Upgrade to remove ads
Only $2.99/month

5th Grade Science - Weather

Terms in this set (92)

absorption
Taking something in, such as, water into the ground.
air
the mixture of gases surrounding earth
air mass
A large body of air that has nearly the same temperature and humidity throughout
air pressure
The force put on a given area by the weight of the air above it; four factors effect air pressure - altitude, volume, temperature and humidity.
altitude
Height above sea level or the earth's surface. The farther up you go the temperature decreases. Air is less dense and cannot hold the heat.
anemometer
a weather instrument that measures wind speed
atmosphere
the air that surrounds the earth; it has 5 layers
barometer
A device for measuring air pressure.
blizzard
A driving storm of wind and snow with very cold temperature.
Breeze
cold air/high pressure wind
celcius scale
a temperature scale that defines the freezing point of water as 0 degrees and the boiling point of water as 100 degrees
cirrus
High-altitude clouds that are thin, feathery tufts of ice crystals, usually 4 to 6 miles in the atmosphere.
climate
the weather in some location averaged over some long period of time
cloud
Consist of billions of tiny water droplets (and even ice crystals) and clouds form when raising air cools and the moisture in it condenses to water droplets.
cold Front
A quick moving front that brings cooler temperatures and short
condensation
the process by which water vapor changes into liquid water, usually on a surface, usually droplets.
Convection
the transfer of heat through the movement of a gas or a liquid
convection current
a circular movement of fluid (such as air) that is the result of uneven heating of the fluid
Cool air masses
Where the land temperature is cool.
cumulonimbus
A type of cumulus cloud that is tall and gray that is associated with thunderstorms.
Cumulus Cloud
Clouds that mean heap, white fluffy, puffy clouds, may produce light rain, or snow showers
current
An ocean movement; a large stream of water that flows in the ocean.
cycle
a set of events or actions that repeats
cyclone
Any storm with a low pressure center that causes a circular pattern of winds to form.
Dewpoint
the temperature that air must reach before condensation can occur. The air is saturated with water vapor at this point.
Doppler Radar
helps forecasters see the movement of thunderstorms, also tornadoes.
Dry air masses
Form over dry areas
El Nino
A change in weather conditions caused by the sinking of the cold current in the Pacific Ocean. Higher tides, heavy rains, and storms occur along the coasts of North and South America. A short term climate change that occurs every two to ten years
equator
an imaginary line around the Earth forming the great circle that is equidistant from the north and south poles
Evaporation
the process by which water changes from liquid form to an atmospheric gas
farenheit scale
a temperature scale that defines the freezing point of water as 32 degrees and the boiling point of water as 212 degrees
flood
the overflowing of a body of water, like a river, onto the surrounding land
fog
Tiny droplets of water suspended in the air, at or near the ground.
forecast
A prediction of the weather conditions for a given area at a given time.
freezing point
the temperature at which a liquid turns into a solid (also the same temperature as the melting point).
Front
boundary where two air masses with different temperatures and moisture content meet.
Frost
Ice that forms from deposition, when water changes directly from a gas to a solid, when water vapor in the air touches a surface such as a window or grass with a temperature that is below freezing.
Global warming
an increase in the average temperature of the earth's atmosphere (especially a sustained increase that causes climatic changes)
global wind
A wind that blows steadily in a predictable direction over long distances.
Hail
frozen precipitation that looks like balls or lumps of ice. Usually produced by cumulonimbus clouds.
high pressure
A large swirling mass of sinking warm weather that causes fair weather.
Humidity
A measure of the amount of water or moisture in the air
hurricane
a huge rainstorm that forms over the ocean and brings very strong winds
hydrometer
An instrument used to measure the amount of water vapor or humidity in the air.
Jet stream
global wind with high altitude winds. It is caused by high temperature differences between air masses
Land breeze:
The movement of air created by cool air over land moving toward the ocean.
latitude
an imaginary line around the Earth parallel to the equator; distance north or south of the Equator, measured in degrees
lightening
spark caused when the electricity in a thunder head is discharged
liquid
a state of a substance with no definite shape but definite volume
low pressure
an air mass of lower pressure usually associated with bad weather and cloudy skies
Meterologist
A person who forecast the weather and studies the climate patterns.
Microclimate
The climate of a very small area
Monsoon
is a seasonal wind that brings have rain. Occurs in southwest Asian and southwest US
Oscillation
moves back and forth
Occluded Front
A rare front that lifts air and traps it underneath. Causes drastic change in temperature and sometimes violent weather.
Ozone
absorbs harmful ultraviolet radiation from the sun in the stratosphere
precipitation
any form of water that falls from the sky, such as rain, snow, hail, or sleet
prevailing winds
A global wind that blows constantly from the same direction.
rain gauge
a weather instrument that measures rainfall
satellite
a spacecraft that helps meteorologists see weather systems that are far way, show cloud cover in one area and much more...
Sea Breeze
The movement of air caused by cool air over the ocean moving toward the land; breezes created during the day, the wind blows from the sea towards land
sleet
frozen rain
stationary front
high pressure runs into a low pressure going in an opposite direction both stop
storm surge
A great rise of the ocean water along a shore caused by hurricane winds.
stratosphere
the 2nd lowest layer of air in Earth's atmosphere; the ozone layer is located in the stratosphere
stratus
dark gray clouds that form a low layer and sometimes bring light rain or snow showers
stratus cloud
A flat, low-lying cloud that covers sky like a blanket; can produce rain or snow
tempered
warmed in the winter and cooled in the summer
temperature
a measure of how much heat, or thermal energy, an object has
Temperature
Is the measure of how warm or cold something is.
themometer
an instrument that measures temperature
thunder
sound made by lightening
Thunderstorm
A storm that occurs when two air masses collide. a storm with thunder, lightening, heavy rain, and sometimes hail that is formed from cumulonimbus clouds.
Tornado
A funnel cloud that forms from a thunderstorm; a localized and violently destructive windstorm occurring over land characterized by a funnel-shaped cloud extending toward the ground
Tropic storm
has rotating winds with/low pressure over its center
Tornado Alley
Where cold, dry air from Canada meets warm moist air from Gulf of Mexico causing tornedos and thunderstorms
Troposphere
the layer closest to Earth, where almost all weather occurs; the thinnest layer
Valley breeze
The movement of air created by warm air rising and flowing up the slope of a mountain.
Volume
the measure of how much space an object takes up
Warm air masses
Form over the land that is warm
warm front
a front in which a less dense, warm air mass moves over a colder, denser air mass; A warm front is usually followed by warmer, clear weather.
water cycle
A continuous circulation of water through, evaporation, condensation, and, precipitation.
water vapor
the gaseous form of water
Weather
the condition of Earth's atmosphere at a particular time and place
Weather ballon
a ballon released into the atmosphere that carries a package of instruments that records data
weather map
A map that shows the weather in a specific area at a specific point in time.
weather radar
radar that is able to detect clouds and precipitation
weather satellite
A satellite that orbits Earth taking pictures, for example monitoring the temperature and measuring the height of waves
Weather Vane
An instrument that measures the direction of wind.
Wet air masses
Form over wet areas like oceans.
Wind
air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
wind vane
a weather instrument that shows the direction the wind is coming from
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE...