Weather Forecasting Unit Review Flashcards

Flashcards for weather forecasting vocabulary.

Evaporation

The process by which water changes from liquid to gas or vapor.

Condensation

The process by which water vapor changes to liquid.

Precipitation

Any form of water falling from the sky.

Sublimation

The process by which a solid changes directly to a gas.

Water Vapor

Water in a gaseous state.

Infiltration

The process by which water on the ground surface enters the soil.

Runoff

Water that flows over the land surface.

Stock

The amount of water stored in a reservoir.

Flow

The movement of water from one stock to another.

Dew Point

The temperature to which air must be cooled to become saturated with water vapor.

Specific Humidity

The mass of water vapor in a given mass of air.

Relative Humidity

The amount of water vapor present in air expressed as a percentage of the amount needed for saturation at the same temperature.

Capacity

The maximum amount of water vapor that air can hold at a given temperature.

Saturation

The state of the atmosphere when it contains the maximum amount of water vapor it can hold at a specific temperature and pressure.

Psychrometer

An instrument used to measure relative humidity.

Condensation Nuclei

Small particles in the atmosphere on which water vapor condenses to form clouds.

Stratus/Strato-

Prefix denoting a low, flat, or layered cloud.

Nimbus/Nimbo-

Prefix/suffix indicating a rain-producing cloud.

Cumulus/Cumulo-

Prefix/suffix indicating puffy, cotton-like clouds.

Cirrus/Cirro-

Prefix/suffix indicating high, wispy clouds.

Alto-

A prefix used to describe mid-level clouds.

Air Mass

A large body of air with relatively uniform temperature and humidity characteristics.

Front

A boundary separating two air masses of different densities.

Cold Front

A front where a cold air mass is replacing a warmer air mass.

Warm Front

A front where a warm air mass is replacing a colder air mass.

Occluded Front

A front formed when a cold front overtakes a warm front.

Stationary Front

A front between air masses that are not moving.

Polar Air Mass

A cold air mass originating in polar regions.

Arctic Air Mass

An extremely cold and dry air mass originating in the Arctic.

Tropical Air Mass

A warm, moist air mass originating in tropical regions.

Maritime Air Mass

A moist air mass that forms over the ocean.

Continental Air Mass

A dry air mass that forms over land.

Thunderstorm

A localized storm produced by cumulonimbus clouds and always accompanied by lightning and thunder.

Supercell

A thunderstorm characterized by a persistent rotating updraft.

Lightning

A sudden electrostatic discharge that occurs during an electrical storm.

Tornado

A violently rotating column of air extending from cumulonimbus cloud to the ground.

High Pressure

An area where the atmospheric pressure is greater than that of the surrounding location.

Low Pressure

An area where the atmospheric pressure is less than that of the surrounding location.

Vertical Cloud Development

Clouds that span the low, middle, and high levels of the atmosphere.