Word Definition Translation
affect
to change or influence something. If something affects
something else, it has an effect on it.
air the mixture of gases surrounding the Earth that we breathe
airfront a boundary line between two air masses.
altitude
the height of a place or thing above sea level (=the surface of the
sea).
anticyclone
an area of high air pressure that produces calm weather with very
little wind.
antitrades winds that blow continuously away from the equator.
ascend to rise into the air.
atmospheric
relating to or existing in the atmosphere round the Earth or round
another planet.
Beaufort Wind
Scale
a series of numbers from 0 to 12 that are used to show how
strongly the wind is blowing. 0 means that there is no wind and
12 means that there is a hurricane.
blizzard a storm with a lot of snow and strong winds.
blow if wind or air blows, the air moves.
boreal of or relating to the north.
breeze a light wind.
calm if the weather is calm, there is very little wind.
Campbell-Stokes
recorder
an instrument used to measure the hours of sunshine
each day.
Celsius
a system for measuring temperature that is part of the
metric system, in which water freezes at 0 degrees and
boils at 100 degrees.
changeable tending to change suddenly and often.
chart
a list, drawing, or graph showing information in a way that is easy
to understand.
cirrus a type of thin cloud found very high in the sky.
climb
if a temperature, price, or the level of something climbs, it
becomes higher.
cloud a white or grey mass of very small drops of water in the sky
cloudy full of clouds.
cold front
(op:warm front)
the place where a moving mass of cold air meets a mass of warm
air. Cold fronts usually cause heavy rain and they sometimes
cause thunder.
condense
if gas or steam condenses, or if something condenses it, it
changes into a liquid, usually when it becomes cooler.
consequence a result or effect of something.
convection
the process by which the very small parts in a liquid or gas
move and give out heat.
convectional rain convectional rain occurs when air rises from a warm land surface.
Coriolis Effect
the reason that winds in the northern hemisphere are deflected
to the right and winds in the southern hemisphere are deflected
to the left due to the rotation of the Earth on its axis from west to
east.
Weather and climate
cumulonimbus
a mass of very tall thick cloud that usually brings rain and
sometimes thunder.
cumulus
a large low white cloud that is round at the top and flat at the
bottom. Cumulus clouds form at the lower levels of the
atmosphere.
cyclonic rain
cyclonic rain is associated with low pressure systems.
It forms at the fronts where warm and cold air masses meet.
depresion
1. an area on a surface that is lower than the parts around it.
2. a large mass of air at low pressure that usually brings cooler
weather and rain
desert
a large area of dry land that usually gets very little rain and has no
permanent rivers, lakes etc. Very few plants or animals grow or
live there. Most deserts are in hot regions, but there are some in
very cold regions.
desertification
the process of land becoming so dry that it cannot be used for
farming. This is often the result of human activities such as
overgrazing and deforestation.
drift to be pushed along very slowly by the movement of air or water.
drizzle to rain in a very light way.
drought
a long period of time when there is little or no rain and
crops die.
dust bowl
a region where there are a lot of dust storms because the soil has
become dry from lack of rain.
equator
an imaginary line that goes round the Earth and divides it
into the northern and southern hemispheres.
exposed not protected from the weather.
fertility
1 a woman’s ability to have babies.
2 the ability of the soil to produce a lot of good crops or plants.
fog
a thick cloud that forms close to the ground or to water and is
difficult to see through. Fog is thicker than mist.
forecast
a statement about what is likely to happen, based on
available information and usually relating to the weather,
business, or the economy (weather forecast).
frost
a thin white layer of ice that looks like powder and forms on
things outside when the weather is very cold.
gale a very strong wind.
