A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Ablation - The combined mass-depletion processes(such as sublimation, melting, evaporation) that remove snow or ice from the surface of a glacier, snowfeild, ect; also the amount of snow and ice lost by this process. Opposite of accumalation.

Ablation zone - The portion of a glacier below the firn line,where ablation exceeds accumulation. Opposite of accumulation zone.

Absolute Altitude - The true or exact vertical distance above the Earth's surface(AGL). often obtained from the radar altitude. contrast with true altitude.

Absolute Humidity - a The mass of water vapor in a given volume of air. It represents the density of water vapor in the air. b -The ratio of the mass of water vapor present to the volume occupied by the mixture of water vapor and dry air; that is, the density of the water vapor component. Normally expressed as grams of water vapor in a cubic meter of air.

Absolute Instability - The state of a colum or layer of air in the atmospherewhen it has a superadiabatic lapse rate of tempature (i.e., greater then the dry- adiabatic lapse rate). An air parcel displaced vertically would be accelerated in the direction of the displacment because of buoyancy considerations. see parcel method.

Absolute Salinity - A messure of consentration of dissolved salts in seawater ( salinity) based upon electrical conductivity. Values of absolute salinity are defined as 1.80655 times the chlorinity. compare with practical salinity.

Absolut Stability - The state of a colum or layer of air in the atmosphere when its lapse rate of treatment is less than the saturation- adiabatic lapse rat. an air parcel displaced vertically by an adiabatic process would tend to return to its level of origin because of buoyancy considerations. See parcel method. Contrast with conditional stability.

Absolute tempature scale - Same as Kelvin tempature scale.

Absolute vorticity - A messure of the spin of a fluid (vorticity) relative to an absolute reference system. Usually' the vertical component of vorticity is implied. The absolute vorticity is the sum of the vertical component of the vorticity with respect to the Earth ( the relative vorticity) and the vorticity of the earth ( the coriolis parameter).

Absolute Zero - A temperature of -273ºC, -460ºF, or 0ºK. Theoretically, there is no molecular motion at this temperature.

Absortion - (1)The penetration and incorperation of one object into another Contrast with Adsortion. (2) The process through which incident radiant energy is retained by a substance. The absorbed radiation is then converted to another form of energy(e.g.,heat).

Absorptivity - aThe efficiency of radiation absorption. b A messure of the amount of radiant energy absorbed by a given substance; defined as a ratio of the amount of radiant energy absorbed to the total amount incident upon that substance. The absorbtion may occur either at the surface os ( as with an opaque body) or in transit through the substance. A function of the material, its surface, and the wavelength of the incident radiation.

AC - Abbreviation for the cloud type altocumulus.

Acceleration - The rate of change with time of the speed and/ or direction of a moving object; strictly, the rate of change with time of the velocity vector of a particle.A decrease in speed is sometimes called deceleration. Units are length per time squared.

Accessory cloud - A cloud form that is dependent, for its formation and continuation, upon the existance of one of the major cloud genera. It is often an appendage of the parent cloud ( as mamma, arcus), but also may be immediately adjacent cloudy mass(as pileus).

Acclimatization - he gradual adjustment of the body to new climatic or other environmental conditions, for example, the adjustment to low levels of oxygen at high altitudes.

Accretion - The growth of a precipitation particle by the collision of an ice crystal or snowflake with a supercooled liquid droplet that freezes upon impact.

Accumulation - In glaciology, the quanity of snow or other solid form of water added to a glacier or snow feild by deposition or precipitation. opposite of ablation. see snow accumulation.

Accumulation zone - The portion of the glacier above the firn line. Where the accumulation exceeds ablation. Opposite of ablation zone.

Acid deposition - The combination of acid rain (or snow)plus dry deposition.

Acid Rain - Rain having a ph lower then 5.6 representing the ph of natural rainwater; the increase acidity is usualy due to the presence of sulfuric acid and/ or nitric acid. Often attributed to anthropogenic sources.

Acoustic sounding - Study of the properties and structure of the atmosphere with the aid of observation of the passage of bursts of high- intensity sound waves sent upward and returned to a reciever.

Acoustic Wave - (or sound wave)A three dimentional disturbance passing through an elastic or fluid medium consisting of a compression and a decompression of the medium. The wave moves through the medium at the "speed of sound' of material. humans can detect those waves that are within the audio frequency range.

Acre foot - A hydrologic quanity defined as the quanity of water required to cover 1 acre to a depth of 1 foot. One acre-foot is equivalent to 43,560 cubic feet, 325851 gallons, or 1233 cubic meters.

Active layer - The part of the soil that usually freezes in winter and thaws in summer. It's bottom surface is the frost table, beneath which may lie permafrost. The depth of the active layer varies anywhere from a few inches to several feet.

Actual Evapotranspiraton - A)The rate of water lost from vegetation and soil, ordinarily at a slower rate than the potential rate.

Actual Vapor Pressure - See vapor pressure.

Adiabat - In most context same as dry adiabat.

Adiabatic Atmosphere - A model atmosphere characterized by a dry adiabatic lapse rate throughout its vertical extent.

