Study Guide for Weather Test
Air - The mixture of gases, which form the atmosphere of the Earth.
Atmosphere - A layer of gases surrounding a planet. These gases are held in the
atmosphere by gravity.
Air Pressure - The weight of air pressing down on earth. Air pressure can change from
place to place, and this causes air to move, flowing from areas of high pressure toward
areas of low pressure.
• High Pressure System - A whirling mass of cool, dry air that generally brings fair
weather, light winds, and sunny skies.
• Low Pressure System - A whirling mass of warm, moist air that generally brings
very cloudy skies and possible rain and/or storms.
Barometer - An instrument that measures air pressure.
• The unit for air pressure can be:
o Inches of Mercury (in Hg)
o Millibars (mb)
Isobar - A line on a weather map connecting equal points of pressure.
Wind - The movement of air above the surface of the earth.
• Wind is caused by convection currents
o Convection currents are caused by different air pressures. The cold, more
dense air rushes in to replace the hot, less dense, rising air.
• Wind always blows from high pressure to low pressure.
Convection – The transfer of heat in liquids and gases. A convection current is caused
by hot air rising, and cold air rushing in to replace the hot air.
Sea Breeze – This wind happens during the day and blows from the sea to the land. It
is caused by the temperature difference when land is warmer than water.
Land Breeze – This wind happens during the night and blows from the land to the sea.
It is caused by the temperature difference when water is warmer than land.
Air Mass - a large amount of air that sits in 1 place for several days. As an air mass
develops, it takes on the traits of the land or water below it (the air mass will match the
temp, wind speed, humidity, cloud coverage, and weather conditions of the Earth’s
surface found below it).
• Warm Air Mass – a mass of air that is warm, less dense, and holds more water.
• Cold Air Mass – a mass of air that is cool, more dense, and dry (holds less
water / low moisture)
Front - A boundary between two different air masses… where warm and cold air
masses meet.
• Cold Front – when a cold air mass moves in fast and fiercely to replace the
warmer air of a warm air mass.
o Weather: strong, quick storms that are followed by cool, clear weather
• Warm Front – when a warm air mass moves in slowly and gently to replace the
cooler air of a cold air mass.
o Weather: several days of full cloud coverage and rain/snow (no storms)
• Stationary Front - A boundary between a warm and cold air mass that does not
move.
o Weather: several days of full cloud coverage and rain/snow (no storms)
Precipitation - General name for water in any form falling from clouds: rain, drizzle,
hail, snow and sleet.
Humidity - The amount of water vapor inside an air mass.
Dew Point - The temperature at which water vapor in an air mass condenses to form
clouds. The higher the dew point, the more water vapor in the air mass.
• When Dew Point = Air Temp, precipitation happens
Meteorologist - A scientist who studies and predicts the weather.
Weather - It describes the condition of the air at a particular time and place on Earth
(temperature, air pressure, wind direction, wind speed, humidity, precipitation, dew
point, cloud coverage, etc.).
Important Facts to Remember about Weather, Wind, and Air Pressure
The sun heats the Earth unevenly. Why?
The result of this phenomenon is…
• During the DAY, land is warmer and water is cooler
• During the NIGHT, land is cooler and water is warmer
This uneven heating and cooling of the Earth causes air pressure differences:
• Areas with cold, denser, dryer air (cold air mass)
• Areas with warm, less dense, wet air (warm air mass).
These pressure differences cause convection currents, and convections currents
cause wind. Meteorologists study wind closely because wind brings us our weather.
Remember, wind always blows from high pressure to low pressure. The cooler, denser
air rushes in to replace the warmer, less dense air that just rose.
Things you will be asked to do on the weather test:
1. Label land/sea breeze diagrams
2. Identify mistakes in land/sea breeze diagrams
3. Recognize and understand weather vocabulary
4. Low air pressure Vs. High air pressure
o Identify characteristics of each
o Differentiate each pressure system
5. Look at a weather map and use the data on the map to…
o Describe current weather
o Predict future weather
o The data on the map could be isobars, pressure systems, wind speed, wind
direction, temperatures, cloud coverage, fronts, storms, etc.