Middle School Weather Vocabulary

Clouds are made up of tiny drops of ______ or ice. The moisture in the cloud affects the weather.

• dust
• water
• cloud particles
• precipitation

They are highest clouds in the sky. They look curly, white and feathery. Usually mean good weather.

• Cumulus
• Cumulonimbus
• Cirrus
• Stratus

They are low in the sky and look soft and fluffy. 

• Cirrus
• Cumulonimbus
• Cumulus 
• Stratus

These clouds are the closest to the ground. Their name means layer- or sheet like. They bring rain or snow and cover most of the sky. 

• Cirrus
• Stratus
• Cumulonimbus
• Cumulus

Which cloud brings nice weather?

• Cumulonimbus
• Cumulus
• Stratus

Which cloud brings rain?

• Cumulonimbus
• Stratus
• Cirrus/cumulus
• Stratus & Cumulonimbus

Most of the heating in the troposphere occurs by 

• convection
• conduction
• radiation
• hot air

Winds in the mid-latitudes that blow from west to east are called 

• Polar Easterlies
• Prevailing Westerlies
• Northeast Tradewinds
• Southeast Tradewinds

An ice pellet larger than 5 millimeters in diameter that forms during a thunderstorm is called a(n) 

• Snow
• Sleet
• Hail
• Rain

Local winds differ from global winds because they

• They blow over large areas
• They blow over small areas
• They blow North and South
• They blow East and West