Adiabatic Chart - Often used synonymously with thermodynamic diagram.

Adiabatic Cooling - An expansional cooling of an air parcel in an adiabatic process.

Adiabatic Equillibrium - A vertical distribution of tempature and pressure in an atmosphere in hydrostatic equilibrium such that an air parcel displaced following an Adiabatic process will continue to possess the same tempature and pressure and its surroundings, so that no restoring force acts on a parcel displaced vertically.Such a condition is reached in a layer expieriencing strong vertical mixing.

Adiabatic lapse rate - A theoretical process lapse rate. In man contexts, same as dry adiabatic lapse rate.

Adiabatic Process - A thermodynamic change of state of a system in which no heat or mass is transferred across the boundries of the system. In an adiabatic process, compression always results in warming, and expansion in cooling. In meteorology the adiabatic process is often also taken to be a reversible process. Vertical motions of air parcels in the atmosphere are approximately adiabatic.

Adiabatic Process - A process that takes place without a transfer of heat between the system (such as an air parcel) and its surroundings. In an adiabatic process compression always results in warming, and expansion results in cooling.

Adiabatic Warming - A compressional warming of an air parcel in an adiabaiic process.

Adsorption - he adhesion of a thin film of liquid or gas to a solid substance. The solid does not chemically combine with the adsorbed substance. Contrast with absorbtion.

Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System - (AWIPS) - A computerized workstation that enables National Weather Service meteorologists to intergrate a variety of weather data with displays of graphics and satellite and radar imagery.

Advection - A)The horizontal transfer of any atmospheric property by the wind.

Advection Fog - Occurs when warm, moist air moves over a cold surface and the air cools to below its dew point.

Advection Frost - The occurance of frost as a result of the horizontal transport (advection) of a cold air mass with air tempatures below 0'C (32"F) by the wind; may also refer to advection of moisture at subfreezinfg tempatures. This type of frost is responsable for causing damage to agricultural areas of south Florida and the Rio Grande Valley of Texas during cold polar outbreaks. Contrast with radiation frost.

Advective Thunderstorm - A thunderstorm resulting from instability produced by the differential transport(advection) of relitively colder air at high levels or relatively warmer air at low levels, or by a combination of both conditions.

Advisory Forecast - Any weather forecast issued for speciel purposes . See weather advisory. the National Weather Service issues advisories to the public to highlight potential or current weather conditions that require caution but are deemed to be less serious than those that would warrent isuance of a watch or warning. The events described in an advisory can cause significant inconvenience and if caution were not exercised, could lead to situations that may threaten life and/or property.

Aeolian - Pertaining to the action or the effect of the wind.

Aeration - In general, any process whereby a substance becomes permeated with air or other gas. Usually, dissolved oxygen level of the water is increased by this process.

Aerodynamic - Pertaining to forces acting upon any solid or liquid body movins relative to gas (especially air); also aerodynamics, the scientific study of compresable fluid flow.

Aeronomy - The study of phsyics of the upper atmosphere.It is concerned with upper-atmospheric composition(i.e., nature of constituents,density, tempature,ect.) and chemical reactions.

Aerosol - A collodial system in which the dispersed phase is composed of either solid or liquid particles, and in which the disperion medium is some gas, usually air. examples include smoke, dust, and fog.

Aerovane - A device that resembles a wind vane with a propeller at one end. Used to indicate wind speed and direction.

Aestival - Pertaining to summer. The corresponding adjectives for autum,winter,and spring are autumnal, hibernal, and vernal.

Afterglow - A broad high arch of radiance see occaisionaly in the western sky above the highest clouds in deepening evening twilight when the sun is 3"-4" below the horizon.It is caused by the scattering effect exerted upon the components of white light by very fine particles suspended in the high atmosphere. when used in this rather broad sence, the term embraces all of the complex luminosity phenomena observed in the western twilight sky. see also alpenglow.

Age - In general, a time interval, with specific uses to include1) In geneology, a geologic age- a unit of geolgic time smaller than a geologic epoch. (2) In astronomy, the elapsed time from the start of some phenomena, for example, the "age of the moon" (3) In Oceanography, the time interval between an astronomical event and the corresponding tidal phenomenon. For example, the lag in days between the occurrence of syzygy and the highest spring tide is the "age of the tide"; the lag between peigee and the highest perisee tidee is the "age of parallox inequality".

Ageostrophic - A condition of wind not satisfying the geostrophic approximation. The departure of the actual wind from the geostrophic wind.

Agglomeration - In cloud physics, the process through which precipitation particales grow by collision with and assimulation of cloud particles or other precipitation particles.

AGL - An abbreviation for above ground level. Contrast with MSL or above mean sea level.

Agricultural Climatology - In general, the scientific study of the effect of climate on crops; Applied Climatology. It includes especialy the length of the growing season, the relation of growth rate and crop yeilds to the various climate factors and hence the optimum and limiting climates for any given crop, the value of irregation, and the effect of climatic and weather conditions on the development and spread of crop desease.

Agricultiral Meteorology - In general, meteorology and micrometeorology as applied to the spacific problems of agricultural.

