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Vocabulary Study Guide for Weather 4.6
Vocabulary:
1. meteorologist- a person who studies weather
2. forecast- to predict what type of weather we will have in the near future
3. predict/prediction- to forecast what type of weather we will have
4. atmosphere- the blanket of gases that surround the Earth (oxygen and
carbon dioxide)
5. weather- the daily condition of the atmosphere
6. weather map- shows weather conditions at a certain time and place
7. climate- the average weather in a certain place for a large period of time
8. precipitation- cloud droplets that grow and soon fall as rain, snow, sleet,
hail
9. rain- liquid precipitation
10. sleet- precipitation that starts as snow, melts slightly and then
refreezes as it falls/ It looks like little ice pellets. It freezes on the way
down.
11. snow- precipitation in which ice crystallizes into snowflakes that stay
frozen on the way to the ground
12. hail- precipitation that begins as ice (ice pellets) When the ice becomes
too heavy, it falls in the form of hailstones (can be as big as a softball)
13. wind- air in motion; horizontal movement of air that blows from areas of
high pressure to areas of low pressure
14. temperature- hot, cold, cool, or warm
15. cloud- a mass of tiny water droplets that are too small to fall from the
sky
16. water vapor- a gas in Earth’s atmosphere
17. humidity- the measure of the amount of water vapor in the air
18. condense- (condensation) water particles change from a gas to a liquid
19. evaporate- (evaporation) water particles change from a liquid to a gas
20. air mass- large areas of air with nearly the same temperature and
moisture
21. air pressure- the force with which air presses against surfaces
22. high pressure- heavy air pockets, air is moving downward, good weather
and clear skies
23. low pressure- light air pockets, air is moving upward, creates bad
weather
24. front- large pockets of air (warm or cold) that smash into each other
25. warm front- air that has moved across warm land or warm water/ The
warm air smashes into cold air. It brings long steady rain and warmer
temperatures.
26. cold front- air that has moved across cold land or cold water. The cold
air smashes into the warm air. It brings thunderstorms and cooler weather.
27. stationary front- the boundary between air masses that doesn’t move
28. barometer- an instrument used to measure air pressure
29. anemometer- an instrument used to measure wind speed
30. wind vane- (weather vane) a device that shows the direction of wind
31. hygrometer- measures humidity or water vapor in the air
32. rain gauge- an instrument used to measure amounts of precipitation
(rainfall)
33. thermometer- an instrument used to measure temperature of the air
(hot /cold)
34. thunderstorm- produced by heating of the earth surface producing large
amounts of quickly rising water vapor/there is usually thunder, lightning,
rainfall, and sometimes wind
35. hurricane- formed when a group of thunderstorms gather in a circular
pattern. It forms over tropical waters. When winds reach 75 mph, the event
is classified as a hurricane. Usually high winds and lots of rain/ Can cause
lots of destruction/can be called typhoon or cyclone in different parts of
the world
36. tornado- Small and very violent twisting storm/ created by
thunderstorms, rapid spinning columns of air (funnel clouds) with high winds
that may or may not touch the ground/ can cause destruction
37. blizzard- a severe winter storm with strong winds, low temperatures, and
heavy blowing snow
38. monsoon- a seasonal wind that last for several months