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Feb 6, 2009 · Listed below are descriptors of regularly used weather terms and their meanings to help give a better understanding of each forecast. Sky Condition The sky condition describes the predominant/average sky cover based on percent of the sky covered by opaque (not transparent) clouds.
- Full Weather Glossary
CLASSIC EVENT- Having all the ingredients for a specific...
- NOAA's National Weather Service - Glossary
National Weather Service Glossary. This glossary contains...
- Full Weather Glossary
- Polar vortex. The menacing phrase "polar vortex" is a relatively new term for winter weather forecasting, but meteorologists have understood it as a concept for decades.
- Atmospheric (barometric) pressure. Humans inhabit the very bottom of the Earth's atmosphere and everything above creates atmospheric pressure. High-pressure systems form when downward pressure creates a clockwise air rotation, unlike low-pressure systems, which generate counter-clockwise rotation.
- Inch of mercury. Inch of mercury is a unit used to measure air pressure. It represents the amount of pressure the atmosphere places on a one-inch column of mercury under standard gravity at zero degrees Celsius.
- Ball lightning. Lightning in its traditional form is frightening and deadly on its own, but ball lightning is scary even in the context of instant electrocution from the heavens.
CLASSIC EVENT- Having all the ingredients for a specific type of weather (i.e. classic severe weather event, classic Nor'easter) CLEAR - Sky condition of less than 1/10 cloud coverage. CLIMATE - The historical record of average daily and seasonal weather events.
Weather terms and descriptions explained with links to forcasts and climate information.
National Weather Service Glossary. This glossary contains information on more than 2000 terms, phrases and abbreviations used by the NWS.
Weather: The state of the atmosphere at a specific time with respect to sunshine, cloudiness, humidity, rainfall, temperature, wind, and visibility. It is the short-term variations in the atmosphere, as opposed to the long-term, climatic changes.
Have you ever wondered what those terms the meteorologists are using mean? Here's a handy guide.
