Weather and Climate Vocabulary List 1
Cloud- collections of tiny water droplets or particles of ice that float in the air
Stratus Clouds- flat layers of gray clouds that are made of water droplets. These
types of clouds usually mean there will be rain or snow
Cumulus Clouds- puffy, white clouds that may have gray centers. These clouds
usually indicate fair weather, meaning there won’t be any precipitation
Cirrus Clouds- thin, wispy clouds that look like feathers. They are usually made
out of ice crystals and are formed high in the atmosphere.
Cumulonimbus Clouds- clouds that usually indicate there are thunderstorms
coming. They can look like anvils, with high, flat tops that are dark gray
Air Pressure- the weight of the air being pulled down on an area of the earth’s
surface
High Pressure- a mass of sinking cool air that usually means fair weather
Low Pressure- A mass of rising warm air that usually brings wet, stormy weather
Barometer- an instrument used by meteorologists to measure the air pressure in
an area
Atmosphere- the layers of gases that surround the earth
Climate- the average weather in a place over a period of time
Front- the place where two air masses meet
Cold front- when a cold air mass pushes into a warm air mass. Causes rain or
thunderstorms
Warm front- when a warm air mass pushes into a cold air mass.
Humidity- the level of moisture in the air
Hurricane- when a tropical storm’s constant wind speed reaches 74 miles per
hour
Land breeze- a breeze that blows from the land towards open water
Weather- the state of the atmosphere at a given time and place
Wind Speed- the speed of wind; the movement of air and other gases in the
atmosphere
Wind Direction- the direction from which a wind originates
Precipitation- rain, snow, sleet or hail that falls to the ground from the
atmosphere
Temperature- the degree measurement of how hot or cold the air is
Latitude- the angular distance of any object from the equator, measured in
degrees. The lines of latitude go from side to side (think: “latitude = flatitude)
Hemisphere- a half of the earth, usually divided into northern hemisphere and
southern hemisphere
Thermometer- a tool used to measure the air temperature
Wind Vane- a tool used to tell which direction the wind is coming from
Rain Gauge- a tool used to measure the rainfall in a specific area in a period of
time
Anemometer- a tool used to measure wind speed
Air Current- air moving from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
Water current- flow of water in a definite direction
Jet Stream- A narrow, variable band of very strong, mostly westerly air currents
circling the globe several miles above the earth.
Gulf Stream- A warm ocean current that flows from the Gulf of Mexico parallel
with the US coast toward Newfoundland, Canada, and then continues across
the Atlantic Ocean toward northwestern Europe as the North Atlantic Drift
Sea Breeze- a breeze blowing towards land from the sea
El Nino- a warm ocean current that flows along the equator from the date line
and south off the coast of Ecuador at Christmas time
La Nina- An extensive, below normal cooling of the central and eastern tropical
Pacific Ocean