The Wonderful World of Weather

An Introduction to Meteorology

What Is Weather?

• Weather is the day-to-day changes in the condition of the atmosphere for a certain area

WE EXPERIENCE MANY DIFFERENT TYPES OF WEATHER

Thunderstorms

Thunderstorms

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Sunny Days

Tornadoes

Tornadoes

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Snow Showers

Hurricanes

Hurricanes

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Windy Days

Blizzards

What Do All of These Types of Weather Have In Common?

• All types of weather from the calmest day to the most violent weather involve three things:– Air– Moisture– Heat

What Is Air?

• Air is a colorless, odorless, mixture of gases that surround the Earth.

• Air is made up of two main gases– Nitrogen (78%)– Oxygen (21%)

What About the Other 1%?

• Oxygen and Nitrogen make up 99% of air.• The last 1% is made up of many gases:– Carbon Dioxide– Water Vapor– Hydrogen– Helium– Neon– Others

Water Vapor In the Air

• Water in the atmosphere comes mainly from the evaporation of water from the oceans

• The amount of moisture in the air changes all the time

• The amount of moisture in the air is called humidity

Heat

• The heat energy needed to create different forms of weather comes from the sun.