AEPS E-learning platform

Meteorology

All | A B C D F G H I J K L M O P R S T U V W
There are currently 93 names in this directory
Advection
(noun)
the movement of air in a horizontal direction

Advection fog
(noun)
fog which forms when warmer

Airmass
(noun)
a very large mass of air in the atmosphere in which the temperature is almost constant and which is divided from another mass by a front

Anabatic
(adjective)
referring to a warm flow of air travel¬ling up a hillside or mountainside

Anabatic wind
(noun)
a wind current, caused by solar heating of the land, that rises up a southfacing mountainside

Anafront
(noun)
A front at which the warm air is ascending the frontal surface up to high altitudes

Anticyclogenesis
(noun)
Development or intensification of a high-pressure center

Anvil cloud
(noun)
a cloud, usually a large dark thundercloud, which has the shape of an anvil

Anvil crawler
(noun)
A lightning discharge occurring within the anvil of a thunderstorm, characterized by one or more channels that appear to crawl along the underside of the anvil

Atmosphere
(noun)
a mixture of gases in a mass surrounding the earth

Beaufort scale
(noun)
scale from 1 to12 used to refer to the strength of wind

Cloud
(noun)
a mass of water vapour or ice particles in the sky that can produce rain

Cloud base
(noun)
the bottom part of a layer of cloud

Cloud ceiling
(noun)
the height above the ground or water of the base of the lowest layer of cloud

Cloud group
(noun)
a collection of different cloud types which have similarities

Cold front
(noun)
an advancing mass of cold air, moving under and lifting warmer air

Convection
(noun)
the process by which hot air rises and cool air descends

Convective clouds
(noun)
clouds formed as a result of warm moist air rising and condensing at altitude

Convergence
(noun)
the fact of coming together at a particular point

Cool
(noun)
weather which is not hot, warm nor very cold

Cyclone
(noun)
a system of winds rotating inwards to an area of low barometric pressure

Depression
(noun)
an area of low atmospheric pressure

Dew point
(noun)
the temperature at which air is saturated with water vapour and condensation begins

Diurnal variation
(noun)
In meteorology, refers to the daily pattern of winds and temperatures

Downburst
(noun)
A strong downward rush of air which produces a blast of damaging wind on or close to the surface

Dust devils
(noun)
A small but rapidly rotating column of wind of short duration that is made visible by dust, sand, and debris picked up from the ground

Dust Whirl
(noun)
A rotating column of air rendered visible by dust

Fog
(noun)
condensed water vapour in cloud-like masses lying close to the ground and limiting visibility

Front
(noun)
the forward part or surface. The line that separates warm and cold fronts

Frontal depression
(noun)
an area of low pressure found together with a weather front

Frontal system
(noun)
a series of rain-bearing changes in the weather

Frost
(noun)
a deposit of very small ice crystals formed when water vapour condenses at a temperature below freezing

Gale
(noun)
a very strong wind usually blowing from a single direction

Gradiant
(noun)
the rate at which a quantity such as temperature or pressure changes relative to change in a given variable, especially distance

Gust
(noun)
a strong, sudden rush of wind

Hail
(noun)
precipitation as small pellets of ice

Hailstorm
(noun)
a storm, where the precipitation is hail instead of rain or snow

Haze
(noun)
dust or smoke in the atmosphere

Humidity
(noun)
a measurement of how much water vapour is contained in the air

Ice
(noun)
frozen water

Instability
(noun)
The tendency for air parcels to accelerate when they are displaced from their original position

Inversion
(noun)
an atmospheric phenomenon where cold air is nearer the ground than warm air

Isobar
(noun)
a line on a weather chart joining points of equal atmospheric pressure

Isobaric
(adjective)
referring to or showing isobars

Jet stream
(noun)
a band of strong winds at high altitude

Katabatic
(adjective)
referring to a cold flow of air travelling down hillsides or mountainsides

