Weather 101

From Doppler Radar and Long-Range Forecasts to the Polar Vortex and Climate Change, Everything You Need to Know about the Study of Weather

Kathleen Sears

• Publisher: Adams Media
• Year: 2017
• Print ISBN: 9781507204634
• eBook ISBN: 9781507204641

In this clear and straight new guide from the author of Grammar 101 and Weather 101, get a crash course in understanding the science behind weather and weather prediction. Weather is everywhere, and while it's typically not thought about most of the time, it can get everyone's attention in an instant—whether it's the swirling destruction of a tornado, the wreckage from a hurricane, or the havoc of climate change on the environment. Weather 101 gives you the basics on weather, from blue skies to hail to dust storms, with information on the science of how weather works, how to predict the weather in your area, how to be ready for natural disasters, and how climate change is affecting weather patterns across the world. With this guide, you'll be a weather expert in no time!

INDEX

A note about the index: The pages referenced in this index refer to the page numbers in the print edition. Clicking on a page number will take you to the ebook location that corresponds to the beginning of that page in the print edition. For a comprehensive list of locations of any word or phrase, use your reading system’s search function.

Absolute zero, 101

Aches and pains, weather and, 209–10

Acid fog, 45

Acid rain and acidic earth, 220–22

Aerovanes, 107

Air masses, 72–78

Air pressure

aches, pains and, 209–10

causing wind, 60–61

elevation/atmosphere height and, 15, 60, 61. See also Atmosphere

isobars and, 62–63

making wind, 61–62

measuring, 60. See also Barometers

why air moves and, 60–61

Allergies, 10, 207–8

Altocumulus clouds, 42

Altostratus clouds, 42

Andrew, hurricane (1992), 179–83

Anemometers, 14, 106, 107

Apps, weather, 243–44, 247

Aristotle and weather, 12–13

Asthma, 208

Atmosphere. See also Air pressure

about: overview of, 35

composition of, 35

equilibrium and instability, 47–48

layers and their characteristics, 35–38. See also Stratosphere; Troposphere

stable or unstable, 47–48

Atomic bombs, Hiroshima/Nagasaki and, 25–26

Autumn and autumn colors, 97

Axis/rotation of earth, 93, 98–100

Balloons, radiosondes and, 109

Barometers

first used to predict weather, 104

invention and development, 15, 104

types of, 61, 104

units of measure, 60, 61

vacuums and, 15

Blizzard, black, 137

Blizzards, snow, 53–54

Blue jets and elves, 129–30

Butterfly effect, 119

Calendars, ancient, 99, 100

Cars, weather safety and, 191, 197, 201

Caterpillars, weather forecasting using, 111

Celsius, Anders, and Celsius scale,...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Introduction
• Why Do We Have Weather?
• Weather and Civilization
• Learning to Predict the Weather
• Weather and Wars
• World War II
• HAARP
• The Doppler Radar
• Weather and Climate
• What’s the Atmosphere?
• The Water Cycle
• The Three Levels of Clouds
• How to Build a Cloud
• Hail and Snow
• The Polar Vortex
• Sleet or Freezing Rain?
• High Pressure and Low Pressure
• The Jet Stream
• What’s a Front?
• Creating an Air Mass
• Oceans and Weather
• El Niño
• Solar Wind
• Orbits and Oceans
• Determining the Seasons
• Developing Thermometers
• The Tools of Meteorology
• The Art and Science of Forecasting
• Forecasting Models
• Lightning
• Sprites, Elves, and Blue Jets
• Taming Lightning
• Why We Have Floods
• The Danger of Droughts
• Hurricanes
• Tornadoes
• Tornado Formation
• Volcanoes and Other Disasters
• The Johnstown Flood
• The Great Galveston Hurricane
• The Super Outbreak
• Hurricane Andrew
• Hurricane Floyd
• Katrina and Sandy
• Staying Safe in the Weather
• Floods and Tornadoes
• The Weather and Your Health
• Temperature and Your Body
• Our Changing Atmosphere
• The Climate Change Controversy
• The Causes of Global Warming
• Today’s Technology
• Photographs
• Index
• Copyright