Science Vocabulary Weather Changes

1) Climate: is the average weather condition of a place or region. Climate includes average
temperature, average rainfall, humidity, and wind conditions.
2) Current: is an ongoing movement of ocean water.
3) The Gulf Stream: is a current of warm water that travels from the state of Florida along the east
coast of the United States and then across the northern Atlantic Ocean.
4) Oscillation: means movement back and forth
5) El Nio: change in weather pattern (that happens every two to seven years), where the cold
current sinks and does not push cold water up to the surface.
6) El Nio/Southern Oscillation (ENSO): is the comings and goings of El Nio and the changing
wind patterns.
7) Air mass: is a large region of air that has a similar temperature and humidity.
8) Front: is where one air mass meets a different air mass.
9) Thunderstorm: is a rainstorm that includes lightning and thunder.
10)Thunderhead a cumulonimbus cloud seen during a thunderstorm.
11) Lightning is the spark caused when the electricity in a thunderhead discharges.
12)Thunder: is the sound of the rapidly expanding air.
13)Tornado: is a rotating funnel-shaped cloud that contains winds that blow up to 299 miles per
hour. People commonly call these storms twisters.
14)Low pressure closure: when an area of low pressure air is surrounded by higher pressure
air.

15)Hurricane: when the wind speed of a storm reaches more than 73 mile per hour becomes a
hurricane. Hurricanes are large enough to cover several states at a time!
16)Coriolis effect: it is simply caused the earths rotation. This effect makes wind systems in the
southern side of the equator (southern hemisphere) spin clockwise and wind systems in the
northern side (north hemisphere) spin counter-clockwise.
17)Storm surge: When hurricane winds whip up large waves in the ocean, these waves create a
hump of water in the ocean.
18)Cyclone: Any storm with a low pressure closure that causes a circular pattern of winds.
19)Hurricanes and tornadoes both have low pressure closures and spinning winds. They are
types of cyclones.
20)Monsoon: is a seasonal wind that brings heavy rain. Monsoon winds occur in Southeast Asia
and the south of the US.
21)Tule fog: caused by the combination of increased humidity due to the rain and rapid cooling
due to the longer nights. This fog makes for very low visibility and is the cause of many
accidents every year.
22)Forecast: is to make your best guess before something happens.
23)Meteorologist: is a scientist who specializes in the study of Earths atmosphere and weather.
24)Weather map: shows the weather in a specific area at a specific point in time.

FACTS:
1. Water and land heat the air above them. Air that is in contact with water is
tempered, or warmed in the winter and cooled in the summer. In winter, the air over the water
usually is warmer than the air over the land.
2. Over the summer, the temperature of the water increases slightly as it is warmed
by heat energy from sunlight. In winter, the reverse happens. During the fall and winter, the
ocean slowly gives up the heat it gained during the summer.
3.

Season
Summer
Winter

Air Temperatures
Cooler
Warmer

Water Temperatures
Warmer
Cooler

4. The slow warming and cooling of the oceans around the world keeps air in a narrow range of
temperatures.
5. Currents such as the Gulf Stream carry warm water from near the equator toward the poles.
6. The water in a current can be warm or cold. Currents transfer heat from one place to another.
The heat that they transfer affects the weather and climate of the nearby land.
7. Ocean currents move heat around the world in the oceans. They also move heat around the
world in the atmosphere through water vapor.
8. Condensation is the opposite of evaporation.
9. The air in the atmosphere is not the same all over the United States
10. Some scientists track ocean currents by following items they put in the ocean. They use things
like rubber duck toys. They sent them from the coast of Alaska. About six months later, the toys
began showing up along the coast of Alaska and Washington. Scientists are following the toys
to see if they will be carried by ocean currents along the coast of California and out to Hawaii.
11. Weather is affected by the air mass that is passing through your area.
12. Air masses can cover thousands of square kilometers of land and water. Depending on where
they form, air masses can be cold, warm, dry, or moist.

13. An air mass that forms above a warm area of water will be warm and humid. An air mass that
forms over a cold area of land will be cool and dry.
14. As air masses move they cause changes in the weather. These changes happen where one
air mass meets a different air mass.
15. What happens when a cold and dry air mass runs into a warm and moist air mass? The cold
air, which is dense and heavy, moves under and pushes the lighter warm air up. As the warm
air goes up, the moisture in the warm air condenses forming clouds causing storms.
16. Lightning can jump from one part of a cloud to another or between a cloud and the ground
17. Scientists have not completely figured out what causes lightning.
18. Lightning raises the temperature of the air around it to more than five times the temperature of
the surface of the Sun. This burst of heat makes the air expand violently. The sound of the
rapidly expanding air is thunder.
19. Tornados begin to form when warm air moves upward in a thunderhead, creating an area of
low pressure.
20. As air flows into the low pressure closure, it rotates around in a circle faster and faster.
21. When the tip of the funnel cloud touches the ground, it becomes a tornado.
22. Tornados occur all over the United States, but they are generally worst and most frequent in an
area called Tornado Alley.
23. The spinning of hurricanes is related to the rotation of Earth.
24. From space, hurricanes look like a spiral of clouds with a hole in its middle. The hole is the low
pressure area, which is called the eye of the hurricane.
25. A hurricanes fastest winds and heaviest rains occur next to the eye.

