Veering winds with height are indicative of warm air advection (WAA). WATCH- identifies a relatively large area in which hazardous or severe weather might occur. Cumuliform Clouds that form in updrafts are called GREENHOUSE EFFECTThe warming of the atmosphere by the trapping of earth's longwave radiation being radiated to space. FREEZING LEVELThe altitude in the atmosphere where the temperature equals 32F. It is attached to a thunderstorm and may be rotating. ALBEDO-The percentage of light reflected by an object. These groupings are determined by the altitude level or levels in the troposphere at which each of the various cloud types is normally found. These descriptive words are usually added to the end of our main cloud type name. Clouds are usually created and sustained by upward-moving air currents. Even those flying in instruments ( IFR ) are concerned if there is a low overcast (i.e. ISOTHERM- the line of equal temperature denoted on surface weather maps. cloud, any visible mass of water droplets, ice crystals, or a mixture of both that is suspended in the air, usually at a considerable height (see video). It may be modified by terms such as "light," "intermittent," or "occasional" to indicate lesser intensity or periodic snow. He published The Climate of London (first edition 1818, second edition 1830), Seven lectures on meteorology (1837), A cycle of eighteen years in the seasons of Britain (1842) and Barometrographia (1847). Snow squalls- brief, intense snow showers, accompanied by strong, gusty winds. Snow flurries- light snow falling for short durations. Term can be used both for day and night time Mainly Fair Generally fair (2 oktas or less) interspersed by brief periods of partly cloudy to cloudy skies (3 oktas or more) with isolated light rainfall or no rainfall. Dew point The temperature to which the air must be cooled for water vapor to condense and form fog or clouds. On a weather forecast chart, high values of omega (or a strong omega field) relate to upward vertical motion in the atmosphere. ANABATIC- wind flowing up an incline, such as up a hillside; upslope wind. CUMULONIMBUS- A vertically developed cumulus cloud, often capped by an anvil shaped cloud. Learn. CAP- Temperature inversion which prevents convection from occurring. The "omega equation" used in numerical weather models is composed of two terms, the "differential vorticity advection" term and the "thickness advection" term. WAA (especially over shallow frontal boundaries) leads to lift while CAA leads to decent. Meteorologists classify clouds primarily by their appearance. NGM-Nested Grid Model generated every 12 hours by NCEP. It is usually felt as a change to gusty cool winds and often precedes the thunderstorm's rain by several minutes. Moisture being entrained into a storm system can enhance precipitation amounts. WCM-Warning Coordination Meteorologist. Please select one of the following: Regional/National Standard Radar (low bandwidth), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Issuance is normally site specific. The "omega equation" used in numerical weather models is composed of two terms, the "differential vorticity advection" term and the "thickness advection" term. . Difluence Meteorology - download this royalty free Stock Illustration in seconds. Anvil- The spreading out (by strong winds) of the upper portion of the thunderstorm. Basically, the clouds told a weather story to the meteorologist. POSITIVE ISOTHERMAL VORTICITY ADVECTION (PIVA)- Advection of higher values of vorticity by the thermal wind on a map of vorticity and thickness contours. Also known as an occlusion. OFFSHORE WATERS- Ocean waters from 60 nm to 250 nm. The basic frontal types are cold fronts, warm fronts and occluded fronts. WIND VANE- An instrument that determines the direction from which a wind is blowing. CLOUD Meaning Abbreviated Abbreviations Common. CIRROCUMULUS- Cirrus clouds with vertical development. The study of meteorology dates back millennia, though significant progress in meteorology did not begin until the 18th century. