Category Archives: Weather Glossary
Jump to weather terms beginning with the letter:
Glossary of Weather Terms – Beginning with “J”
Curious about what the jet stream is and how it controls your daily weather? Wondering about the difference between the polar jet stream and subtropical jet stream, what a jet streak does to storm development, or what causes the January thaw?
Glossary of Weather Terms – Beginning with “K”
Wondering what a katabatic wind is and why Santa Ana conditions are so dangerous for wildfires? Curious about knots in weather forecasts, what the K-Index tells meteorologists about thunderstorm potential, or how the Kelvin temperature scale is used in atmospheric science?
Glossary of Weather Terms – Beginning with “L”
Wondering what lake effect snow is, when the NWS issues a lake effect snow warning, or what La Niña does to winter weather? Trying to understand lightning safety tips or how a low pressure system drives storms?
Glossary of Weather Terms – Beginning with “M”
Wondering what a mesocyclone is, how a microburst differs from a macroburst, or what the North American Monsoon means for the Southwest? Trying to understand MCS weather or when the NWS issues a marine weather warning?
Glossary of Weather Terms – Beginning with “N”
Wondering what a nor'easter is, how it differs from a blizzard, or what the National Weather Service and NHC hurricane center actually do?
Glossary of Weather Terms – Beginning with “O”
Curious about what an occluded front is, how orographic lift causes heavy mountain rain, what an outflow boundary does to severe weather, or what an omega block weather pattern means for weeks of extreme heat or cold?
Glossary of Weather Terms – Beginning with “P”
Wondering what the polar vortex is and why it causes extreme cold, what a PDS tornado watch means for your safety, the difference between partly cloudy and mostly cloudy, or what a pyrocumulonimbus cloud does to wildfire behavior?
Glossary of Weather Terms – Beginning with “Q”
Wondering what a quasi-stationary front is and why it causes catastrophic flooding, what QPF means in a weather forecast, or how the Quasi-Biennial Oscillation influences winter cold outbreaks?
Glossary of Weather Terms – Beginning with “R”
Wondering about a rip current warning, how to survive a rip current, or what the rain shadow effect does to precipitation? Need relative humidity explained or want to understand what NEXRAD radar actually shows?
