Weather Terminology

A precipitation in the form of ice crystals, mainly of intricately branched, hexagonal form and often agglomerated into snowflakes, formed directly from the freezing of the water vapor in the air.

A dry period of weather, especially a long one that is injurous to crops.

A measure of the warmth or coldness of an object or substance with reference to some standard value.

A great flowing or overflowing of water, especially over land not usually submerged.

A disturbance of the normal condition of the atmosphere, manifesting itself by winds of unusual force or direction, often accompanied by rain, snow, hail, thunder, and lightning, or flying sand or dust.

The solid form of water, produced by freezing; frozen water.

A visible collection of particles of water or ice suspended in the air, usually at an elevation above the earth's surface.

A cloudlike aggregation of minute globules of water suspended in the atmosphere at or near the earth's surface, reducing visibility to a lesser degree than fog.

Air in natural motion, as that moving horizontally at any velocity along the earth's surface.

A violent, tropical, cyclonic storm of the western North Atlantic, having wind speeds of or in excess of 72 miles per hour (32 m/sec).

Water that is condensed from aqueous vapor in the atmosphere and falls to earth in drops more than 1/50" (0.5mm) in diameter.

A brilliant electric spark discharge in the atmosphere, occurring within a thundercloud, between clouds, or between a cloud and the ground.