Weather Terminology

The actual amount of water vapor in a certain amount of air.

A smaller earthquake that follows a bigger one.

The invisible mix of gases, mostly nitrogen and oxygen, that surrounds Earth and that we breathe.

A huge body of air with about the same temperature and moisture throughout.

Dirty or harmful things in the air, like smoke and exhaust.

The weight of the air pushing on everything around us.

A tool that measures how high above sea level you are.

How high something is above sea level.

Fluffy gray-white clouds in the middle of the sky.

A tool that measures wind speed.

The very cold region around the South Pole.

The icy ocean that surrounds Antarctica, also called the Southern Ocean.

The very cold region around the North Pole.

Very dry, with little rain.

Colorful lights that dance in the sky near the North and South Poles.

The season between summer and winter, when leaves change color and fall. Also called fall.

A large amount of snow sliding down a mountain.

A rare glowing ball of light sometimes seen during thunderstorms.

A tool that draws a record of changes in air pressure over time.

A tool that measures air pressure.

Another name for air pressure, the weight of the air above you.

A scale from 0 to 12 that describes wind strength, from calm to hurricane force.

A thin, clear layer of ice on a road that is hard to see.

A snowstorm with strong winds and very low visibility.

A light, gentle wind.

A temperature scale used in most of the world. Water freezes at 0 degrees.

A warm, dry wind that blows down the eastern side of the Rocky Mountains.

Thin, wispy clouds high in the sky.

Smooth, see-through ice that forms when water freezes slowly.

The usual weather in a place over many years.

A long-term change in Earth's average weather patterns.

A bunch of tiny water drops or ice crystals floating in the sky.

The edge of a cold air mass moving in, often bringing storms.

When water vapor cools and turns into tiny drops of liquid.

A white line of clouds left behind by an airplane.

A bowl-shaped hole at the top of a volcano.

When a liquid or gas turns into solid crystals, like ice forming in a cloud.

Tall, dark storm clouds that bring thunder and lightning.

Puffy, white clouds that look like cotton balls.

A flow of water or air moving in one direction.

A large spinning storm. In some places, this is another name for a hurricane.

The first light of day before the sun rises.

The time between sunrise and sunset, or 24 hours.

The unit used to measure temperature.

A number that shows how much cooler the air can get as water evaporates. Farmers use it to decide when to spray crops.

How thin the air feels compared with standard conditions. Hot, high places have a high density altitude.

A wide line of fast, damaging thunderstorm winds.

A very dry place that gets little rain.

When good land slowly turns into desert.

Tiny drops of water that form on cool surfaces overnight.

The temperature at which air is so full of water vapor that dew or clouds begin to form.

The hottest, muggiest days of summer.

A part of the ocean near the equator with very light winds.

A radar that can also tell how fast storms are moving.

A heavy rain that falls quickly.

Very light rain with tiny drops.

A long time with very little rain.

An ordinary thermometer that measures the temperature of the air.

A hill of sand shaped by the wind.

The time in the evening just after the sun sets, when it gets dark.

A time in the 1930s when drought and dust storms hit the American Plains.

A small, spinning column of dust and wind.

A wall of dust lifted and carried by strong winds.

A sudden shaking of the ground.

When one object in space blocks the light from another, like the moon blocking the sun.

A bag of supplies like water, food, and a flashlight for emergencies.

A scale from EF0 to EF5 that rates how strong a tornado was.

The spot on the ground right above where an earthquake starts.

The imaginary line around the middle of Earth, where it is warm all year.

A day when daytime and nighttime are almost the same length.

When a volcano shoots out lava, ash, and gas.

Leaving a dangerous place to get to safety.

When liquid water warms up and turns into water vapor.

The calm center of a hurricane.

The ring of the strongest winds and rain around a hurricane's eye.

A temperature scale used in the United States. Water freezes at 32 degrees.

A crack in Earth's crust where blocks of rock move.

A sudden flood that happens within hours of heavy rain.

Too much water covering land that is usually dry.

Flat land next to a river that floods when the river overflows.

A cloud that touches the ground.

A prediction of what the weather will be like.

The temperature at which water turns to ice.

Rain that freezes when it touches the ground and makes ice.

A thin layer of ice crystals that forms on cold surfaces.

Skin damage caused by freezing cold.

A spinning cone of air that hangs from a storm cloud but does not touch the ground.

A very strong wind.

Gases in the air trap heat from the sun and keep Earth warm.

A sudden, short burst of strong wind.

A huge dust storm, often seen in deserts.

Balls of ice that fall from storm clouds.

A ring of light around the sun or moon, caused by ice crystals in clouds.

Energy that makes things warmer.

Illness caused by getting too hot, with heavy sweating, tiredness, and dizziness. Cool down and drink water.

What the temperature feels like when you add the humidity.

Flashes of lightning seen far away on a warm night, too far to hear the thunder.

A dangerous illness when the body gets far too hot. It needs emergency help.

A period of very hot weather that lasts for days.

Heavy sinking air that usually brings clear, calm weather.

The line where the sky seems to meet the ground or sea.

Belts of calm, dry air about 30 degrees north and south of the equator.

How much water vapor is in the air. High humidity feels sticky.

A huge, spinning storm with strong winds that forms over warm ocean water.

Any water or ice in the air or falling from it, like rain, snow, hail, or fog.

A tool that measures humidity.

A dangerous drop in body temperature from being too cold.

Water that has frozen solid.

Tiny pieces of frozen water that make up snowflakes and some clouds.

A pile-up of broken ice that blocks a river and can cause flooding.

A storm that coats everything with a layer of ice.