Agulhas current - A Warm, generally southwest flowing ocean current of the southwestern Indian Ocean some 200 killometers off the coast of south Africa; One of the swiftest of ocean currents; contains the mozambique current. it is fed by the South Equatorial current for part of the year and merges to contribute to the South Indian Current.

Air - A mixture of gases consisting mostly nitrogen(N^2)and oxygen(O^2),and constituting the Earth's atmosphere, together with the suspended solid and liquid Aerosols. See dry air and humid air.

Air Discharge - A lightning discharge between a cloud and a cloud-free (or clear air) region of the atmosphere.

Air Drainage - General term for gravity-induced, downslope flow of relatively cold air; a form of katabatic wind. Winds thus produced are called gravity winds.

Air Mass - A widespread body of air, the thermal, moisture, and stability properties of which can be identified as(a) having been established while that air was situated over a particular region of the earth's surface (climatology), and (b) undergoing specific modifications while in transit away from the source region. An air msss is often defined as a widespread body of air extending over an area of several million square killometers that is aproxamatly homogenous in it's horizontal extent, particularly with reference to tempature and water vapor consentration; in addition, the vertical tempature and humidity variations, together with the stability, are approxamately the same over it's horizontal extent. Depending upon it's type the depth of the air mass may range from one to several kilometers

Air parcel- An imaginary volume of air to which may be assigned any or all of the basic dynamic and thermodynamic properties of atmospheric air; often used as a convenient tracer of air movement or atmospheric process.

Air pollution - Same as atmospheric pollution.

Air Pressure - same as atmospheric pressure.

Air Quality - a measure of the cleanliness of air described in terms of levels of contaniments in air especialy with regard to their potential effects on human health.

Air Quality Standards - A set of objectives established

Albedo - The percent of radiation returning from a surface compared to that which strikes it.

Altimeter - An instrument that indicates the altitude of an object above a fixed level. Pressure altimeters use an aneroid barometer with a scale graduated in altitude instead of pressure.

Altocumulus - A middle cloud, usually white or gray. Often occurs in layers or patches with wavy, rounded masses or rolls.

Altocumulus Castellanus - An altocumulus showing vertical development, individual cloud elements have towerlike tops, often in the shape of tiny castles.

Altocumulus Lenticularis - A lens-shaped altocumulus cloud; a mountain-wave cloud generated by the disturbance of horizontal airflow caused by a prominent mountain range.

Altostratus - A middle cloud composed of gray or bluish sheets or layers of uniform appearance. In the thinner regions, the sun or moon usually appears dimly visible.

Ambient Air - The air surrounding a cloud, or the air surrounding rising or sinking air parcels.

Ambient Temperature - Temperature of the surrounding (ambient) air.

Anemometer - An instrument designed to measure wind speed.

Aneroid Barometer - An instrument designed to measure atmospheric pressure. It contains no liquid.

Annual Range of Temperature - The difference between the warmest and coldest months at any given location.

Anomalies - Departures of temperature, precipitation, or other weather elements from long-term averages.

Arctic air - A very cold and dry air mass that forms primarily in winter and the northern interior of North America.

Atmospheric Window - A region of the electromagnetic spectrum from 8 to 12 µm where the atmosphere is transparent to radiation.

Autumnal Equinox - The equinox at which the sun approaches the Southern Hemisphere and passes directly over the equator. Occurs around September 23.

Barograph- A recording instrument that provides a continuous trace of air pressure variation with time.

Barometer- An instrument that measures atmospheric pressure. The two most common barometers are the mercury barometer and the aneroid barometer.

Beaufort scale-A scale of wind strength based on visual assessment of the effects of wind on seas and vegetation.

Black body- A hypothetical object that absorbs all of the radiation that strikes it. It also emits radiation at a maximum rate for its given temperature.

Blizzard- A severe weather condition characterized by low temperatures and strong winds (greater than 32 mi/hr) bearing a great amount of snow. When these conditions continue after the falling snow has ended, it is termed a ground blizzard.

Bora -A cold katabatic wind that originates in Yugoslavia and flows onto the coastal plain of the Adriatic Sea.

Bowen ratio-The ratio of energy available for sensible heating to energy available for latent heating.

Boyle's law- When the temperature is held constant, the pressure and density of an ideal gas are directly proportional.

Ceilometer An instrument that automatically records cloud height.

Centrifugal forceA force directed outward, away from the center of a rotating object; equal in magnitude to the centripetal force but in the opposite direction.

Centripetal force An inward-directed force that confines an object to a circular path; equal in magnitude to the centrifugal force but in the opposite direction.

Charles's law With constant pressure, the temperature of an ideal gas is inversely proportional to the density of the gas.

Chinook A warm, dry wind on the eastern side of the Rocky Mountains. In the Alps, the wind is called a Foehn.

Cirrocumulus A high cloud that appears as a white patch of cloud without shadows. It consists of very small elements in the form of grains or ripples.

Cirrostratus A high cloud appearing as a whitish veil that may totally cover the sky. Often produces halo phenomena.

Cirrus A high cloud composed of ice crystals in the form of thin, white, featherlike clouds in patches, filaments, or narrow bands.

