Meteorology Vocabulary Quiz
12 multiple-choice questions on meteorology and weather vocabulary: precipitation, humidity, atmospheric pressure, fronts, depressions and anticyclones, isobars, forecasting and temperature. B2–C1 level.
Keep building your meteorology vocabulary.
Meteorology Vocabulary — FAQ
Meteorology is the scientific study of the atmosphere, especially the weather and climate. A scientist who works in this field is called a meteorologist. Meteorology examines how factors such as temperature, atmospheric pressure, humidity, wind and precipitation interact to produce the weather we experience. It also includes forecasting, which uses data from satellites, weather stations and computer models to predict coming conditions. The word comes from the Greek ’meteoron’, meaning something high in the sky.
Precipitation is any form of water that falls from clouds to the ground. It includes rain, drizzle, snow, sleet, hail and freezing rain. Precipitation forms when water droplets or ice crystals in clouds grow heavy enough to fall under gravity. In English forecasts you will often hear phrases such as ’scattered showers’, ’heavy rain’ or ’a chance of precipitation’. The type of precipitation depends largely on the temperature of the air through which it falls.
Humidity is the amount of water vapour present in the air. ’Relative humidity’, usually given as a percentage, compares how much water vapour the air holds to the maximum it could hold at that temperature. When relative humidity reaches 100 per cent, the air is saturated and water begins to condense. High humidity makes hot weather feel more uncomfortable because sweat evaporates more slowly. Warm air can hold more water vapour than cold air.
Atmospheric pressure, also called barometric pressure, is the weight of the air pressing down on the Earth’s surface. It is measured with a barometer, often in units such as hectopascals or millibars. High pressure (an anticyclone) usually brings settled, dry and calm weather, while low pressure (a depression) tends to bring cloud, wind and rain. A falling barometer often signals approaching unsettled weather.
A front is the boundary between two air masses with different temperatures. A warm front occurs where warm air advances and gently rises over colder air, usually bringing a long period of steady rain followed by milder, brighter conditions. A cold front occurs where cold air pushes underneath warmer air, forcing it up sharply; this often produces short, heavy showers or thunderstorms, then clearer, cooler air. On maps, warm fronts are drawn with red semicircles and cold fronts with blue triangles.
A depression is an area of low atmospheric pressure. Air rises within it, cools and condenses, so depressions generally bring cloudy, wet and windy weather. An anticyclone is an area of high pressure where air sinks, suppressing cloud formation and usually bringing dry, settled conditions and often clear skies. In summer an anticyclone can mean warm, sunny weather; in winter it can bring cold, frosty nights and sometimes fog. Depressions are typically more changeable and stormy.
A barometer measures atmospheric pressure, helping forecasters detect whether high or low pressure is approaching. An anemometer measures wind speed, usually with spinning cups or a small propeller that turns faster as the wind strengthens. These are two of the basic instruments at a weather station. Others include the thermometer for temperature, the rain gauge for precipitation, and the hygrometer for humidity.
Isobars are lines on a weather map that join places with the same atmospheric pressure, much as contour lines join points of equal height. They reveal the pattern of high and low pressure systems. When isobars are close together, the pressure changes rapidly over a short distance, which means strong winds; when they are far apart, the winds are light. Their shape also helps forecasters work out wind direction, since wind tends to flow roughly along them.
The water cycle is the continuous movement of water between the oceans, the atmosphere and the land. Evaporation is the process by which liquid water turns into invisible water vapour, usually when heated by the sun. Condensation is the reverse: water vapour cools and turns back into tiny liquid droplets, forming clouds, mist or dew. When these droplets grow large enough, they fall as precipitation. The temperature at which condensation begins is called the dew point.
English has many weather idioms: ’to rain cats and dogs’ (to rain very heavily), ’under the weather’ (to feel unwell), ’to take a rain check’ (to postpone something), ’a storm in a teacup’ (a great fuss over something trivial), ’to weather the storm’ (to survive a difficult time), ’every cloud has a silver lining’ (good can come from bad), ’to be snowed under’ (to have too much to do), and ’come rain or shine’ (whatever happens).