Words to Describe...: Words to Describe Weather

If you've got your head in the clouds, this list of words related to weather and climate will be like a ray of sunshine. You don't need to be a meteorologist to know that this forecast calls for vocabulary!
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. atmosphere
    the weather or climate at some place
    It was misty, with heavy, lowering atmosphere, one afternoon, when Edna climbed the stairs to the pianist’s apartments under the roof. The Awakening
  2. barometer
    an instrument that measures atmospheric pressure
    Descartes knew all about this work—as we have mentioned, he suggested the idea of taking a barometer up a mountain to see how the pressure changed with altitude. The Scientists
  3. blizzard
    a weather event with widespread snowfall and strong winds
    Over the next several days, temperatures dropped into the teens, snow flurries turned into light snowstorms, which in turn became full-scale blizzards. The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics
  4. climate
    the weather in some location averaged over a period of time
    Neanderthals, bulkier and more muscular than us Sapiens, were well adapted to the cold climate of Ice Age western Eurasia. Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
  5. climate change
    a shift in the world's average weather and temperature
    The combination of climate change and human hunting is particularly devastating for large animals, since it attacks them from different angles. Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
  6. condensation
    atmospheric moisture that has changed from a gas
    Tiny flowers of frost were etched across the windowpane, and I puffed my breath against the glass, watching it fog up and dragging my finger through the condensation. The Book of Unknown Americans
  7. current
    a flow of air in one direction
    The air was bumpy where warm currents met cold. Frightful's Mountain
  8. cyclone
    an atmospheric system in which air circulates rapidly
    In the winter the frigid air that flows north from the Pole creates one cyclone after another and collides with warmer air from the tropics, spinning off gales, hurricanes, and blizzards. Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World
  9. drought
    a shortage of rainfall
    In California, we were always worried about droughts, always conserving water. We Are Okay
  10. evaporation
    the process of becoming a suspension of particles in the air
    I listen for a while, recognizing some words from Understanding Our Universe—evaporation, pressure, water vapor. The Queen of Water
  11. forecast
    predict in advance
    The weatherman had forecasted a record high for the day of the meet. Proud
  12. global warming
    a rise in the average temperature of the earth's atmosphere
    Everyone who buys the furniture will have contributed to the destruction of the forest, and the destruction of the forest contributes to the process of global warming. My Life with the Chimpanzees
  13. heat
    sensation from energy transferred by temperature difference
    More often than not, they labored as long as there was light, in the broiling heat. Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom, and Science
  14. heat wave
    a period of unusually hot weather
    The heat wave had broken Saturday night, and citizens of Greenwood were in their yards and on the streets savoring the first day of fall-like weather. Mississippi Trial, 1955
  15. humidity
    wetness in the atmosphere
    “I hate the heat of late summer,” Polly remarked, her hair sticking to her face in the humidity. Copper Sun
  16. hurricane
    a severe tropical cyclone usually with heavy rains and winds
    The National Hurricane Center had issued a watch for central Louisiana and warned that the hurricane could become a Category 5 by the time it made landfall. Zeitoun
  17. ice age
    a period when glaciers cover much of the Earth's surface
    One interesting theory, given our present-day concerns with global warming, is that the ice ages were caused not by falling temperatures but by warming ones. A Walk in the Woods
  18. lightning
    flash of light from an electric discharge in the atmosphere
    The rain was lashing the valley, and thunder and lightning crashed across the mountains. October Sky
  19. meteorologist
    a specialist who studies weather conditions
    The cold front rolls in overnight, just as the meteorologists predicted. The Sea in Winter
  20. meteorology
    the earth science dealing with phenomena of the atmosphere
    The naming of clouds was a great event in the history of meteorology, after which much more serious discussion and understanding were possible. The Invention of Science
  21. monsoon
    heavy rain accompanied by wind
    A gust of wind blows out the candle, and the monsoon rain begins to fall. You Bring the Distant Near
  22. precipitation
    the falling to earth of any form of water
    Warm weather would increase precipitation, which would increase cloud cover, which would lead to less snow melt at higher elevations. A Walk in the Woods
  23. pressure
    the force exerted by the atmosphere
    The weather report was routine—even boring—with details about air pressure, wind speeds, and temperature maximums and minimums. Spooked!
  24. sleet
    precipitation consisting of a mixture of rain and snow
    I wrapped myself in the blanket and moved out of the wind as the snow turned to sleet. The Name of the Wind
  25. temperature
    the degree of hotness or coldness of a body or environment
    "The temperature is still below freezing. And all the other snowmen from yesterday are still around." Case of the Sneaky Snowman: Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew, #5
  26. thermometer
    measuring instrument for measuring temperature
    It was a clear, black morning, encrusted with stars; the thermometer on the porch of Commons had sunk to zero. The Secret History
  27. tornado
    a violently destructive windstorm occurring over land
    To most people in Manson the biggest thing ever to happen was a tornado that rolled up Main Street in 1979, tearing apart the business district. A Short History of Nearly Everything
  28. tropical
    relating to part of the Earth's surface with hot climate
    Archaeologists have traditionally avoided tropical forests, because the climate destroys all wood, cloth, and organic material—except for ceramics and stone, there is little left to dig up. 1491
  29. weather
    atmospheric conditions such as temperature and precipitation
    November has brought even colder weather, and now our cubbies are jammed with scarves, hats, and heavy coats. Muffled
  30. vane
    mechanical device attached to an elevated structure
    Behind the house loomed an immense brown barn, at least five stories tall, topped by a weather vane. Fablehaven
Created on Tue Nov 21 10:00:57 EST 2023 (updated Tue Jan 02 12:29:35 EST 2024)

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