Climate The accumulation of daily and seasonal weather events over a long period of time. A description of aggregate weather conditions; the sum of all statistical weather information that helps describe a place or region.

Cloud baseThe lowest portion of a cloud.

Cloudburst Any sudden and heavy rain shower.

Cloud cover The amount of the sky obscured by clouds when observed at a particular location.

Cloud deck The top of a cloud layer, usually viewed from an aircraft.

Cloud seeding The introduction of artificial substances (usually silver iodide or dry ice) into a cloud for the purpose of either modifying its development or increasing its precipitation.

Coalescence The merging of cloud droplets into a single larger droplet.

Cold fog See Supercooled cloud.

Cold frontThe leading edge of a cold air mass.

Condensation Process by which water changes phase from a vapor to a liquid.

Condensation nuclei Small particles in the atmosphere that serve as the core of tiny condensing cloud droplets. These may be dust, salt, or other material.

Conduction The transfer of heat by molecular activity from one substance to another, or through a substance. Transfer is always from warmer to colder regions.

Continental air mass An air mass that forms over land; it is normally relatively dry.

Continental Climate A climate lacking marine influence and characterized by more extreme temperatures than in marine climates: therefore, it has a relatively high annual temperature range for its latitude.

Continental polar air Relatively dry air mass that develops over the northern interior of North America; very cold in winter and mild in summer.

Continental tropical air Warm, dry air mass that forms over the subtropical deserts of the south-western United States.

Contrail (condensation trail) A cloudlike streamer frequently seen forming behind aircraft flying in clear, cold, humid air.

Convection Motions in a fluid that result in the transport and mixing of the fluid's properties. In meteorology, convection usually refers to atmospheric motions that are predominantly vertical, such as rising air currents due to surface heating. The rising of heated surface air and the sinking of cooler air aloft is often called free convection. (Compare with forced convection.)

Convective condensation level (CCL) The level above the surface marking the base of a cumiliform cloud that is forming due to surface heating and rising thermals.

Convergence An atmospheric condition that exists when the winds cause a horizontal net inflow of air into a specified region.

Cooling degree-day A form of degree-day used in estimating the amount of energy necessary to reduce the effective temperature of warm air. A cooling degree-day is a day on which the average temperature is one degree above a desired base temperature.

Coriolis effect A deflective force arising from the rotation of the earth on its axis; affects principally synoptic-scale and global-scale winds. Winds are deflected to the right of the initial direction in the Northern Hemisphere, and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere.

Crepuscular rays Alternating light and dark bands of light that appear to fan out from the sun's position, usually at twilight.

Cumulonimbus An exceptionally dense and vertically developed cloud, often with a top in the shape of an anvil. The cloud is frequently accompanied by heavy showers, lightning, thunder, and sometimes hail. It is also known as a thunderstorm cloud.

Cumulus A cloud in the form of individual, detached domes or towers that are usually dense and well defined. It has a flat base with a bulging upper part that often resembles cauliflower. Cumulus clouds of fair weather are called cumulus humilis. Those that exhibit much vertical growth are called cumulus congestur or towering cumulus.

Cumulus CongestusAn upward building convective cloud with vertical development between that of a cumulus cloud and a cumulonimbus.

Cup anemometer An instrument used to monitor wind-speed. Wind rotation of cups generates and electric current calibrated in wind speed.

Cutoff high Anticyclonic circulation system that separates from the prevailing westerly airflow and therefore remains stationary.

Cutoff low Cyclonic circulation system that separates from the prevailing westerly airflow and therefore remains stationary.

Daily range of temperature The difference between the maximum and minimum temperatures for any given day.

Degree days Computed from each day's mean temperature (max+min/2). For each degree that a day's mean temperature is below or above a reference temperature is counted as one degree day.

Density The ratio of the mass of a substance to the volume occupied by it.

Deposition A process that occurs in subfreezing air when water vapor changes directly to ice without becoming a liquid first. (Also called sublimation in meteorology.)

Deposition nucleiTiny particles in the atmosphere that serve as the core of tiny ice crystals as water vapor changes to the solid form. These are also called ice nuclei.

Desert One of two types of dry climate-the driest of the dry climates.

Dew Water that has condensed onto objects near the ground when their temperatures have fallen below the dew point of the surface air.

Dew point (dew-point temperature) The temperature to which air must be cooled (at constant pressure and constant water vapor content) for saturation to occur. When the dew point falls below freezing it is called the frost point.

Diffraction The bending of light around objects, such as cloud and fog droplets, producing fringes of light and dark or colored bands.

Diffuse insolation Solar radiation that is scattered or reflected by atmospheric components (clouds, for example) to the earth's surface.

Direct insolation Solar radiation that is transmitted directly through the atmosphere to the earth's surface without interacting with atmospheric components.

Divergence An atmospheric condition that exists when the winds cause a horizontal net outflow of air from a specific region.

DownburtsA severe localized downdraft that can be experienced beneath a severe thunderstorm. (Compare Microburst)

Downdraft Downward moving air, usually within a thunderstorm cell.

