Weather Notes:
|term |definition or information |diagram or picture |
|precipitation |rain, sleet, hail, snow |rain gauge |
| |type of precipitation determined largely by air temp | |
|anemometer |used to measure wind speed |anemometer [pic] |
| |miles per hour (mph) | |
|wind vanes |Used to measure wind direction |wind vane |
|air pressure |barometric pressure (millibars) |barometer |
| |weight of air pressing at a given location | |
| |varies mostly due to the sun heats Earth’s surface unevenly | |
| |****changes in air pressure are a sign that weather is about to change (drops rapidly | |
| |means a low pressure system is approaching) | |
| |Air over a heated surface absorbs heat from the surface, expands, and becomes less dense. | |
| |As the air’s density decreases, air pressure also decreases. | |
| |**With hurricanes, an increase in air pressure causes the hurricane’s wind speed to | |
| |decrease (weakens). When the pressure decreases (lowers), the hurricane’s wind speed | |
| |increases (intensifies). |[pic] |
| |Tornado----air pressure drops quickly; wind blowing in opposite directions | |
| |Low-pressure system--- | |
| |---usually bring cloudy, rainy, or snowy weather | |
| |---develops when an air mass at the Earth’s surface rises | |
| |(vacuum cleaner) | |
| |High-pressure system--- | |
| |---sunny, fair weather, clear skies, calm conditions | |
| |---develops when an air mass sinks toward the ground | |
| |(hair dryer) | |
|temperature |determines how much water vapor the air can hold |Fahrenheit or Celsius thermometers |
| |Warm air can hold more water vapor than cold air. |[pic] |
| |Water evaporates faster at higher temperatures. | |
| |On hot days more water evaporates and stays in the air. | |
| |As warm, wet air cools, the water vapor may condense, form clouds, and fall as rain. | |
| | | |
|humidity |amount of water vapor in the air (damp/sticky) |psychrometer |
| |Relative humidity--- compares the amount of water vapor in the air (absolute humidity) to |[pic] |
| |the amount of water vapor that air can hold at a given temperature. |hygrometer |
| |--- given as a percentage % |[pic] |
| |--- measured using hygrometers | |
| |--- one common type is the psychrometer which | |
| |consists of two thermometers | |
| |---affects the dew point | |
| |Dew---water vapor that condenses on a surface | |
| |---Dew formation depends on the air temperature and the amount of water vapor in the air. | |
| |---The dew point is a measure of the temperature at which more water vapor will condense | |
| |onto a surface than will evaporate from it. | |
|air mass |a large volume of air with about the same temperature, air pressure, and humidity | |
| |throughout | |
|front |a boundary between two air masses | |
| |High-pressure systems move into low-pressure systems at fronts. | |
| |most changes in weather occur at fronts | |
|cold front |cold air mass pushes under a warm air mass, forcing the warm air to rise sharply |[pic] |
| |Because the air rises quickly, tall clouds often form. | |
| |Heavy rain, thunderstorms, and snowstorms occur at cold fronts. | |
| |When the cold front passes, the temperature drops and the weather clears. | |
|warm front |warm, moist air mass slides up and over a cold air mass |[pic] |
| |Since moist air is rising at a warm front, clouds usually form. | |
| |Warm fronts usually bring light rain and cloudy weather. | |
| |After a warm front passes, the temperature rises and the weather clears. | |
|stationary front |two air masses meet and stop moving |[pic] |
| |neither has enough force to lift the warm air mass over the cold air mass | |
| |brings light winds and wet weather, which can last for several days | |
|occluded front |forms when a warm air mass is caught between two colder air masses, one of which overtakes|[pic] |
| |the other | |
| |The warm air is forced to rise. | |
| |if an occluded front is accompanied by strong winds and cooler temperatures, it can bring | |
| |heavy rain or snow | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
|hurricane--- |large, rotating low-pressure system that forms over warm tropical water | |
|Gulf of Mexico, |wind speeds of at least 74 mph (category 1) |[pic] |
|Atlantic, Caribbean, |rotate counterclockwise | |
|Eastern Pacific Ocean |As long as a hurricane is over warm water, moist air rises into it and gives it energy. |[pic] |
|typhoons--Northwest |can cause severe damage | |
|Pacific Ocean |use satellite photos to show the size and location | |
| |Prediction cones---Scientists also use data from past hurricanes to develop computer | |
|tropical cyclones--- |models that predict how a new hurricane may behave. These predictions can save lives by | |
|Australia and Indian |warning people to move out of a hurricane’s path. | |
|Ocean |**With hurricanes, an increase in air pressure causes the hurricane’s wind speed to | |
| |decrease (weaken). When the pressure decreases (lowers), the hurricane’s wind speed | |
| |increases (intensifies). | |
|Weather Data Technology-- |
|weather satellites |orbit Earth |[pic] |
