 Air Pressure: atmospheric pressure that is exerted from the weight of air on an object in that air.  High Pressure: Having a high barometric Pressure in the Atmosphere  Low Pressure: Having or involving a low or below-normal pressure, as steam or water.

 Air molecules are invisible, however they still have weight and take up space.  When those molecules are compressed, air is said to be under high pressure.

 Low Pressure :Low pressure brings stratus clouds and steady rains.  High Pressure: High pressure brings sunny, cloudless days.

 The Earth’s rotation is very important to the formation of fronts.  The rotation of the Earth causes the wind that would normally flow directly from one air mass to another, to flow around the air masses.  Fronts can cause changes in weather.  When two air masses meet it is called a front.

 Cold Front  Warm Front  Occluded Front  Stationary Front There Are 3 Different Types of Fronts

 If cold air is moving towards warm air then it is a cold front.  It is a sudden temperature drop and can cause snow., rain, and thunder.  On weather maps, cold fronts are blue.

 When warm air is moving towards cold air it is a warm front.  It is a sudden temperature rise.  On a temperature map, these are red.

 If neither air mass is moving very much, it is called a “stationary front”, shown as an alternating red and blue line.  A noticeable temperature change and/or shift in wind direction is commonly observed when crossing from one side of a stationary front to the other.  When a warm or cold front stops moving, it becomes a stationary front. Once this boundary resumes its forward motion, it once again becomes a warm front or a cold front.  This brings wind and harsh rain.

 At an occluded front, the cold air mass from the cold front meets the cool air that was ahead of the warm front.  The warm air rises as these air masses come together.  The cold air overtakes the warm air.  These are purple on a weather map.

 These are low level clouds, usually ground level to 5,000 feet.  They appear as unbroken sheets of low gray clouds.  They bring light rain, light snow, or drizzle. (Fog is a stratus cloud on the ground.)

 These clouds are white, puffy heaps that look like cotton balls or cauliflower.  They clouds also low clouds from ground level to 5, 000 feet.  These clouds indicate that the weather will be good.

 These clouds indicate an immediate threat of bad weather.  It could be a sprinkle or heavy precipitation.  If they are at the beginning of a cold front, gusty winds or a thundershower may follow.

Nimbus clouds are storm clouds. They are dark and gray.

 Cirrus Clouds are the highest and whitest in the sky; 20,000 to 40,000 feet.  They are thin and made up of ice droplets.  They signal the weather will be changing.

The precipitation that is gathered in streams and rivers. It flows and becomes run off flowing back down to the oceans, seas and lakes where the cycle begins again.

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Precipitation: rain, sleet, hail, snow and other forms of water falling from the sky;

Condensation is the change of water from its gaseous form (water vapor) into liquid water. Condensation generally occurs in the atmosphere when warm air rises, cools and looses its capacity to hold water vapor. As a result, excess water vapor condenses to form cloud droplets.