Drainage basin A fixed geographical region from which a river and its tributaries drain water.

Drizzle Small drops between 0.2 and 0.5 mm in diameter that fall slowly and reduce visibility more than light rain.

Drought A period of abnormally dry weather sufficiently long enough to cause serious effects on agriculture and other activities in the affected area.

Dry adiabatic rate The rate of change of temperature in a rising or descending unsaturated air parcel. The rate of adiabatic cooling or warming is 10ºC per 1000 m (5.5ºF per 1000 ft).

Dry climate A climate in which yearly precipitation is not as great as the potential loss of water by evaporation.

Dust devil (or whirlwind) A small but rapidly rotating wind made visible by the dust, sand, and debris it picks up from the surface. It develops best on clear, dry, hot afternoons.

Eddy A small volume of air (or any fluid) that behaves differently from the larger flow in which it exists.

Effective emissivity A correction factor, dependent on the radiational characteristics of the earth -atmosphere system, that permits application of black body radiation laws to the earth-atmosphere system

Emissivity The fractional amount of radiation emitted by a given object or substance in comparison to the amount emitted by a perfect emitter.

Emittance The rate at which a black body radiates energy across all wave-lengths.

Entrainment The mixing of environmental air into a preexisting air current or cloud so that the environmental air becomes part of the current or cloud.

Environmental lapse rate The rate of decrease of temperature with elevation. It is most often measured with a radiosonde.

Equilibrium vapor pressure The necessary vapor pressure around liquid water that allows the water to remain in equilibrium with its environment. Also called saturation vapor pressure.

Equinox The time when the sun crosses the plane of the earth's equator occurring about March 21 and September 22.

Evaporation The process by which a liquid changes into a gas.

Evapotranspiration Vaporization of water through direct evaporation from wet surfaces and the release of water vapor by vegetation.

Evaporation fog Fog produced when sufficient water vapor is added to the air by evaporation. The two common types are steam fog, which forms when cold air moves over warm water, and frontal fog, which forms as warm raindrops evaporate in a cool air mass.

Exosphere The outermost portion of the atmosphere.

Fall Freeze date The date of occurrence in the fall of the first minimum at or below a temperature threshold.

Fall streaks Falling ice crystals that evaporate before reaching the ground.

Foehn See Chinook.

Fog A cloud with its base at the earth's surface. It reduces visibility to below 1 km.

Forced convection On a small scale, a form of mechanical stirring taking place when twisting eddies of air are able to mix.

Free convectionConvection triggered by intense solar heating of the earth's surface.

Freeze A condition occurring over a widespread area when the surface air temperature remains below freezing for a sufficient time to damage certain agricultural crops. A freeze most often occurs as cold air is advected into a region, causing freezing conditions to exist in a deep layer of surface air. Also called advection frost.

Freeze free season The number of days between the last spring freeze date and the first fall freeze date.

Freezing rain and freezing drizzle Rain or drizzle that falls in liquid form and then freezes upon striking a cold object or ground. Both can produce a coating of ice on objects which is called glaze.

Front The transition zone between two distinct air masses.

Frontal fog See Evaporation fog.

Frost (also called hoarfrost) A covering of ice produced by deposition (sublimation) on exposed surfaces when the air temperature falls below the frost point (the dew point is below freezing).

Frost point See Dew point.

Frozen dew The transformation of liquid dew into tiny beads of ice when the air temperature drops below freezing.

Funnel cloudA rotating conelike cloud that extends down-ward from the base of a thunderstorm. When it reaches the surface it is called a tornado.

Geostrophic wind A theoretical horizontal wind blowing in a straight path, parallel to the isobars or contours, at a constant speed. The geostrophic wind results when the Coriolis force exactly balances the horizontal pressure gradient force.

GlaciationThe conversion of all the supercooled liquid water in a cloud into ice crystals, thus reducing the growth rate of ice crystals and hail.

Glaciated cloudA cloud or portion of a cloud where only ice crystals exist.

GlazeA coating of ice on objects formed when supercooled rain freezes on contact. A storm that produces glaze is called an icing storm.

Glory Colored rings that appear around the shadow of an object.

Graupel See Snow pellets

Green flash A small, green color that occasionally appears on the upper part of the sun as it rises or sets.

Ground fog See Radiation fog.

Growing degree-day A form of the degree-day used as a guide for crop planting and for estimating crop maturity dates.

Growing season The number of days between the last spring freeze date and the first fall freeze date.

HaboobA dust or sandstorm that forms as cold downdrafts from a thunderstorm turbulently lift dust and sand into the air.

HailSolid precipitation in the form of chunks or balls of ice with diameters greater than 5 mm. The stones fall from cumulonimbus clouds.

Hailstones Transparent or partially opaque particles of ice that range in size from that of a pea to that of golf balls.

Hair hygrometerAn instrument used to monitor relative humidity by measuring the changes in the length of human hair that accompany humidity variations.

HalosRings or arcs that encircle the sun or moon when seen through an ice crystal cloud or a sky filled with falling ice crystals. Halos are produced by refraction of light.

