Geography JC weather and climate

thermometer

used to measure temperature - when temperature rises alcohol in one tube expands and pushes mercury up in the the other tube. works in the opposite way when temperature falls

barometer

measures air pressure in millibars or hectopascals

hygrometer

measures humidity - measured in %RH

Stevenson screen

A box that contains weather instruments and shields them from direct sunlight

wind vane

measures wind direction - the sail is blown forward by the wind, the head of the arrow points in the direction the wind blows

anemometer

used to measure wind speed - it has 3 cups which rotate when the wind blows, the faster the wind the faster the cups blow

Campbell Stokes Recorder

Measures sunshine - a glass ball focuses sun rays onto a heat sensitive paper

When did it first hit Ireland

October 16, 2017

How it was formed

Storm Ophelia began as thunderstorms over warm waters near Africa, gaining strength and becoming a hurricane. Unusually, it moved northeast toward Europe instead of west. As it reached cooler waters near Ireland, it became an extra-tropical storm but still caused strong winds, heavy rain, and major damage.

why is this a significant weather event

It caused almost 70 million worth of damage. The country was also effectively shut down for 2 days during the red weather warning. 3 people lost their lives.

Climate

the average weather of a large region over 30 years

Prevailing winds

the most common wind blowing over a region

Aspect

the direction in which a slope faces. In the northern hemisphere, south-facing slopes are warmer