Weather is the atmosphere at a place and time as regards heat, dryness, sunshine, wind, and rain. The weather is just the state of the atmosphere at any time, including things such as temperature, precipitation, air pressure and cloud cover. Daily changes in the weather are due to winds and storms. Seasonal changes are due to the Earth revolving around the sun. Cycles of weather changes are the seasons. In Trinidad and Tobago we experience two seasons, the dry season and the rainy season. Weather Airplanes gather data at certain altitudes over some geographical regions, and they are often used to track all kinds of storms. With some simple close observation important data is collected to help scientists know where a certain storm might hit next and know what it is actually doing.

Weather Our Earth is surrounded by a layer of air called atmosphere. Sometimes air becomes hot and sometimes becomes cold. This change in air is known as weather. Weather keeps changing from day to day sometimes from hour to hour. Biometeorology is the science that studies how weather affects living things.

Severe Weather

Some of the most feared and destructive events in life are due to severe weather, often in the form of hurricanes, tornadoes, thunderstorms, or a combination of these. Hurricanes are the single greatest natural threat to human life worldwide.

Hurricanes

Hurricanes (called typhoons in the western Pacific Ocean and cyclones in India) are lows, or cyclones, that form over oceans in the tropics. The period of June through November is called the "hurricane season," as almost all hurricanes form during these months, especially during August, September, and, October. At this time of the year the tropics receive a tremendous amount of energy from the sun, causing enormous amounts of ocean water to evaporate. Warm, moist air move in, forms above the surface of the ocean. Huge masses of colder, heavier air move in, forcing the warm, moist air upward creating violent, whirling movements of air that spiral toward the center of the storm. With winds speeds of 64 kilometers to 120 kilometers per hour.

When winds are below 74mph, it is called a tropical storm. When winds reach above 74mph, it is considered to be a hurricane. The center of a hurricane known as the “eye” is very calm and contains almost no wind.

Tornadoes

Tornadoes, also called funnel clouds or twisters, are the smallest, most violent, and most short-lived storms. They occur almost exclusively in the United States. Usually, cold, heavy air pushes its way under warm air masses. Sometimes, however, a layer of cold, dry air to pushed over a layer of warm, moist air. When this happens, the warm, moist air can quickly force its way up through the layer of cold air in a spiral fashion, forming a tornado. The tunnel of the tornado may or may not reach the ground, and sometimes it touches down at one point, lifts for a while, then touches down again a short distance away. It moves in a wandering path at speeds of about 40 to 64 kilometers per hour. The spinning winds in this powerful updraft can reach speeds up to 800 kilometers per hour.

==Tornadoes form when different temperatures and humidity meet. The spinning of air remain unseen until it picks enough dust for its shape to be visible. Tornadoes can rip roofs off buildings and sometimes the winds take entire buildings.

Forecasting the Weather

Weather Forecasting:

Meteorology= Study of Weather

Meteorologists: A person who studies and forecasts

Instruments required for weather forecasts:

Thermometers for Temperature= Instruments for measuring Air Masses
Barometers for Air Pressure
Wind vanes for Wind direction
Anemometers for Wind Speed
Hygrometers for Relative Humidity
Rain Gauges for Rainfall
Measuring Sticks for Snowfall

Climate

Climate is the average weather usually taken over a 30-year time period for a particular region and time period. Climate is not the same as weather, but rather, it is the average pattern of weather for a particular region. Weather describes the short-term state of the atmosphere.What is our climate system?

Climate System

Atmosphere-The atmosphere covers the Earth. It is a thin layer of mixed gases which make up the air we breathe. This thin layer also helps the Earth from becoming too hot or too cold.

Oceans-Oceans cover about 70 percent of Earth's surface. Their large size and thermal properties allow them to store a lot of heat.

Land-Land covers 27 percent of Earth's surface and land topography influences weather patterns.

Ice- Ice is the world's largest supply of freshwater. It covers the remaining 3 percent of Earth's surface including most of Antarctica and Greenland. Ice plays an important role in regulating climate, because it is highly reflective.

Biosphere- The biosphere is the part of Earth's atmosphere, land, and oceans that supports any living plant, animal, or organism. It is the place where plants and animals, including humans, live.

The ocean influences Earth's weather and climate patterns.

Indicators to climate change:

Global Greenhouse gas emissions- Worldwide, releases of greenhouse gases from human activities rose by 35 percent from 1990 to 2010. Emissions of carbon dioxide, which are responsible for about three-fourths of total releases, elevated by 42 percent over this period.

Atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gas- Concentrations of carbon dioxide and more greenhouse gases in the atmosphere have elevated since the beginning of the industrial era. Almost all of this increase is due to human activities. From 1990 to 2015, the total warming effect from greenhouse gases added by humans to the Earth’s atmosphere increased by 37 percent.

Climate Forcing- Climate forcing states to a change in the Earth’s energy balance, causing a warming or cooling effect over time. An elevation in the atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases make positive climate forcing, or warming effect.

Earth's Climate System

Climate is a long term atmospheric conditions in a region

Earth’s climate includes interactions of: Atmosphere Hydrosphere Geosphere Biosphere Cryosphere

Climate system is the exchanges of energy and moisture between these spheres

Climatologist

A scientist who studies a number of characteristics of the atmosphere the two major elements that determine climate are average temperature and average annual precipitation.

People who study climate are called climatologists. Climatologists use temperature and precipitation records to define what a place’s “normal” climate is like. They do this by averaging 30 years of temperature and precipitation records.

Interesting!!!

Land-Sea Breezes

Land warms faster than the water during the day and cools faster than the water at night.

Humidity

Humidity is the moisture in the air and specific humidity is the actual amount of water vapor present. Relative humidity is a measure of the amount of moisture the air contains compared with the maximum amount it could hold at that temperature.

Precipitation=

Precipitation is a form of moisture that falls from the atmosphere consists of snow,rain,sleet,and hail.

Rain

Water vapor condenses in the atmosphere and forms tiny droplets the slightest air movement is enough to keep them from falling to the ground.

Snow

When the air temperature is below freezing water vapor condenses in the form of ice crystals.

Sleet

When raindrops fall from the cloud they pass through colder air and freeze before they reach the ground is called sleet is frozen rain.

Hail

Is formed when there are strong upward air currents within a thundercloud during a summer thunderstorm while the raindrops form are carried high into a layer of very cold air, and the raindrops freeze. Hail can form in many different sizes. They can either be as small as a marble, or the size of a baseball.