Weather: What the air outside is like at a certain time and place
Climate: The average weather of a place over many years
Meteorologist: A scientist who studies and forecasts weather
Atmosphere: The layer of gases around Earth
Temperature: How hot or cold something is
Humidity: The amount of water vapor in the air
Precipitation: Water falling from clouds: rain, snow, sleet or hail
Rain: Liquid water drops falling from clouds
Snow: Ice crystals that fall in flakes
Sleet: Frozen raindrops
Hail: Balls of ice that fall from thunderstorms
Freezing rain: Rain that freezes on contact with cold surfaces
Fog: A cloud at ground level
Dew: Water droplets that condense on cool surfaces overnight
Frost: Ice crystals on surfaces below freezing
Wind: Moving air
Air pressure: The weight of air pressing on the surface
High pressure: Usually brings clear, calm weather
Low pressure: Usually brings clouds and storms
Front: The boundary between two air masses
Cold front: Cold air pushes under warm air, often bringing storms
Warm front: Warm air slides over cold air, often bringing steady rain
Stationary front: A front that stays in the same place
Air mass: A large body of air with similar temperature and moisture
Thunderstorm: A storm with thunder, lightning and heavy rain
Lightning: A giant spark of electricity in the sky
Thunder: The sound made by lightning heating the air
Tornado: A rotating column of air that touches the ground
Hurricane: A huge tropical storm with strong winds
Typhoon: Name for a hurricane in the western Pacific
Cyclone: Name for a hurricane in the Indian Ocean
Blizzard: A snowstorm with strong wind and low visibility
Drought: A long time with little rain
Flood: Water covering land that is usually dry
Heat wave: A long period of unusually hot weather
Monsoon: A seasonal wind that brings heavy rains
Tropical storm: A storm with winds of 39 to 73 miles per hour
Eye of a hurricane: The calm center
Storm surge: A rise of sea water pushed ashore by a storm
Water cycle: Water moving through evaporation, condensation and precipitation
Evaporation: Liquid water turning into vapor
Condensation: Water vapor turning into liquid
Dew point: The temperature at which air becomes saturated and dew forms
Forecast: A prediction of future weather
Thermometer: Measures temperature
Barometer: Measures air pressure
Anemometer: Measures wind speed
Wind vane: Shows wind direction
Rain gauge: Measures rainfall
Hygrometer: Measures humidity
Weather balloon: A balloon carrying instruments up into the air
Doppler radar: Radar that detects rain and storm movement
Satellite: A spacecraft that photographs clouds and weather from above
Beaufort scale: A scale for describing wind strength
Saffir-Simpson scale: Rates hurricanes from category 1 to 5
Enhanced Fujita scale: Rates tornado damage from EF0 to EF5
Celsius: A temperature scale where water freezes at 0 and boils at 100
Fahrenheit: A temperature scale where water freezes at 32 and boils at 212
Jet stream: A fast narrow current of wind high in the atmosphere
Coriolis effect: The turning of winds and currents caused by Earth's rotation
El Nino: A pattern of warmer than normal Pacific Ocean water that changes weather worldwide
Rainbow: Arc of colors made when sunlight passes through water drops
Microclimate: The climate of a small area that differs from nearby areas
Lake-effect snow: Snow made when cold air passes over warm lake water

Free flashcards from Peabody at peabody.kids/flashcards/earth-weather