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration TORNADO- A violent rotating column of air, usually forming a pendant from a cumulonimbus cloud with the circulation reaching the ground. Mid-latitude cyclones are cold core lows. On a night with high dew points, ample water vapor emits infrared radiation to the readily absorbing ground (remember that water vapor is the most prominent greenhouse gas), helping to slow its cooling rate. RING OF FIRE- This refers to thunderstorms and rain across the edges of a high pressure ridge. GROWING SEASON- the period of time between the last killing frost of spring and the first killing frost of autumn. RETROGRADE- To move backwards. A negative tilt is a sign a trough is mature. FIRE UP- A favorite phrase of forecasters. Drizzle is a very light precipitation with little accumulation, but even a small amount of ice can sometimes cause a problem. GALE- Wind speeds from 39 to 54 mph (34 to 47 knots). Also known as an onshore breeze. Cloud cover is 2 oktas or less of low and or medium clouds for most of the time with isolated light rainfall or no rainfall. This marks the updraft of a thunderstorm. Unless otherwise defined, the liquid is generally assumed to be water. In an innovative approach based upon the results of numerous previous field studies . The ten cloud genera are listed in Table 6-2, along with their official abbreviations and symbols as drawn on weather maps. Most of the NWP for the National Weather Service is done at the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP). DIGGING- Deepening, becoming more amplified with time. PARTLY CLOUDY (PARTLY SUNNY)- Sky condition when between 3/10 and 7/10 of the sky is covered. A freeze may or may not be accompanied by frost. Sometimes they are also full of frozen ice crystals. Cirrus, cirrostratus, and cirrocumulus clouds are composed exclusively of ice crystals, but the crystals generally evaporate before reaching the ground if there are no lower clouds present. It is detached from the thunderstorm on its leading edge. FOG- Water droplets which are suspended in the air near the Earth's surface and causing reduced visibilities. You can also use web search engines to find images of any named cloud. Meteorology Cloud Types 2. Learn more about hybrid cloud computing. They form below the lowest layer of clouds in the atmosphere, or "under the deck" as the acronym describes. RUC- Rapid Update Cycle model generated every 3 hours. SPRING TIDE- Semi-monthly tide of increased height due to the new or full moon. That will help you determine what altitude you need to fly at in order to maintain cloud separation requirements . CONVECTION (CNVTN)- the transfer of heat within a gas or liquid by their movement. These genera are mutually exclusive; namely, one cloud cannot have two genera. For further proof, check out the Sahara Desert in northern Africa in the global average temperatures for January, 1979 (below). Contact Us, Privacy & Legal Statements | Copyright Information THERMAL-Small rising column of air due to surface heating. VIRGA- Precipitation falling from the base of a cloud and evaporating before it reaches the ground. High Clouds: Cirrocumulus. Significant ice accumulations are usually accumulations of inch or greater, but may vary from region to region across the country. ATMOSPHERE -the mass of air surrounding the earth and bound to it more or less permanently by the earth's gravitational attraction. It usually has a fibrous or smooth appearance. TSUNAMI- An ocean wave generated by a submarine earthquake, volcano or landslide. Clouds form in the free atmosphere as a result of condensation of water vapor in rising currents of air, or by the evaporation of the lowest stratum of fog. Often in reference to a trough deepening and building to the South. NWS Match. Values of helicity greater than +150 are considered significant; however, like CAPE values, there is no magic value of (positive) helicity under which rotating thunderstorms will not develop. ICE JAM- an accumulation of broken river ice caught in a narrow channel that frequently produces local floods during a spring break-up. Definition of a cloud: a hydrometeor consisting of minute particles of liquid water or ice, or of both, suspended in the free air and usually not touching the ground. View "The story of how clouds for their names" here. WATER VAPOR- water substance in a gaseous state that comprises one of the most important of all the constituents of the atmosphere. A large cluster of thunderstorms and rain. It is characterized by a gusty winds and the potential of convection across the Inland Northwest. In May of 2021, the Aerosol Cloud meTeorology Interactions oVer the western ATlantic Experiment (ACTIVATE) returned to operations for a summer 2021 deployment. These clouds are ragged and wind torn and are not usually attached to the thunderstorm. National Weather Service Instability caused by dry air advecting over warm and humid PBL air. Usually refers to a category of precipitation given by the forecast models. a low ceiling) over their destination airport. OVERCAST- Sky condition when greater than 9/10 of the sky is covered. Macroburst- A larger downburst affecting an area greater than 2.5 km in diameter. Inverted trough look like ridges but there is lower pressure at their centers of curvature. (3) The height of a hydraulic grade line above the center line of a pressure pipe, at a . Raindrops are formed either by the coalescence of cloud droplets or