What is the difference between weather and climate?
Weather describes the short-term state of the atmosphere, while climate describes the long-term patterns in the weather over a specific region.
What are the four main elements of weather?
Temperature, humidity, air pressure, and wind.
What is a thunderstorm?
A storm with lightning and thunder caused by a cumulonimbus cloud that produces heavy rain, strong winds, and sometimes hail.
What is a hurricane?
A tropical cyclone characterized by strong winds, heavy rain, and storm surge, with sustained winds of at least 74 miles per hour.
What is a tornado?
A violent rotating column of air extending from a thunderstorm to the ground with wind speeds of up to 300 miles per hour.
What is a drought?
A prolonged period of abnormally low rainfall that results in a shortage of water.
What is a blizzard?
A severe snowstorm with strong winds, low visibility, and temperatures below freezing.
What is the greenhouse effect?
The natural process by which certain gases in the Earth's atmosphere trap heat from the sun, keeping the planet warm enough for life.
What is El Niño?
A climate pattern that occurs every few years when warm ocean waters in the Pacific Ocean move eastward and trigger changes in weather patterns around the world.
What is La Niña?
A climate pattern that occurs every few years when cool ocean waters in the Pacific Ocean move eastward and trigger changes in weather patterns around the world.
What causes air pressure?
Air pressure is caused by the weight of the atmosphere pressing down on Earth's surface.
What is the water cycle?
The continuous movement of water on, above, and below the surface of the Earth, driven by the energy of the sun.
What is a heat wave?
A prolonged period of abnormally hot weather, often accompanied by high humidity and sometimes causing heat-related illnesses.
What causes lightning?
Lightning is caused by the build-up of electric charge in storm clouds, which creates a difference in electrical potential between the cloud and the ground.
What is hail?
Frozen precipitation that forms in thunderstorms when updrafts carry raindrops high into the atmosphere where they freeze into ice and then fall back to the ground.
What is the difference between weather and climate?
Weather describes the short-term state of the atmosphere, while climate describes the long-term patterns in the weather over a specific region.
What are the four main elements of weather?
Temperature, humidity, air pressure, and wind.
What is a thunderstorm?
A storm with lightning and thunder caused by a cumulonimbus cloud that produces heavy rain, strong winds, and sometimes hail.
What is a hurricane?
A tropical cyclone characterized by strong winds, heavy rain, and storm surge, with sustained winds of at least 74 miles per hour.
What is a tornado?
A violent rotating column of air extending from a thunderstorm to the ground with wind speeds of up to 300 miles per hour.
What is a drought?
A prolonged period of abnormally low rainfall that results in a shortage of water.
What is a blizzard?
A severe snowstorm with strong winds, low visibility, and temperatures below freezing.
What is the greenhouse effect?
The natural process by which certain gases in the Earth's atmosphere trap heat from the sun, keeping the planet warm enough for life.
What is El Niño?
A climate pattern that occurs every few years when warm ocean waters in the Pacific Ocean move eastward and trigger changes in weather patterns around the world.
What is La Niña?
A climate pattern that occurs every few years when cool ocean waters in the Pacific Ocean move eastward and trigger changes in weather patterns around the world.
What causes air pressure?
Air pressure is caused by the weight of the atmosphere pressing down on Earth's surface.
What is the water cycle?
The continuous movement of water on, above, and below the surface of the Earth, driven by the energy of the sun.
What is a heat wave?
A prolonged period of abnormally hot weather, often accompanied by high humidity and sometimes causing heat-related illnesses.
What causes lightning?
Lightning is caused by the build-up of electric charge in storm clouds, which creates a difference in electrical potential between the cloud and the ground.
What is hail?
Frozen precipitation that forms in thunderstorms when updrafts carry raindrops high into the atmosphere where they freeze into ice and then fall back to the ground.