By the short term, atmospheric activities pertaining to a given place at a fixed point in time is meant to convey “weather.” These include temperature, humidity, type and amount of precipitation (rain, snow, sleet, hail), wind speed and direction, atmospheric pressure, and cloud cover. Weather changes often from one minute to another under the influences of several factors including geography and atmospheric circulation.
Elements of Weather
Temperature:
- The measure of how hot or cold the atmosphere is. Measured usually in Celsius (°C) or Fahrenheit (°F). Influenced by the latitude, altitude, and the position of the sun.
Humidity:
- Defined as the quantity of water vapor in the air. Normally, high humidity seems to make the temperature feel even hotter, and if air is saturated, it may well indicate development of precipitation.
Precipitation:
- Any water that falls from the atmosphere to the earth, whether as rain, snow or hail. It happens when the air masses cool and water vapor condenses.
Wind:
- This is simply air that is moving from high-pressure areas to low-pressure areas. Winds are important as they help in mixing air with different heat and water content.
Atmospheric Pressure:
- This is simply the weight of air above a particular point. Often, high-pressure areas allow clear skies, while low-pressure areas often indicate clouds and storms.
Cloud cover:
- Ideal solar radiation absorbance from the earth. It controls temperature in two very important ways; by preventing the sun’s rays from warming the earth during the day and by allowing heat to escape from the warm earth into the cool sky during night-time.
Factors Influencing Weather
- Latitude: The amount of solar energy received; equatorial regions receive more solar energy and hence are warmer than polar regions.
- Altitude: With greater altitude, air becomes thinner, which means that the temperature is also lower.
- Proximity to Water: Coastal areas tend to have mild and stable weather than the inside areas of a country.
- Geography: Mountains act as wind barriers and thus create rain shadows on their obverse.
- Seasons: Due to periodic changes by the tilt of Earth, and also changes in the elliptical path of orbit, the atmosphere changes, hence giving weather.
Weather vs Climate
- Weather is about conditions extending for a few hours to days,
- while climate is the average condition over several years or centuries.
Why Weather Is Important?
- Affects daily activities e.g. travel activities, crop farming, and even recreation.
- Influences natural systems such as water cycles and ecosystems.
- Impact on safety and preparedness during extreme weather events such as storms, heatwaves, and floods.
How Weather is Produced
1.The Role of Solar Energy:
- The Sun is the most ultimate influence on weather.
- Because of latitude, time of day, and the season, the Sun heats the surface of the Earth unevenly.
- This uneven heating creates differences in temperature, which in turn causes movement of air and water.
2.Wind Movement:
- Warm air is lighter and rises, and a low-pressure area is created.
- Cooler air being heavier sinks and in turn, creates a high-pressure area.
- Wind takes place when air moves from one another because of pressure differences.
3.The Water Cycle:
- The Sun also heats the water bodies, resulting in evaporation (the formation of water vapor).
- In the atmosphere, vapor rises, cools, and condenses to form clouds.
- When too much moisture condenses into clouds, the rain may fall back down to earth either as rain, snow, or other forms of precipitation.
4.Interaction of Masses of Air:
- Air masses are those large bodies of air with uniform temperature and humidity.
- Where such differing air masses meet, they form boundaries known as fronts.
- Fronts cause significant weather changes: severe storms, intense temperature shifts, etc.
5.Rotational Effect of Earth (Coriolis Effect):
- The Earth spins and causes wind and ocean currents to veer off course instead of just flowing straight.
- This is responsible for developing weather systems like trade winds and cyclones.
6.Atmospheric Pressure:
- Variations in pressure affect weather.
- High-pressure systems usually bring calm and clear weather.
- On the other hand, their low-pressure counterparts usually produce storms and cloudy skies.
How the Emergence of Weather Takes Shape
The Sun as A Major Meteorological Influence:
- The sun is the major cause of weather.
- Due to latitude, time of day, and seasons, the Sun unevenly heats the surface of the Earth.
- In its turn, this uneven heating creates differences in temperature, which bring about movements of air and water.
Movement of Air:
- Warm air is lighter, which causes it to rise and create an area of low pressure.
- Cooler air is heavier, which allows it to sink and cause an area of high pressure.
- Wind is air that moves from high-pressure areas to low-pressure areas in an attempt to balance the differences.
Water Cycle:
- The Sun also heats the water bodies, which results in evaporation.
- The vapor rises into the atmosphere, then condenses to form clouds.
- When the clouds become too heavy, precipitation (rain, snow, etc.) falls back to the Earth.
Interplay Between Air Masses:
- Air masses are large masses of air that have moved together; they have similar temperature and humidity.
- Wherever they meet, it is the boundaries that are referred to as fronts.
- These fronts cause a variation of important weather conditions, such as cyclonic disturbances or cooling.
Atmospheric Pressure:
- Variations in atmospheric pressure are behind every weather pattern.
- Highs usually mean fine calm weather.
- Lows will bring storms and cloudy conditions.