| |providing images of the movement of clouds, storms, | |
| |water vapor, air masses | |
|Doppler radar |radio/microwave |[pic] |
| |located on Earth’s surface gather data by sending out | |
| |radio signals that are reflected off objects such as | |
| |raindrops, snowflakes, hailstones, or clouds | |
| |detects the type and amount of precipitation, location, | |
| |height, and movement of clouds | |
|government agencies |NOAA ---National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association |[pic] |
| |NWS--- National Weather Service | |
|Climate Zones--- temperature and precipitation are key factors |
|tropical zone |closest to equator | |
| |tend to be warm to hot year-round | |
| |receive direct sunlight throughout year | |
|polar zones |farthest from equator | |
| |near Earth’s North and South Poles | |
| |least direct sunlight throughout year | |
| |tend to be cool to cold year-round | |
|temperate zones |located between polar and tropical | |
| |angle at which the sun’s rays strike these regions | |
| |changes greatly throughout the year | |
| |distinct seasons with very different temperatures | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
|convection current |circular flow of gas or liquid caused by | |
| |temperature differences | |
| |heat moves warmer to cooler | |
| |continuous movement of rising warm air and sinking | |
| |cool air | |
| |sun sets currents in motion by heating Earth’s | |
| |surface unevenly (more heat near equator) | |
| |When air gets warmer, the molecules move faster and| |
| |spread farther apart. | |
| |causes sea and land breezes | |
| |Higher, cooler air sinks since it is denser than | |
| |warm air | |
| |After it sinks, the cooler air is warmed by the hot| |
| |sand, becomes less dense and rises. | |
|Global winds--- by the heating of the sun and spinning of Earth; steers weather; solar energy absorbed near equator warms air forming large areas of low pressure; |
|warm air rises as the colder air near the poles sinks forming high pressure areas |
|polar easterlies |cold, dense air moves away from the high pressure areas |[pic] |
| |around the poles and curves west | |
| |extend from the poles to 60° latitude. | |
| |In the Northern Hemisphere, the polar easterlies bring cold| |
| |arctic air down over the United States. This arctic air | |
| |brings snow and freezing weather. | |
|trade winds |warm, rising air at the equator moves away from the equator| |
| |Winds that blow toward the equator from 30° latitude | |
| |Cooler air north and south of the equator moves toward the | |
| |low pressure area at the equator. This cooler air makes up | |
| |the trade winds. | |
| |Coriolis effect causes these winds to curve. | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
|westerlies |winds that flow from west to east and toward the poles | |
| |between the polar easterlies and the trade winds | |
| |found between latitudes of 30° and 60° | |
| |The westerly wind belt carries storms across the United | |
| |States. | |
|doldrums |located at equator | |
| |little to no wind | |
|Coriolis effect |paths of winds and ocean currents curve due to Earth’s |[pic] |
| |rotation | |
| |rotation or spinning of Earth on its axis plays a role in | |
| |wind patterns | |
| |weather tends to move in curving, circular patterns | |
| |In the Northern Hemisphere, winds moving north curve to the| |
| |east and winds moving south curve to the west. | |
| |Weather forecasters need to know this to predict where | |
| |winds and air masses are likely to go. | |
| |At every 30° latitude, the Coriolis effect causes winds to | |
| |curve in a different direction. | |
|jet streams |high in the atmosphere, flowing from thousands of |[pic] |
| |kilometers from west to east | |
| |do not follow regular paths | |
| |around Earth | |
| |move north and south over | |
| |time | |
|Gulf Stream |Gulf Stream’s warm sea surface temps aid in the formation |[pic] |
| |and strengthening of many of the hurricanes that move | |
| |through the Gulf of Mexico | |
................
................
In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.
To fulfill the demand for quickly locating and searching documents.
It is intelligent file search solution for home and business.
Related download
- a satellite data primer
- weather notes
- using satellite imagery to identify general cloud types
- national weather service
- satellite altimetry stanford university
- detecting winds aloft from water vapor satellite imagery
- gulf of mexico oil finds
- summit on long term monitoring of the gulf of mexico
- ocean color satellites show extensive surface slicks in
Related searches
- microsoft desktop weather download
- microsoft weather app windows 10
- the weather cycle for kids
- desktop weather widget windows 10
- weather widgets for desktop
- weather underground weather station
- local weather stations weather underground
- weather underground approved weather stations
- weather underground home weather station
- national weather service noaa weather radio
- national weather service weather forecast
- noaa weather severe weather outlook