by the production of snowflakes, graupel (amalgamations of frozen water droplets), or hail and their subsequent melting as they descend through the warmer regions of the cloud. This radiative synergy between the ground and water vapor keeps the ground and the overlying air warmer at night, resulting in elevated nighttime temperatures. MICROWAVE RADIATION- electromagnetic radiation which comprises the highest frequency radio energy. Funnel cloud- a funnel-shaped cloud extending from a towering cumulus or thunderstorm. SUSTAINED WINDS- The wind speed obtained by averaging the observed values over a one minute period. The "omega equation" used in numerical weather models is composed of two terms, the "differential vorticity advection" term and the "thickness advection" term. FLOOD STAGE- The level of a river or stream at which considerable inundation of surrounding areas will occur. In turn, the ground, radiating at an elevated temperature courtesy of water vapor emissions, now provides a boost in infrared energy for water vapor to absorb and warm up. SCATTERED CLOUDS- Sky condition when between 1/10 and 5/10 are covered. Fog is a shallow layer of cloud at or near ground level. If a ridge occurs across the central US in summer, the ring of fire will extend across the west coast, up into Canada and across the east coast. (2) The height of the water level at the headworks, or an upstream point, of a waterway, and the water surface at a given point downstream. CONFLUENCE- A 2-D process in which airstreams move toward each other at some angle. The day's high was 71 degrees Fahrenheit, while the day's low was 68 degrees Fahrenheit. Dams may also fail catastrophically during a heavy rainfall event or earthquake, resulting in a very dangerous flash flood-type situation. 1 way to abbreviate Cloud in Meteorology: Meteorology. JET STREAK- A relative maximum of windflow within the jet stream. SCATTERED SHOWERS- Showers covering 25 to 54 percent of an area. tage has been replaced with "level", primarily because it can be easily translated into many different languages. CONDUCTION- the transfer of heat between bodies that are in contact. Frost- the formation of ice crystals in the forms of scales, needles, feathers, or fans, which develop under conditions similar to dew, except that the minimum temperature has dropped to at least 32 F degrees. Example of phenomena that produce upward QG forcing include low level warm air and moisture advection, positive differential vorticity advection, and the right rear and left front quadrant of a jet streak. The lowest level of the atmosphere where friction is an important force and vertical mixing is common. FOEHN- A warm dry wind on the lee side of a mountain range. MESOCYCLONE-The rotating updraft in a supercell thunderstorm. BLOWING SNOW- Wind-driven snow which reduces surface visibility. Main sensor on U.S. polar orbiting satellites. It relates to a ridge or trough moving from east to west. Debris Cloud a rotating "cloud" of dustor debris, near or on the ground, often appearing beneath a condensation funneland surrounding the base of a tornado. DRIFTING SNOW- An uneven distribution of snowfall/snow depth caused by strong surface winds, but does not reduce surface visibility. FUNNEL CLOUD- A rotating column of air forming a pendant from a cumulus/cumulonimbus cloud with circulationnotreaching the ground. BROKEN CLOUDS- Clouds which cover between 6/10 and 9/10 of the sky. VORTICITY-A measure of the amount of "spin" (rotation) and "shear" in the atmosphere. He was educated at a Quaker school at Burford in Oxfordshire and was then apprenticed to a retail chemist in Stockport. MACROBURST- Large downbursts with 2.5 miles or larger outflow diameter and damaging winds lasting 5 to 20 minutes. Generally characterized by steady precipitation followed by showery precipitation. In meteorology, an okta is a unit of measurement used to describe the amount of cloud cover at any given location such as a weather station. GRADIENT- the time rate or spatial rate of change of an atmospheric property. TEMPERATURE- a measure of the warmth or coldness of an object or substance with reference to a standard value. MID/UPPER LEVEL SUPPORT- This is in reference to either positive differential vorticity advection or a jet streak creating upper level divergence. Write. This is the portion of the thunderstorm from which the tornado often descends. STRATOSPHERE- The layer of the atmosphere above the troposphere, where temperature increases with height. PROGRESSIVE FLOW or PROGRESSIVE PATTERN- An upper level flow pattern in which storm systems move along at a fairly regular pace. Rune Carvings Prompt Belief That Vikings Sailed To Inland Oklahoma From Scandinavia. 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