Understanding Weather

Quick review from 7th Grade

Weather Vs. Climate

Weather
Is the behavior of the atmosphere over a short
period of time.
Changes quickly
This is the day to day changes of temperature and
precipitation we experience

Climate
Rainfall and temperature over long periods of
times.
Describes the general overall weather for an area.

Weather in the Atmosphere

The atmosphere is divided into several layers.
The layer in which weather events are
associated is the troposphere.

Why do we study and try to

understand our weather?
Weather affects our everyday lives but is really
important to know for some people more than
others, especially if you are a pilot, a construction
worker, a fisherman, a farmer or even going on a
vacation
We want to be able to predict weather more
accurately
We want to be able to understand severe
weather to improve safety through warning
systems and safer structures.

Warning Verse Watch

Watch- The conditions are right and
dangerous weather is possible.
Warning - Threatening weather is in the area.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3V3HZBs
1Y4

What Causes our Weather?

Weather is caused by the
heating of the earth by the sun.
The heating causes air masses
to move.
The sun also affects the water
molecules by causing them to
heat and cool.
Areas at or near the equator
receive the largest portion of
the solar energy given off by
the sun.

Remember

Heat is transferred in the atmosphere through

Conduction-transferred when molecules are
touching.
Convection- Transferred due to the spreading out
of molecules when heated causing the density of
the air mass to decrease and rise.
Radiation- transfer of heat through space.

What is an Air Mass?

An air mass is a large (usually thousands of
miles across) volume of air that has
horizontally uniform properties in terms of
temperature, and to a lesser extent
humidity.
Air masses acquire their properties from
spending days to weeks over the same part
of the Earth: say over northern Canada, the
North Pole, the tropical Pacific Ocean, etc.

Types of Air Masses

Polar air masses become cold.

Tropical air masses become warm.
Maritime air masses become filled with moisture
Continental air masses become dry.

Air masses are named for the temperature and

moisture levels. For example continental polar
air masses are dry and cold.

Air Masses Affecting the US

What is a Weather Front?

A front is a transition zone between two air
masses.
Types
Warm Front
Cold Front
Occluded Front
Stationary Front

Warm Front
A warm front is the boundary between warm and
cool (or cold) air when the warm air is replacing
the cold air. Warm air at the surface pushes
above the cool air mass, making clouds and rain.
Warm fronts often bring rainy weather. Warm
fronts often form on the east side of low-pressure
systems where warmer air from the south is
pushed north.

A warm front typically replaces cool dry air with

warm moist air.

Cold Front
A cold front is a warm-cold air boundary with the
colder air replacing the warmer. As a cold front
moves into an area, the heavier cool air pushes
under the lighter warm air that it is replacing. The
warm air becomes cooler as it rises. If the rising
air is humid enough, the water vapor it contains
will condense into clouds and precipitation may
fall.
As the cold front moves, warm, moist unstable
air is usually replaced by cold, dry stable air.

Occluded Front
Occluded fronts form when a
cold front catches up to a warm
front because cold fronts move
along much faster than warm
fronts do.
The cold front over takes the
warm front and cold air moves
into cooler air ahead of the
warm front.
The precipitation patterns for an
occluded front typically follow
the same patterns as a cold
front.

Stationary Front
A stationary front is the boundary
between two different air masses with
different densities when neither is
advancing.
The air masses are not moving
strongly enough to overtake each
other, so the front remains in one
place.
Winds along a stationary front are
usually parallel to the front blowing in
opposite directions on either side
which is one reason why the front
does not move.
Stationary fronts essentially have no
surface movement, or very slow
movement.

Insolation
Insolation is a short way to
describe incoming solar radiation. Radiation
from the sun is the driving force that creates
all the weather on Earth. The layers of the
atmosphere filter out some of the most
harmful types of electromagnetic radiation.
The remaining radiation that reaches the
surface of Earth is commonly known as
insolation.

Vertical Air Movement

Due to the heating
from the sun warm
air rises.
Due to the change in
pressure due to
altitude rising air
cools and sinks again.

Relationship between temperature

and air pressure
As the pressure decreases air tends to cool
and as pressure increases air tends to warm
up.
In weather areas of High pressure tend to be
associated with warmer and clearer weather.
Areas of low pressure tend to be associated
with cooler temperatures and less pleasant
weather.