A hanging spike of ice formed by dripping water that freezes.

A layer of ice that builds up on surfaces such as airplane wings and power lines.

A spell of warm, calm weather in autumn after the first frosts.

A faster section within the jet stream.

A fast river of air high above the ground.

A unit of speed used for wind and ships. One knot is about 1.15 miles per hour.

A mass of rock and soil sliding down a slope.

Hot melted rock that flows out of a volcano.

A wall of earth built to keep a river from flooding.

A giant spark of electricity in the sky.

Rising air that usually brings clouds and storms.

When Earth's shadow falls on the moon.

Hot melted rock underground.

A number that tells how strong an earthquake is.

A barometer that uses a tube of liquid mercury to measure air pressure.

A scientist who studies and predicts the weather.

The science of weather.

The climate of a small area that differs from the area around it.

The regions between the tropics and the poles, where weather changes a lot.

A wind-speed meter made for use in mines.

An optical illusion that makes it look like water is on a hot road or in the desert.

A thin fog of tiny water droplets.

A small amount of water in the air or on a surface.

A season of strong winds and very heavy rain.

A fast flow of wet mud down a hill.

Warm, damp, and sticky.

A natural event that causes great harm or damage.

A word for a rain cloud.

Thin, glowing clouds at the edge of space, seen after sunset in summer.

A strong storm along the East Coast with winds from the northeast.

A measurement or report of the weather as it is happening.

A trick that makes your eyes see something that is not really there.

When clouds cover the whole sky.

A gas made of three oxygen atoms. High in the sky it protects us from the sun's harmful rays.

A layer of gas high in the atmosphere that blocks much of the sun's ultraviolet rays.

Water that falls from the sky as rain, snow, sleet, or hail.

The wind that blows from the same direction most of the time in a place.

A tool with two thermometers used to measure humidity.

A tool that uses radio waves to find rain, snow, and storms.

Drops of water that fall from clouds.

A tool that measures how much rain has fallen.

A colorful arc of light that appears when sunlight shines through raindrops.

The amount of rain that falls in a place.

The bending of light as it passes through something like water or air.

How full of water vapor the air is, compared with the most it could hold, given as a percent.

Rain that flows over the ground instead of soaking in.

A scale from 1 to 5 that rates how strong a hurricane is.

A strong wind that blows clouds of sand through the air.

A machine that orbits Earth and takes pictures of clouds and storms.

To fill with as much water as possible.

The point when air is holding as much water vapor as it can.

A cool wind that blows from the ocean toward the land during the day.

One of the four parts of the year: spring, summer, fall, and winter.

A tool that records earthquake shaking.

A short burst of rain.

A hole that suddenly opens in the ground when the earth underneath collapses.

The space above Earth that we see over our heads.

Frozen raindrops that bounce when they hit the ground.

Partly melted snow or ice mixed with water.

Frozen water that falls as soft white flakes.

A pile of snow blown together by the wind.

A single ice crystal that falls from the sky.

The longest or shortest day of the year.

The season between winter and summer, when plants begin to grow.

A sudden, strong burst of wind, often with rain or snow.

The air pressure measured at a weather station, before adjusting for height above sea level.

A rise of ocean water pushed onto land by a hurricane.

Flat, gray clouds that cover the sky like a blanket.

The hottest season of the year.

A bright spot of light beside the sun, caused by ice crystals.

The time in the evening when the sun goes below the horizon.

How hot or cold something is.

When snow and ice melt as the weather warms.

A number that shows how much hard work a person can safely do in the heat.

A tool that measures temperature.

The loud sound that comes after lightning.

A storm with thunder, lightning, and usually heavy rain.

The regular rise and fall of the ocean, caused by the pull of the moon and sun.

A spinning column of air that reaches from a storm cloud to the ground.

Steady winds that blow near the equator.

A storm with spinning winds that is not yet strong enough to be a hurricane.

A giant ocean wave caused by an earthquake or volcano under the sea.

Another word for a tornado.

A hurricane that forms in the western Pacific Ocean.

Invisible light from the sun that can cause sunburn.

A current of air moving upward.

The pressure created by water vapor in the air.

A mountain with an opening where hot melted rock can erupt.

The edge of a warm air mass moving in, often bringing light rain.

A message that dangerous weather is happening or about to happen.

A clear liquid that makes up rain, rivers, and oceans. It can also be ice or vapor.

Using water carefully so it is not wasted.

The path water takes as it rises, forms clouds, falls, and returns to the ground.

Water in the form of a gas that you cannot see.

An area of land where all the water drains to the same place.

A tornado over water.

What the air and sky are doing right now, like sunny, rainy, or windy.

A balloon that carries instruments high into the sky to measure the air.

A place with instruments that record the weather.

A tool that shows which way the wind is blowing.

A message that dangerous weather is happening or about to happen, so take action.

A message that storms are possible, so be ready.

Words used to describe the weather, such as sunny, cloudy, and stormy.

The difference between a dry thermometer and a wet one. The bigger it is, the drier the air.

A measure of heat stress that combines temperature, humidity, wind, and sunshine.

A thermometer with a wet cloth around the bulb, used to find humidity.

Blowing snow so thick you cannot see anything.

A fire that spreads quickly through forests or grass.

Air that moves from one place to another.

How cold it feels when wind blows on your skin.

The direction the wind is blowing from.

How fast the wind is blowing.

A cone-shaped tube of cloth that shows wind direction and strength.

The coldest season of the year.

The time it takes Earth to travel once around the sun: about 365 days.

The time at 0 degrees longitude, also called Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). Weather forecasters use it worldwide.