15a. Introduction
Lumen Learning
Learning Objectives
- Describe the various aspects and elements of weather and atmospheric water.
- Explain how air masses and weather fronts together form mid-latitude cyclones.
- Describe the three phases a thunderstorm goes through in it’s life cycle.
- Determine the causes and geographic location of most tornadoes around the world.
- Describe the genesis of hurricanes formation
- Compare the difference between blizzards lake effects, and heat waves.
Elements of Weather
If someone across country asks you what the weather is like today, you need to consider several factors. Air temperature, humidity, wind speed, the amount and types of clouds, and precipitation are all part of a thorough weather report. In this chapter, you will learn about many of these features in more detail.
Weather is what is going on in the atmosphere at a particular place at a particular time. Weather can change rapidly. Weather is the change we experience from day to day. A location’s weather depends on air temperature; air pressure; fog; humidity; cloud cover; precipitation; wind speed and direction. All of these are directly related to the amount of energy that is in the system and where that energy is. The ultimate source of this energy is the sun.
Climate is the average of a region’s weather over time. The climate for a particular place is steady, and changes only very slowly. Climate is determined by many factors, including the angle of the Sun, the likelihood of cloud cover, topography, and air pressure. These factors are relate to the amount of solar energy and precipitation that a region experiences over time. Climate is the long-term average of weather in a particular spot. Although the weather for a particular winter day in Tucson, Arizona, may include snow, the climate of Tucson is generally warm and dry.
Licenses and Attributions
“Open Geography” by Lumen Learning is licensed under CC BY Adaptation: Renumbering, Remixing