26. Any storm with a low pressure closure that causes a circular pattern of winds to form is called
a cyclone. Hurricanes and tornadoes both have low pressure closures and spinning winds.
They are types of cyclones.
27. Monsoon winds occur in Southeast Asia & in the southwestern region of the United States.
28. Dense or thick fog can interfere with safety at airports and on highways.
29. Advection fog forms when warm, humid air flows over cold ground or water.
30. Meteorologists pay close attention to variables such as wind speed and air pressure so they
can improve the accuracy of their predictions.
31. Airplane pilots need to know what the weather conditions are going to be in order to take off
and land safely.
32. Farmers need to know when rain is coming so they can make sure their crops get enough
water.
33. Weather maps may show only one variable, such as temperature, or they may show many
different variables.
34. Another type of global wind is high altitude winds called the jet stream. The jet stream is
caused by temperature differences between air masses. The jet stream is higher than any
mountains or buildings, so there is nothing to slow them down. The jet stream winds can
exceed speeds of 150 miles per hour.
35. Low and high pressure systems tell you what the local weather conditions are.
Answer:
What is an ongoing movement of water in the ocean called?
A precipitation
B El Nio
C high tide
D a current
Oceans affect the temperature on Earth by:
A moving bottles
C causing floods

B washing onto beaches

D moving heat

What is a storm surge?

A a circular pattern of winds
C a cloud that forms near the ground

B a bulge of water in the ocean

D a large region of cold air

Fog that forms when warm, humid air flows over cold ground or water is:
A lake fog
B ground fog
C advection fog
D Tule fog
Which of the following best describes a cold front?
A the cold, dry air of an air mass
C the leading edge of a cold air mass

B the leading edge of a warm air mass

D the warm, wet air of an air mass

How does a hurricane form?

A Warm air rises over warm ocean water and becomes less dense. Surrounding air begins to spin in
a counterclockwise direction.
B Cool air rises over cool ocean water and becomes more dense. Surrounding air begins to spin in a
clockwise direction.
C Warm air rises over cool ocean water and becomes less dense. Surrounding air begins to spin
counterclockwise direction.
D Cool air rises over warm ocean water and becomes more dense. Surrounding air begins to spin in
a clockwise direction.
What kind of weather data can a weather satellite gather?
A temperature
B precipitation
C air pressure
D storm movement
What is a variable that meteorologists track to make weather forecasts?
A traffic
B air pressure
C barometer
D population
Draw a map of the Pacific Ocean and show the changes that occur during an El Nio.

Science Quiz Weather

1. Which is a type of cloud?
a) Darius
b) Cirrus
c) Citrus
d) Dover

2. A weather instrument consisting of a camera attached to a device orbiting in space, high above
the earth, that takes pictures of clouds here on the earth would be a
.
a) barometer
b) anemometer
c) radar
d) weather satellite
3. They study weather patterns to forecast the weather.
a) Climatologists
b) Meteorologists
c) Scientists
4. The study of weather
a) rain gauge
b) meteorology
c) hurricane
5. What are windstorms that begin over the ocean?
a) hurricanes
b) tornadoes
c) fans
6. The condition of the atmosphere at a certain place and time is:
a) weather
b) hydrosphere
c) atmosphere
d) troposphere
7. A prediction of what the weather will be in the future
a) forecast
b) precipitation
c) rain gauge
8. Blows steadily over long distances in a predictable direction
a) weather
b) humidity
c) global wind
9. Weather takes place in the
a) mesosphere
b) troposphere
c) stratosphere
10. Which instrument is used to measure air pressure?
a) thermometer
b) weather vane
c) anemometer
d) barometer
11. Which cloud brings thunderstorm weather?
a) stratus clouds
b) cumulonimbus clouds

c) cumulus clouds
d) cirrus clouds
12. Areas with low pressure have weather that is
weather that is
.
a) sunny, cloudy
b) cloudy, sunny
13. A place's
a) temperature
b) humidity
c) heat
d) climate

and areas of high pressure have

is the patterns of weather over many years.

14. What causes changes in local weather from day to day?

a) changes in wind direction
b) movement of air masses
c) Earth's movement around the Sun
15. Oceans have a huge effect on weather and climate mainly
because
.
a) oceans are very salty
b) the fish and sea creatures give off heat
c) oceans hold and spread heat around the world by currents
16. Weather fronts usually move across the Unites States how?
a) from east to west
b) from west to east
c) from north to south
d) from south to north
17. If ocean currents do not flow by their normal pattern, irregular weather can happen. This is
called what?
a) El Nio
b) The teen
c) Polarity
d) upwelling
18. What is an ongoing movement of water in the ocean called?
a) precipitation
b) El Nio
c) high tide
d) a current
19. Oceans affect the temperature on Earth by:
a) moving bottles
b) washing onto beaches
c) causing floods
d) moving heat
20. What is a storm surge?
a) a circular pattern of winds
b) a bulge of water in the ocean

c) a cloud that forms near the ground

d) a large region of cold air
21. Fog that forms when warm, humid air flows over cold ground or water is:
a) lake fog
b) ground fog
c) advection fog
d) Tule fog
22. Which of the following best describes a cold front?
a) the cold, dry air of an air mass
b) the leading edge of a warm air mass
c) the leading edge of a cold air mass
d) the warm, wet air of an air mass
23. What kind of weather data can a weather satellite gather?
a) temperature
b) precipitation
c) air pressure
d) storm movement
24. What is a variable that meteorologists track to make weather forecasts?
a) traffic
b) air pressure
c) barometer
d) population
Draw a map of the Pacific Ocean and show the changes that occur during an El Nio.