HazeFine dry or wet dust or salt particles dispersed through a portion of the atmosphere. Individually these are not visible but cumulatively they will diminish visibility.

HeatA form of energy transferred between systems by virtue of their temperature differences.

Heat capacityThe ratio of the heat absorbed (or released) by a system to the corresponding temperature rise (or fall).

Heat index (HI) An index that combines air temperature and relative humidity to determine an apparent temperature-how hot it actually feels.

Heat of fusionHeat released when water changes phase from liquid to solid; 80 calories per gram

Heat of meltingHeat required to change the phase of water from solid to liquid; 80 calories per gram.

Heating degree-day A form of the degree-day used as an index for fuel consumption. Needed on days when average air temperature falls below 69 ºF (18 ºC); computed by subtracting the day's average temperature from 65 ºF.

Heat lightning Distant lightning that illuminates the sky but is too far away for its thunder to be heard.

Heiligenschein A faint white ring surrounding the shadow of an observer's head on a dew-covered lawn.

HeterosphereThe atmosphere above 80 km (50 mi) where gases are stratified, with concentrations of the heavier gases decreasing more rapidly with altitude than concentrations of the lighter gases.

High inversion fog A fog that lifts above the surface but does not completely dissipate because of a strong inversion (usually subsidence) that exists above the fog layer.

Highland climateComplex pattern of climate conditions associated with mountains. Highland climates are characterized by large differences that occur over short distances.

Hoarfrost Fernlike crystals of ice that form by deposition of water vapor on twigs, tree branches, and other vegetation.

Homosphere The atmosphere up to 80 km (50 mi) in which the proportionality of principal gaseous constituents, such as oxygen and nitrogen, is constant.

Humid continental climateA relatively severe climate characteristic of broad continents in the middle latitudes between approximately 40 and 50º north latitude. This climate is not found in the southern hemisphere, where the middle latitudes are dominated by the oceans.

Humid Subtropical Climate A climate generally located on the eastern side of a continent and characterized by hot, sultry summers and cool winters.

Hurricane A severe tropical cyclone having winds in excess of 64 knots (74 mi/hr).

Hydrograph An instrument that provides a continuous trace of relative humidity with time.

Hygrometer An instrument designed to measure the air's water vapor content. The sensing part of the instrument can be hair (hair hygrometer), a plate coated with carbon (electrical hygrometer), or an infrared sensor (infrared hygrometer).

Hypothermia The deterioration in one's mental and physical condition brought on by a rapid lowering of human body temperature.

Ice Cap ClimateA climate that has no monthly means above freezing and supports no vegetative cover except in a few scattered high mountain areas. This climate, with its perpetual ice and snow, is confined largely to the ice sheets of Greenland and Antarctica.

Ice fogA type of fog composed of tiny suspended ice particles that forms at very low temperatures.

Ice nuclei Particles that act as nuclei for the formation of ice crystals in the atmosphere.

Ice pellets See Sleet

Indian summer An unseasonably warm spell with clear skies near the middle of autumn. Usually follows a substantial period of cool weather.

Infrared radiation Electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths between about 0.7 and 1000 µm. This radiation is longer than visible radiation but shorter than microwave radiation.

Insolation The incoming solar radiation that reaches the earth and the atmosphere.

Intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) The boundary zone separating the northeast trade winds of the Northern Hemisphere from the southeast trade winds of the Southern Hemisphere.

Inversion An increase in air temperature with height.

Ion An electrically charged atom, molecule, or particle.

Ionosphere An electrified region of the upper atmosphere where fairly large concentrations of ions and free electrons exist.

Iridescence Brilliant spots or borders of colors, most often red and green, observed in clouds up to about 30º from the sun.

Isobar A line connecting points of equal pressure

Isotach A line connecting points of equal wind speed.

Isotherm A line connecting points of equal wind temperature.

January thawA period of relatively mild weather around January 20 to 23 that occurs primarily in New England; an example of a singularity in the climatic record.

Jet stream Relatively strong winds concentrated within a narrow band in the atmosphere.

Katabatic wind Any wind blowing downslope. Usually cold.

Lake breeze A wind blowing onshore from the surface of a lake.

Lake-effect snows Localized snowstorms that form on the downwind side of a lake. Such storms are common in late fall and early winter near the Great Lakes as cold, dry air picks up moisture and warmth from the unfrozen bodies of water.

Land breeze A coastal breeze that blows from land to sea, usually at night.

Lapse rate The rate at which an atmospheric variable (usually temperature) decreases with height. (See Environmental lapse rate.)

Latent heat The heat that is either released or absorbed by a unit mass of a substance when it undergoes a change of state, such as during evaporation, condensation, or sublimation.

Lenticular cloud A cloud in the shape of a lens.

Lightning A visible electrical discharge produced by thunderstorms.

Longwave radiation A term most often used to describe the infrared energy emitted by the earth and the atmosphere.

Magnetosphere The region around the earth in which the earth's magnetic field plays a dominant part in controlling the physical processes that take place.

Mammatus clouds Clouds that look like pouches hanging from the underside of a cloud.

Marine climate A climate dominated by the ocean, because of the moderating effect of water, sites having this climate are considered relatively mild.

