Weather - The Condition of Atmosphere

Weather is the change in atmosphere from day to day or hour to hour. Wind, lightning, storms, hurricanes, tornadoes, rain, hail, snow, and many other things are all considered to be a part of the weather. Weather is not just something we can see outside when it rains. Weather is all around us, every minute of the day! The various aspects of weather are measured by weather stations around the globe. Wind direction, wind speed, temperature, and humidity are all indicators of the weather. In this article, we will be learning about the types of weather, causes and facts about Weather.

Weather

Types of Weather

Weather changes almost every day, we witness different conditions of weather. Some of them are shown below:

Humidity

The amount of water vapour in our air is known as humidity. We may say that the humidity has increased when there is a lot of water vapour present. Cold weather typically suggests less water in the air since warm air may store more water vapour.

Humidity

Temperature 

What kind of weather will occur is greatly influenced by temperature, which is an important aspect. To determine whether a day is hot or cold, scientists use thermometers or scales in Celsius, Fahrenheit, or Kelvin. Most of the time, the air temperature is expressed in Celsius. Additional temperature information reveals atmospheric conditions, including how quickly or slowly the air's atoms are moving. Slow-moving molecules can identify a low temperature, while fast-moving atoms can identify a high temperature.

Temperature

Wind 

The movement of air in the atmosphere is referred to as wind. This typically happens as a result of the temperature. Atmospheric pressure is the measure of the weight of air over a specific region of the Earth's surface. In areas of low atmospheric pressure (the force exerted by the air on the earth), a warm wind blows, and in areas of high atmospheric pressure, a cold wind blows.

Wind

Cloudiness 

Another important aspect that affects weather is cloudiness. Additionally, it shows how hot or cold it is outside. Precipitations like rain or snow are created by clouds. An afternoon thunderstorm may develop as a result of early cloud cover. But not all clouds can cause severe weather to develop through precipitation. A cold day is indicated by the greater amount of clouds in the sky that prevent sunlight from reaching the earth.

Cloudiness

Precipitation 

Precipitation, such as snow or rain, results from clouds. There are many different varieties of clouds, but the four most significant ones are stratus, cumulus, cirrus, and cumulonimbus. Most often, thunderstorms or tornadoes are caused by cumulonimbus clouds.

Precipitation

Causes of Weather

There are various causes of weather as shown below. 

• Since the Sun heats the Earth in different ways, weather develops in various locations. This creates various climates. 

• The poles receive the least heat since the Sun shines on them at a low angle, whereas the tropics receive the most heat because it shines directly down on them. 

• For heat to move, convection must be used. It happens when heat is transferred by the flow of gases or liquids. Convection, a form of heat transfer where heat energy moves from higher temperature to lower temperature, causes warmer air to rise higher in the sky because it is lighter than cooler air. Convection here can be explained as the transfer of heat by the movement of a fluid such as water.

• There is water vapour present in the air at all times. We refer to this as humidity.

• Condensation is the process through which water transforms from a gas to a liquid when it cools. The water can then start to descend from the sky as snow or rain. After rising, the air becomes colder and descends again. 

• When the air returns to the earth, it is dry since it already lost its water. The meeting of two air masses with disparate temperatures is referred to as a warm front or cold front.

• Atmospheric circulation refers to the methods by which air circulates on Earth.

Facts About Weather 

The most important facts about weather are shown below.

• Since 1953, hurricanes and tropical storms have been given names.

• Before it blows against a thing, the wind is silent.

• Since 1880, the average global temperature has risen by 0.94°C (1.7°F).

• Wildfires can generate fire whirls, which are essentially fire tornadoes.

• On average, 1800 thunderstorms are active at any given moment, producing 100 lightning strikes every second.

• 1 billion tonnes of rainfall on the Earth every minute of the day.

• An average water molecule will spend 10 to 12 days in the Earth's atmosphere.

• On average, 100 lightning strikes the Earth each second.

• A raindrop can only impact you at a speed of 18 mph.

• Ordinary fog typically contains less than a gallon of water per cubic mile.

• The Mississippi river froze over its whole length in 1899 due to extreme weather.

Summary

In this article, we learnt certain facts about weather like the average global temperature and speed of raindrops and we also learned about types of weather and causes of weather. Weather is the temporary state of the atmosphere at a specific location. It involves change in atmosphere daily, including change in temperature, humidity, precipitation (both in terms of kind and quantity), air pressure, wind, and cloud cover. Weather conditions generally change over a short period, unlike climate which remains the same for a considerable time. With this, we would bring this article to closure and hope we were clear and understanble.