Meteorology Cheat Sheet

The core ideas of Meteorology distilled into a single, scannable reference — perfect for review or quick lookup.

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Quick Reference

Atmospheric Pressure

The force per unit area exerted by the weight of the atmosphere above a given point. Variations in pressure drive wind and are the primary organizing force behind weather systems such as cyclones and anticyclones.

Frontal Systems

Boundaries between air masses of different temperature and humidity characteristics. Cold fronts, warm fronts, stationary fronts, and occluded fronts each produce distinct weather patterns as air masses interact.

Coriolis Effect

An apparent deflection of moving objects (including air parcels) caused by Earth's rotation. It deflects winds to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere, shaping large-scale circulation patterns.

Convection

The vertical transport of heat and moisture in the atmosphere driven by buoyancy differences. When the surface heats unevenly, warm air rises and cool air sinks, forming convective cells that can develop into cumulus clouds and thunderstorms.

Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP)

The use of mathematical models of the atmosphere and oceans to predict weather based on current conditions. NWP solves the primitive equations of fluid motion on a discrete grid using supercomputers.

Adiabatic Processes

Changes in temperature of an air parcel that occur without the exchange of heat with the surrounding environment. Rising air expands and cools adiabatically; sinking air compresses and warms. The dry adiabatic lapse rate is approximately 9.8 degrees Celsius per kilometer.

Jet Streams

Narrow bands of strong winds in the upper troposphere, typically flowing from west to east at speeds of 100 to 400 km/h. They form along sharp temperature gradients and steer mid-latitude weather systems.

Humidity and Dew Point

Humidity measures the amount of water vapor in the air. The dew point is the temperature at which air becomes saturated and condensation begins. Relative humidity expresses the current moisture content as a percentage of the maximum the air can hold at that temperature.

Doppler Radar

A remote sensing tool that emits microwave pulses and analyzes the returned signals to detect precipitation location, intensity, and motion. By measuring frequency shifts (the Doppler effect), it can also detect wind velocities within storms.

Ensemble Forecasting

A method in which multiple model runs are generated, each with slightly different initial conditions or model physics, to capture forecast uncertainty. The spread among ensemble members indicates confidence in the prediction.

Key Terms at a Glance

Advection:The horizontal transport of an atmospheric property such as heat, moisture, or momentum by the wind.

Anemometer:An instrument that measures wind speed, often using rotating cups or an ultrasonic sensor.

Anticyclone:A weather system characterized by high pressure at its center, with winds spiraling outward clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere. Generally associated with fair weather.

Barometer:An instrument used to measure atmospheric pressure. Mercury and aneroid types are most common.

Convection:The vertical movement of air driven by buoyancy when the surface heats unevenly, often leading to cloud and storm development.

Cyclone:A weather system with low pressure at its center, with winds spiraling inward counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere. Associated with clouds and precipitation.

Dew Point:The temperature at which air reaches saturation and water vapor begins to condense into liquid water.

Downburst:A strong downward current of air from a thunderstorm that produces damaging straight-line winds at or near the surface.

ENSO:El Nino-Southern Oscillation; a coupled ocean-atmosphere climate phenomenon in the tropical Pacific that influences global weather patterns.

Geostrophic Wind:A theoretical wind resulting from a balance between the pressure gradient force and the Coriolis force, flowing parallel to isobars.

Gust Front:The leading edge of rain-cooled air (outflow) from a thunderstorm. Can trigger new convection along its boundary.

Humidity:A measure of the amount of water vapor in the air. Can be expressed as relative humidity, specific humidity, or mixing ratio.

Isobar:A line on a weather map connecting points of equal atmospheric pressure.

Lapse Rate:The rate at which atmospheric temperature decreases with increasing altitude. The environmental lapse rate averages about 6.5 degrees Celsius per kilometer.

Mesoscale:The atmospheric scale of phenomena ranging from a few kilometers to several hundred kilometers, including thunderstorms, sea breezes, and squall lines.

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