Maritime air mass An air mass that originates over the ocean. These air masses are relatively humid.

Maritime polar air Cool, humid air mass that forms over the cold ocean waters of the North Pacific and North Atlantic.

Maritime tropical air Warm, humid air mass that forms over tropical and subtropical oceans.

Mean annual temperature The average temperature at any given location for the entire year.

Mesoscale The scale of meteorological phenomena that ranges in size from a few km to about 100 km. It includes local winds, thunderstorms, and tornadoes.

Mesosphere The atmospheric layer between the stratosphere and the thermosphere. Located at an average elevation between 50 and 80 km above the earth's surface.

Meteorology The study of the atmosphere and atmospheric phenomena as well as the atmosphere's interaction with the earth's surface, oceans, and life in general.

Microburst A strong localized downdraft less than 4 km wide that occurs beneath severe thunderstorms. A strong downdraft greater than 4 km across is called a downburst.

Microclimate The climate structure of the air space near the surface of the earth.

Microscale The smallest scale of atmospheric motions.

Millibar(mb) A unit for expressing atmospheric pressure. Sea level pressure is normally close to 1013 mb.

Mirage A refraction phenomenon that makes an object appear to be displaced from its true position. When an object appears higher than it actually is, it is called a superior image. When an object appears lower than it actually is, it is an inferior mirage.

Mist Very thin fog in which visibility is greater than 1.0 km (0.62 mi).

Mistral A katabatic wind that flows from the Alps down the Rhone River Valley of France to the Mediterranean coast.

Mixing ratio The ratio of the mass of water vapor in a given volume of air to the mass of dry air.

Moist adiabatic rate The rate of change of temperature in a rising or descending saturated air parcel. The rate of cooling or warming varies but a common value of 6ºC per 1000 m (3.3ºF per 1000 ft) is used.

Molecular viscosity The small-scale internal fluid friction that is due to the random motion of the molecules within a smooth-flowing fluid, such as air.

Mountain and valley breeze A local wind system of a mountain valley that blows downhill (mountain breeze) at night and uphill (valley breeze) during the day.

Nacreous clouds Clouds of unknown composition that have a soft, pearly luster and that form at altitudes about 25 to 30 km above the earth's surface. They are also called mother-of-pearl clouds.

Nimbostratus A dark, gray cloud characterized by more or less continuously falling precipitation. It is not accompanied by lightning, thunder, or hail.

Noctilucent clouds Wavy, thin, bluish-white clouds that are best seen at twilight in polar latitudes. They form at altitudes about 80 to 90 km above the surface.

Nocturnal inversion See Radiation inversion.

Offshore breeze A breeze that blows from the land out over the water. Opposite of an onshore breeze.

Onshore breeze A breeze that blows from the water onto the land. Opposite of an offshore breeze.

Orographic uplift The lifting of air over a topographic barrier. Clouds that form in this lifting process are called orographic clouds.

Orographic precipitationRainfall or snowfall from clouds, induced by topographic uplift.

Permafrost A layer of soil beneath the earth's surface that remains frozen throughout the year.

PhotodissociationThe splitting of a molecule by a photon.

Photon A discrete quantity of energy that can be thought of as a packet of electromagnetic radiation traveling at the speed of light.

Pileus cloud A smooth cloud in the form of a cap. Occurs above, or is attached to, the top of a cumuliform cloud.

Polar air mass A cold air mass that forms in a high-latitude source region.

Polar climates Climates in which the mean temperature of the warmest month is below 10ºC; climates that are too cold to support the growth of trees.

Potential energy The energy that a body possesses by virtue of its position with respect to other bodies in the field of gravity.

Potential evapotranspiration (PE) The amount of moisture that, if it were available, would be removed from a given land area by evaporation and transpiration.

Potential temperature The temperature that a parcel of dry air would have if it were brought dry adiabatically from its original position to a pressure of 1000 mb.

Precipitable water vapor The depth of water that would result if all the vapor in the atmosphere above a location were condensed into liquid water.

Precipitation Any form of water particles-liquid or solid-that falls from the atmosphere and reaches the ground.

Prevailing wind The wind direction most frequently observed during a given period.

Probability forecast A forecast of the probability of occurrence of one or more of a mutually exclusive set of weather conditions.

Psychrometer An instrument used to measure the water vapor content of the air. It consists of two thermometers (dry bulb and wet bulb). After whirling the instrument, the dew point and relative humidity can be obtained with the aid of tables.

PyranometerAn instrument that measures the amount of radiation.

RadarAn instrument useful for remote sensing of meteorological phenomena. It operates by sending radio waves and monitoring those returned by such reflecting objects as raindrops within clouds.

Radiant energy (radiation) Energy propagated in the form of electromagnetic waves. These waves do not need molecules to propagate them, and in a vacuum they travel at nearly 300,000 km per sec.

Radiation fog Fog produced over land when radiational cooling reduces the air temperature to or below its dew point. It is also known as ground fog and valley fog.

Radiation inversion An increase in temperature with height due to radiational cooling of the earth's surface. Also called a nocturnal inversion.