Gulf stream
the current of warm water that flows from the Gulf of
Mexico to the north and east across the Atlantic Ocean
towards Europe.
hail
rain that freezes in the sky and falls to the ground as small balls of
ice.
hemisphere
one half of the Earth. The northern hemisphere is the part of the
world north of the equator, and the southern hemisphere is the
part south of it.
high pressure
a large amount of force that the air produces in the atmosphere
and that usually brings warm, calm weather.
hurricane a violent storm with extremely strong winds and heavy rain.
isobar
a line on a weather map that connects places with the same air
pressure.
isohel a line on a weather map that connects places of equal sunshine.
isohyet
a line on a weather map that connects places of equal
precipitation.
isoline a line on a weather map.
isotach
a line on a weather map that connects places of equal
wind speed
isotherm
a line on a weather map that connects places of equal
temperature.
landmass a continent or a large area of land that is surrounded by sea.
latitude
the distance of a point on the Earth from the equator, measured
in degrees north or south.
longitude
magnetic pole
a place near the North Pole or the South Pole that a compass
points towards.
mercury a silver liquid metal element that is used in thermometers.
meteorology the scientific study of weather.
mild
mild weather is warm and pleasant, especially warmer
than usual for the time of year.
mistral
a cold, dry wind from the north that is common in the
south of France.
moist slightly wet.
monsoon a period of heavy rain in India and Southeast Asia
nimbostratus thick low cloud that carries rain and covers all of the sky
oasis
a place in a desert where there is water and plants and
trees grow
observe
to watch or study someone or something with care and
attention in order to discover something.
occluded
an occluded front is the front formed when a cold front
occludes (=overtakes and undercuts) a warm front.
overcast with a sky completely full of clouds.
ozone 1 a kind of oxygen that exists high in the Earth's atmosphere
polar
coming from, or relating to, an area near the North Pole
or the South Pole.
prairie
a large flat area in central North America that is covered
with grass and farms but has no trees.
precipitation 1 rain, snow, hail etc.
prevailing wind
a wind that blows in a particular area at a particular time
of year.
rain gauge
a piece of equipment used for measuring the amount of
rain that falls.
rain shadow
a region that has little rain because it is protected by a
mountain range in the direction of winds that carry rain.
As the winds rise over the mountains they drop most of
their water before reaching the other side.
rainfall
the amount of rain that falls in a particular area during a
particular period of time.
rainstorm a storm with a lot of rain.
rainy season
in some regions of the world, the season in which a lot of
rain falls.
ray an amount of light or heat from the sun.
relative humidity the amount of water vapour in the air.
renewable
renewable energy and natural materials replace
themselves by natural processes, so that they are never
completely used up.
resource
something that you can use to help you to achieve
something, especially in your work or study.
rotate
to move in a circle around a fixed central point, or to move
something in this way.
savanna
a large flat area of land covered with grass in a warm part
of the world.
scarce if something is scarce, there is not very much of it.
selva a dense tropical rain forest.
sheltered a sheltered place is not affected by bad weather.
sleet a mixture of snow and rain.
smog polluted air that forms a cloud close to the ground.
solar relating to the Sun, or coming from the Sun.
spell a period when there is a particular type of weather.
squall a storm that happens suddenly, especially at sea.
starry
a starry sky or night is one where a lot of stars can be seen
in the sky.
sticky
sticky weather is hot and damp (=with a lot of water in
the air).
stratus flat grey cloud that is low in the sky.
taiga
an area of land situated below the tundra in the northern
hemisphere. It has cold winters and warm summers with
many coniferous trees.
temperature
a measurement of how hot or how cold a place or object is.
Temperature is measured in degrees Celsius or degrees
Fahrenheit, using the symbol °.
thunder
the loud noise that you sometimes hear in the sky during
a storm.
thunderstorm a heavy storm with thunder.
tornado
a very strong wind that goes quickly round in a circle or
funnel (also called a twister).
torrential torrential rain falls fast in large amounts.
trade wind
a wind that blows continuously towards the equator
(=the imaginary line around the middle of the Earth).
tropical
used about weather that is very hot, especially when the
air also feels slightly wet.
typhoon a tropical storm with strong winds that move in circles.
windy with a lot of wind.