Katabatic wind
(noun)
a wind which occurs when the air in contact with the slope of a hill is cooled to a temperature lower than that in the free atmosphere, causing it to sink

Knot
(noun)
a unit of speed equal to one nautical mile per hour, approximately 1.85 kilometres or 1.15 statute miles per hour

Lightning
(noun)
a powerful and sudden electrical discharge from a cloud

Lightning strike
(noun)
the hitting of something by a discharge of lightning

Maritime wind
(noun)
a wind blowing from the sea

METAR
(abbreviation)
aviation routine weather report

Meteorological chart
(noun)
a chart of part of the Earth’s surface with information about weather conditions

Meteorological conditions
(noun)
a description of the weather in a given area

Meteorology
(noun)
a science which studies weather and weather conditions

Microburst
(noun)
a particularly strong windshear especially associated with thunderstorms

Mist
(noun)
visible water vapour, in the form of very fine droplets, in the atmosphere

Occluded front
(noun)
a weather front created when air is forced upward from the Earth’s surface, as when a cold front overtakes and undercuts a warm front

Occlusion
(noun)
the forcing of air upward from the Earth’s surface, as when a cold front overtakes and undercuts a warm front

Precipitation
(noun)
water falling as rain, drizzle, hail, sleet and snow from the atmosphere onto the surface of the Earth

Pressure
(noun)
force applied uniformly over a surface, measured as force per unit of area

Rain
(noun)
precipitation or water which falls from clouds in small drops

Rainstorm
(noun)
heavy rain accompanied by wind

Relative humidity
(noun)
the ratio between the amount of water vapour in the air and the amount which would be present if the air was saturated, at the same temperature and the same pressure

Ridge
(noun)
a long zone of relatively high atmospheric pressure

Rime ice
(noun)
ice formed when individual droplets of water freeze rapidly on striking the aircraft surface

Roll cloud
(noun)
cloud created in the rotor zone on the downwind side of mountain ranges

Shower
(noun)
a short period of rain or snow

Sleet
(noun)
melting snow or a mixture of rain and snow falling together

Snow
(noun)
atmospheric water vapour frozen into ice crystals and falling to Earth as white flakes

Snowfall
(noun)
a quantity of snow which comes down at any one time

Snowflake
(noun)
a small piece of snow formed from a number of ice crystals

Snowstorm
(noun)
a heavy fall of snow accompanied by wind

Squall
(noun)
a sudden increase in wind speed lasting for several minutes

Stable Air
(noun)
Air that is colder than its surroundings and as such is resistant to upward movement

Storm
(noun)
a violent weather disturbance with high winds and rain or snow

Sublimation
(noun)
transformation directly from the solid to the gaseous state or from the gaseous to the solid state without becoming a liquid

Temperature
(noun)
a measurement, in degrees, of the intensity of heat of a body

Thunder
(noun)
the noise created by the violent expansion and contraction of air momentarily heated by a lightning discharge

Thunderstorm
(noun)
a violent weather condition in which wind speeds increase, rain or hail falls and there is lightning activity

Tornado
(noun)
a violent storm of small extent, with rotating winds

Tropical storm
(noun)
a violent wind system which forms over tropical oceans

Tropopause
(noun)
the level at which the troposphere and the stratosphere meet

Trough
(noun)
a long area of low barometric pressure

Turbulence
(noun)
an irregular motion of the atmosphere

Updraught
(noun)
a rising current of air

Vapour
(noun)
the gaseous form of a liquid

Visibility
(noun)
the ability to see unlighted objects by day and lighted objects by night, subject to atmospheric conditions

Vortex
(noun)
cyclonic flow in a relative small area

Warm front
(noun)
an advancing mass of warm air moving over a mass of cooler air

Wind
(noun)
horizontal movement of air in relation to the Earths surface

Wind direction
(noun)
a natural movement of air at a velocity relative to the surface of earth

Windshear
(noun)
a change in wind direction and speed between slightly different altitudes