Radiosonde A balloon-borne instrument that measures and transmits pressure, temperature, and humidity to a ground-based receiving station.

Rain Precipitation in the form of liquid water drops that have diameters greater than that of drizzle.

Rain gageA device-usually a cylindrical container-for measuring rain-fall.

Rain Shadow The region on the leeside of a mountain where the precipitation is noticeable less than on the windward side.

Rawinsonde An instrument carried by weather balloons to measure the temperature, humidity, pressure, and winds of the atmosphere.

Reflection The process whereby a surface turns back a portion of the radiation that strikes it.

Refraction The bending of light as it passes from one medium to another

Refractive index The ratio of the speed of light in a vacuum to its speed in a transparent medium.

Relative humidity The ratio of the amount of water vapor actually in the air compared to the amount of water vapor the air can hold at the particular temperature and pressure. The ratio of the air's actual vapor pressure to its saturation vapor pressure.

Rime ice A white, granular deposit of ice formed by the freezing of water drops when they come in contact with an object.

Santa Ana The local name given a foehn wind in southern California.

Saturation vapor pressure The maximum amount of water vapor necessary to keep moist air in equilibrium with a surface of pure water or ice. It represents the maximum amount of water vapor that the air can hold at any given temperature and pressure. (See Equilibrium vapor pressure.)

Scattering The process by which small particles in the atmosphere deflect radiation from its path into different directions.

Scintillation The apparent twinkling of a star due to its light passing through regions of differing air densities in the atmosphere.

Sea breeze A coastal local wind that blows from the ocean onto the land. The leading edge of the breeze is termed a sea breeze front.

Sea level pressure The atmospheric pressure at mean sea level.

Semiarid See Steppe.

Sensible heat transfer Movement of heat from one place to another as a consequence of conduction or convection or both.

Sensible temperature The sensation of temperature that the human body feels in contrast to the actual temperature of the environment as measured with a thermometer.

Shear See wind shear.

Sheet lightning A fairly bright lightning flash from distant thunderstorms that illuminates a portion of the cloud.

Shortwave radiation A term most often used to describe the radiant energy emitted from the sun, in the visible and near ultraviolet wavelengths.

Shower Intermittent precipitation from a cumuliform cloud, usually of short duration but often heavy.

Sleet A type of precipitation consisting of transparent pellets of ice 5 mm or less in diameter. Same as ice pellets.

Smog Originally smog meant a mixture of smoke and fog. Today, smog means air that has restricted visibility due to pollution, or pollution formed in the presence of sunlight-photochemical smog.

Snow Solid precipitation in the form of minute ice flakes that occur below 0ºC.

Snowflake An aggregate of ice crystals that falls from a cloud

Snow flurries Light showers of snow that fall intermittently.

Snow grains Precipitation in the form of very small, opaque grains of ice. The solid equivalent of drizzle.

Snow pelletsWhite, opaque, approximately round ice particles between 2 and 5 mm in diameter that form in a cloud either from the sticking together of ice crystals or from the process of accretion.

Snow rollersA cylindrical spiral of snow shaped somewhat like a child's muff and produced by the wind.

Snow squall (shower) An intermittent heavy shower of snow that greatly reduces visibility.

Solstice Either of the two times of the year when the sun is the greatest distance from the celestial equator, occurring about June 22 and December 22. See winter solstice and summer solstice.

Southern oscillation The reversal of surface air pressure at opposite ends of the tropical Pacific Ocean that occur during El Nino events.

Specifc heat The ratio of the heat absorbed (or released) by the unit mass of the system to the corresponding temperature rise (or fall).

Specific humidity The ratio of the mass of water vapor in a given parcel to the total mass of air in the parcel.

Spontaneous nucleation (freezing) The freezing of pure water without the benefit of any nuclei.

Spring freeze date The date of occurrence in the spring of the last minimum at or below a temperature threshold.

Squall line Any nonfrontal line or band of active thunderstorms.

Station pressureThe actual air pressure computed at the observing station.

Steam fog See Evaporation fog.

SteppeOne of the two types of dry climate. A marginal and more humid variant of the desert that separates it from bordering humid climates. Steppe also refers to the short-grass vegetation associated with this semiarid climate.

Storm surge An abnormal rise of the sea along a shore. Primarily due to the winds of a storm, especially a hurricane.

Stratocumulus A low cloud, predominantly stratiform with low, lumpy, rounded masses, often with blue sky between them.

StratopauseThe boundary between the stratosphere and the mesosphere.

Stratosphere The layer of the atmosphere above the troposphere and below the mesosphere (between 10 km and 50 km), generally characterized by an increase in temperature with height.

StratusA low, gray cloud layer with a rather uniform base whose precipitation is most

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Frederick K. Lutgens, and Edward J. Tarbuck, 1995. The Atmosphere. Prentice-Hall Inc., 443-456.

Joe R. Eagleman, 1980. Meteorology The Atmosphere in Action. Litton Educational Publishing Inc., 353-364.

Joseph M. Moran, and Michael D. Morgan, 1986. Meteorology. Burgess Publishing, 486-496.