Air Motion in a High

Air particles are pushed
toward the ground
Causes air to warm
Prevents clouds to form
Air is pushed out
horizontally across the
land outward (clockwise)
In the air the particles
converge to be pushed
downward.

Air Motion At A Low

Air particles pulled up
from the ground and into
the air.
Causes air to cool
Causes clouds to form.
Air is pulled in horizontally
across the land inward
(counter clockwise)
In the air the particles are
pushed outward where
they diverge.

What causes wind?

Wind is caused by air flowing
from high pressure to low
pressure.
Since the Earth is rotating,
however, the air does not flow
directly from high to low
pressure, but it is deflected to
the right (in the Northern
Hemisphere; to the left in the
Southern Hemisphere), so that
the wind flows
mostly around the high and
low pressure areas.

What determines the direction of

wind?
The rotation of the earth
Friction with the ground.
Location of the High Pressure areas and Low
Pressure Areas.

What are clouds?

A cloud is a large collection of very tiny
droplets of water or ice crystals. The droplets
are so small and light that they can float in the
air.

How do Clouds Form?

All air contains water, but near the ground it is
usually in the form of an invisible gas called water
vapor.
When warm air rises, it expands and cools. Cool
air can't hold as much water vapor as warm air,
so some of the vapor condenses onto tiny pieces
of dust that are floating in the air and forms a tiny
droplet around each dust particle.
When billions of these droplets come together
they become a visible cloud.

What are the types of Clouds?

Cirrus Clouds
Cirrus clouds are the most common of the high
clouds.
They are composed of ice and are thin, wispy
clouds blown in high winds into long streamers.
Cirrus clouds are usually white and predict fair to
pleasant weather. By watching the movement of
cirrus clouds you can tell from which direction
weather is approaching.
When you see cirrus clouds, it usually indicates
that a change in the weather will occur within 24
hours.

CirroStratus
Cirrostratus clouds are thin, sheet like high
clouds that often cover the entire sky.
They are so thin that the sun and moon can be
seen through them.
Cirrostratus clouds usually come 12-24 hours
before a rain or snow storm.

Cirrocumulus Clouds
Cirrocumulus clouds appear as small, rounded
white puffs that appear in long rows.
The small ripples in the cirrocumulus clouds
sometime resemble the scales of a fish.
Cirrocumulus clouds are usually seen in the
winter and indicate fair, but cold weather. In
tropical regions, they may indicate an
approaching hurricane.

Altostratus Clouds
Altostratus clouds are gray or blue-gray mid
level clouds composed of ice crystals and
water droplets.
The clouds usually cover the entire sky. In the
thinner areas of the clouds, the sun may be
dimly visible as a round disk.
Altostratus clouds often form ahead of storms
with continuous rain or snow.

Altocumulus Clouds
Altocumulus clouds are mid level clouds that
are made of water droplets and appear as gray
puffy masses.
They usually form in groups. If you see
altocumulus clouds on a warm, sticky
morning, be prepared to see thunderstorms
late in the afternoon.

Stratus Clouds
Stratus clouds are uniform grayish clouds that
often cover the entire sky.
They resemble fog that doesn't reach the
ground.
Light mist or drizzle sometimes falls out of
these clouds.

Stratocumulus Clouds
Stratocumulus clouds are low, puffy and gray.
Most form in rows with blue sky visible in
between them.
Rain rarely occurs with stratocumulus clouds,
however, they can turn into nimbostratus
clouds.

Nimbostratus Clouds
Nimbostratus clouds form a dark gray, wet
looking cloudy layer associated with
continuously falling rain or snow.
They often produce precipitation that is
usually light to moderate.

Cumulus Clouds
Cumulus clouds are white, puffy clouds that look
like pieces of floating cotton.
Cumulus clouds are often called "fair-weather
clouds".
The base of each cloud is flat and the top of each
cloud has rounded towers. When the top of the
cumulus clouds resemble the head of a
cauliflower, it is called cumulus congestus or
towering cumulus.
These clouds grow upward and they can develop
into giant cumulonimbus clouds, which are
thunderstorm clouds.

Cumulonimbus Clouds
Cumulonimbus clouds are thunderstorm
clouds.
High winds can flatten the top of the cloud
into an anvil-like shape.
Cumulonimbus clouds are associated with
heavy rain, snow, hail, lightning and even
tornadoes.
The anvil usually points in the direction the
storm is moving