| Atmospheric
Pressure |
The pressure excerted
by the earth's atmosphere at any given point. |
|
cyclone
|
A violent rotating windstorm.
|
| condensation
|
The process by which a
gas or vapor changes to a liquid. |
| convection
current |
The transfer of heat by
the mass movement of heated particles into an area of cooler fluid. |
| Category
3 |
A strong hurricane with
winds from 111-130 miles per hour and a storm surge of 9-12 feet.
A hurricane in this category will cause extensive to small damage. |
| Category
4 |
A
hurricane that causes extreme damage to everything. The wind strength
is between 131-155 miles per hour and the storm surge is from 13-18
feet. |
| Eye |
A very calm area at the
center of the hurricane. The eye usually has very few clouds or
wind and is about 20 miles in diameter. Around the eye there are
storm clouds called wall clouds. Within these clouds are the strongest
winds and rains of the hurricane. |
| hurricane
|
A violent tropical storm
with winds in excess of 74 miles per hour. The term hurricane is
used for tropical storms |
| millibar
|
A unit of atmospheric
pressure equal to one thousandth of a bar; "atmospheric pressure
at sea level is 1013 millibars" |
| Typhoon
|
A tropical cyclone occurring
in the western Pacific or Indian oceans. |
| Tornado |
A rotating column of air
ranging in width from a few yards to more than a mile and whirling
at destructively high speeds, usually accompanied by a funnel-shaped
downward extension of a cumulonimbus cloud. |
| Vortex
|
A spiral motion of fluid
within a limited area, especially a whirling mass of water or air
that sucks everything near it toward its center. |
| Gulf
Stream |
A western current in
the Northern Atlantic. The Gulf Stream carries warm water north
and northeastward along the eastern coast of the United States.
|
| Tropical
Depression |
Tropical cyclones that
have a maximum wind speed of less than 39 mph near the surface of
the ocean. |
| Trade
Winds |
Winds blowing mainly from
the northeast in the Northern Hemisphere and from the southeast
in the Southern Hemisphere. |
| Storm
Surge |
A huge "dome" of ocean
water that can be 20 feet tall and 50 to 100 miles wide. |
