Weather Glossary

Cloud or rain droplets containing pollutants, such as oxides of sulfur and nitrogen, to make them acidic.

A fixed potential temperature line on adiabats, or the process of thermodynamic changes within a system without any exchange...

Thermodynamic changes occurring within a system without any exchange of heat with the surroundings. In the atmosphere, changes...

The decrease in temperature with height in an adiabatically rising air parcel (lapse rate). For dry air, this value is 1...

The expected rate of temperature decrease in an adiabatically rising air parcel when there is no heat exchange with the environment....

A thermodynamic change process in the system without any exchange of heat or transfer of energy between systems. This process...

The horizontal transport of any feature within the atmosphere due to the movement of air (wind). This includes phenomena...

The formation of fog when warm and moist air passes over a cool or cold surface or, conversely, when cold air passes over...

The occurrence of storms resulting from the horizontal advection of cold air at high levels or the horizontal advection of...

Particles such as pollen, grass seeds, or dust in the air that cause allergies and are transported by winds.

The branch of science dealing with the laws of motion of air or other gases.

A large body of air having similar horizontal temperature and moisture characteristics.

The reflectance rate of a surface, indicating the amount of electromagnetic radiation reflected from the surface. It depends...

A middle cloud type within the B family in the international cloud classification. These are shaded clouds that can be white...

A middle cloud type within the B family in the international cloud classification. These clouds consist of water droplets...

Local winds that blow from slopes to peaks as a result of the heating of the top slopes without being affected by general...

An instrument used to measure the speed, force, and sometimes the direction of the wind. It can be cup or pressure tube anemometers....

Anticyclones are areas of high atmospheric pressure that bring hot, dry weather in the summer and cold fronts in the winter.

An anvil is a cloud mostly composed of ice particles. Otherwise known as a cumulonimbus cloud, an anvil has reached the stratospheric...

A mass of very cold, dry air that mostly originates over the Arctic Ocean.

A very cold high pressure that originates over the Arctic Ocean.

The mass of air surrounding the earth and bound to it more or less permanently by the earth's gravitational attraction.

A long, narrow region in the atmosphere that transport water vapor, like a river in the sky.

A sudden and rapid flow of snow masses accumulated on the slopes of mountainous areas under the influence of gravity or a...

The heating of the Earth by the sun causes daily changes in both the direction and speed of the wind. During the day, ground...

Ball lightning appears during thunderstorms, taking the shape of glowing, electric orbs in the sky. It can appear in a variety...

A condition in which the stratification of the atmosphere depends on both air temperature and pressure, and where surfaces...

An instrument for measuring atmospheric pressure.

The situation where there is no advection because the constant pressure surfaces and temperature surfaces in the atmosphere...

A measurement determined by the wave lengths and sea conditions caused by the effect of wind, and by the movement of tree...

Ice forms on the surface of highways in a very thin layer that is difficult to distinguish from the color of the asphalt...

A body that has the property of absorbing all electromagnetic radiation falling on it, and therefore is the theoretical body...

A blizzard is a storm that lasts 3 hours or more, with persistent winds/frequent gusts of 35 mph or more along with significant...

Occurs when centers of high pressure and/or low pressure set up over a region in such a way that they prevent other weather...

Air laden with sand and dust, common in areas devoid of permanent vegetation, especially deserts.

Snow that rises to 8 feet or higher.

A bomb cyclone is a large mid-latitude storm that forms when a storm’s central pressure drops (i.e. “bombs out”), resulting...

An image on the weather radar that is convex to the direction of movement and resembles an arc shape, caused by mesoscale...

Although it is also used for light winds, it is the general name given to the daily cyclical winds that occur mostly between...

A cloud of irregular appearance, composed of irregular cloud fragments.

The names given to the winds blowing from the four cardinal directions (north, east, south, and west - N, E, S, W) on a compass.

The lowest level of a given cloud or cloud layer in the atmosphere, relative to the observer's position above the ground.

Temperature scale, abbreviated as °C, found by accepting the freezing point of water at one atmospheric pressure as zero...

A type of cloud consisting mostly of small particles such as ice particles.

A thin, white cloud layer that is intertwined or separate, arranged in regular order, and does not cast a shadow.

A cloud that develops from Cirrus, completely or partially covering the sky, creating a halo effect, thin, sheet-like, milky...

Observation of the sky from the observer's location where there are no clouds, and there is no obstruction to visibility....

The term used for turbulence occurring in the absence of clouds or cloud-like elements in the visible area. It is often observed...

Bright and dark rays with changing colors and contrast in the sky. These rays become visible due to the reflection of atmospheric...

Indicates the amount of water the soil can absorb/retain through percolation. This capacity is around 7% in sandy soil and...

The amount of radiation, heat, or light passing through or flowing from a unit area of a surface.

Frozen drizzle is a dangerous type of frozen rain. It’s a light rain that falls in very fine drops, which freezes on contact...

Jet streams are strong, fast-flowing air currents in the upper levels of the atmosphere. They form when warm air masses meet...

Perhaps you have come across them, maybe you are seeing them for the first time. These clouds, known as wave clouds, resemble...

A term used to identify clouds with a base height below 6,000 feet in the observer's direction. Stratiform clouds consist...

A low-pressure area with converging winds, rotating counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern...

In a severe storm, with a swirling motion in its left rear quadrant, a vertically rotating column of air, often seen with...

Nimbostratus clouds are thick, dark, gray clouds associated with rainy and gloomy days that block the Sun. These clouds,...

Nor'easter is a meteorological event commonly observed in the Northeastern United States and typically occurs during the...

A polar vortex is a circulating mass of air in the atmosphere, typically found in polar regions. This rotating air mass occurs...

The belt between 50-70 ° N and S latitudes in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, adjacent to the Polar Region. Although...

The narrow region between 35-40 ° N and S latitudes in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, lying between the tropical...

The term used for semi-stationary high-pressure centers such as the Azores and North Pacific Highs, which occur in the narrow...

The jet stream forming the boundary between tropical air and sub-tropical air, characterized by isothermal compression and...

A tropical cyclone, also called a hurricane, is a severe tropical storm with wind speeds in excess of 74 mph. Known as a...

A weather warning means that a weather hazard is occurring, imminent, or likely. In other words, severe weather is happening...

Weather is the day-to-day meteorological conditions that happen in our atmosphere. Weather can change within minutes, which...

Weather conditions are the components that comprise the state of the atmosphere. The six main weather conditions are temperature,...

Weather intelligence is technology that provides predictive and actionable insights, allowing businesses to adapt to weather-related...

A weather system refers to the movement of warm and cold air across the globe, usually in a recurring pattern. Systems can...

A weather watch means there is a risk of weather hazards in the near future, which could pose a threat to life/property....