Predicting Weather Vocabulary

Anemometer- an instrument for measuring wind speed.

Climate- an area's long-term weather patterns. The simplest way to describe climate is to look at average temperature and precipitation over time.

Humidity- amount of water vapor in the air.

Weather- what conditions of the atmosphere are over a short period of time

Temperature- a measure of how fast the atoms and molecules of a substance are moving. Temperature is measured in degrees on the Fahrenheit, Celsius, and Kelvin scales.

Relative Humidity- it is a measure of the actual amount of water vapor in the air compared to the total amount of vapor that can exist in the air at its current temperature.

Weather map- displays various meteorological features across a particular area at a particular point in time and has various symbols which all have specific meanings.

Stratus- Are uniform grayish clouds that often cover the entire sky. Stratus clouds mean rain if it is warm and snow if it is cold. They look like a huge gray blanket that hangs low in the sky.

Cumulus- Are white, puffy clouds that look like pieces of floating cotton. Cumulus clouds are often called "fair-weather clouds".

Cirrus- Are the most common of the high clouds. They are composed of ice and are thin, wispy clouds blown in high winds into long streamers. Cirrus clouds are usually white and predict fair to pleasant weather.

Fog- A thick cloud of tiny water droplets suspended in the atmosphere at or near the earth's surface that obscures or restricts visibility