud and advancing beneath a large storm system.

thunderstorm

a storm with thunder and lightning and typically also heavy rain or hail.

hurricane

A severe storm that develops over tropical oceans and whose strong winds of more than 120 km/h spiral in toward the intensely low-pressure storm center

typhoon

a tropical storm, like a hurricane, that occurs in the western Pacific

flood

an overflowing of a large amount of water beyond its normal confines, especially over what is normally dry land.

severe weather

weather that is dangerous or causes damage

flash flood

a sudden local flood, typically due to heavy rain.

drought

long period of dry weather; lack of rain; dryness

groundwater

the water that is beneath Earth's surface

Hail

pellets of frozen rain that fall in showers from cumulonimbus clouds.

updrafts

An area of rapidly flowing air that is moving upward within a thunderstorm.

cumulonimbus clouds

Large clouds that often produce thunderstorms are called

thunder

a loud rumbling or crashing noise heard after a lightning flash due to the expansion of rapidly heated air.

lightning

Abrupt electric discharge from cloud to cloud or from cloud to earth accompanied by the emission of light

step leaders

a downward path of electric charge from a cloud to Earth

atmosphere

A thin layer of gases surrounding Earth

atmospheric pressure

the pressure caused by the weight of the atmosphere

blizzard

A heavy snowstorm with strong winds

straightline winds

high winds behind a gust front

Microburst

a downdraft that causes quick gusts of strong wind.

dust devils

A small but rapidly rotating wind made visible by the dust, sand, and debris it picks up from the surface. It develops best on clear, dry, hot afternoons.

dust storm

A condition in which strong winds carry dust over a large area, usually during drought conditions.

wildfires

Is any uncontrolled fire in combustible vegetation that occurs in the countryside or a wilderness area

climate

Overall weather in an area over a long period of time

weather

The condition of Earth's atmosphere at a particular time and place.

Meteorology

the study of weather