Weather Is The Condition of The Atmosphere. It Is What Happens in The

Weather
is the condition of the atmosphere. It is what happens in the

sky; you can tell the weather by looking at the sky. Weather changes
on a day-to-day basis. It includes wind, rain, lightning, hurricanes, hail,
snow, and more. The sun’s energy and angle directly affect the air
pressure and temperature in the sky which results in a change in
weather.
Key Facts & Information
TYPES OF WEATHER
Weather is the condition of the atmosphere at a given place and time.
Depending on sunshine, heat, cloudiness, wind, and rain, weather changes on a daily basis.
Seasons and climate largely affect the weather.
There are five types of weather: sunny, cloudy, windy, rainy, and stormy.
Sunny days are usually pleasant as most people like doing activities outdoors when the sun is up and
shining.
When there are no clouds in sight, the sun is able to shine through and keep the environment warm.
Sunny days are not always warm. In fact, they can be cool too, depending on the time of year.
When the weather’s cloudy, the rays of the sun are blocked from reaching the Earth’s surface.
It can be warm on a cloudy day when the clouds trap in heat near the surface.
A cloud is a huge mass of water vapor.
Clouds are often associated with rain but cloudy days do not equate to rainy days.
A rainy day occurs when the temperature drops and the water vapor in the cloud cools and forms
raindrops.
However, when warm air mass rises to the sky and cold air rushes to fill the gap, expect to have a windy
day.
Wind gusts form when air is pushed into smaller spaces of vacuum.
When there is a strong wind and heavy rain, the weather is stormy. A storm is sometimes accompanied
by thunder and lightning.
Thunder is a loud rumbling noise heard due to rapidly heated air expanding.
KEY PLAYERS AND FACTORS
Weather is impacted by things we can’t see like wind, solar radiation, humidity, and air pressure.
There is a blanket of air that surrounds the earth that is about 15 miles thick. This blanket is called the
atmosphere.
All of our weather happens in the bottom layer of the atmosphere, called the troposphere, which is six
to ten miles thick.
The sun and the moisture in the air work together to form clouds which make rain and thunderstorms.
These weather conditions cause winds to blow. The wind blows because air has weight.
The sun is the engine that drives the motion of water in our atmosphere.
This movement of water is called the water cycle or the hydrologic cycle. It involves the ceaseless
circulation of water in the atmosphere.
The processes involved in the water cycle are evaporation, transpiration, condensation, precipitation,
and runoff.
CAUSES OF WEATHER
The primary cause of different types of weather is how air masses interact with each other.
An air mass is a huge area of air that shares the same characteristics.
The two main types of air mass are hot and cold.
Hot air masses are areas of hot air that move in the same direction.
Cold air masses are areas of cold air that move in the same direction.
The area where two or more air masses meet is called a front.
When cold air pushes under a warm air mass, a cold front happens.
The warm air is pushed up above the cold air mass, which causes the warm air to cool and condense,
resulting in a mild temperature and rainstorm.
When a warm air mass moves over a cold air mass, a warm front happens.
The warm air rises, creates clouds and condenses into light rain or snow.
LIGHTNING
No one is exactly sure why lightning occurs, but scientists believe water droplets and ice particles bang
together in the cloud, helping to build up positive and negative electrical charges.
The electricity that flows produces a flash of electricity called lightning.
Lightning heats the air that surrounds it, causing it to expand with an explosive force. That’s how the
loud rumbling sound of thunder is produced.
The air in the core of a lightning bolt is heated to as much as 54,000 degrees Fahrenheit. That is about
six times hotter than the surface of the sun!
IMPACT OF WEATHER
Weather affects people’s daily activities and decisions, but it has the biggest impact on people whose
work largely depends on weather conditions.
Pilots, construction workers, farmers, and bus drivers are all really affected by weather.
People once looked to plants and animals for hints about the weather.
Before it rains cows lie down, pine cones open up, frogs croak at a faster pace, ants form a line, and
sheep’s wool uncurls. Before technology, folks also made forecasts by studying the clouds.
MEASURING THE WEATHER
To measure temperature, a thermometer is usually used.
To measure air pressure, a barometer is used.
A rain gauge is used to measure precipitation, and an anemometer is used to measure wind speed.
Satellites take pictures of clouds from space.
Radar shows where and how much rain is falling, while computers import and export data for
meteorologists to examine.
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Weather

is the condition of the atmosphere. It is what happens in the

Key Facts & Information

Weather is the condition of the atmosphere at a given place and time.

Seasons and climate largely affect the weather.

A cloud is a huge mass of water vapor.

KEY PLAYERS AND FACTORS

The electricity that flows produces a flash of electricity called lightning.

MEASURING THE WEATHER

To measure temperature, a thermometer is usually used.

To measure air pressure, a barometer is used.

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