Weather Lesson 2

Topic Progress:

Wind

Wind terms defined:

Airstream – a wind, especially one blowing high in the sky

Breeze – a light wind

Crosswind – a wind that blows across the direction that you are travelling in

Dust devil – a small whirlwind (=strong circular wind) that is common in hot dry parts of the US. Dust devils are much smaller than tornadoes and do not usually cause damage.

Easterly – a wind that blows from the east

Gale – a very strong wind

Gust – a sudden strong wind

Headwind – a wind that blows in the opposite direction to the one in which you are moving

Jet stream – a powerful wind current in the air above the Earth

Mistral – a cold, dry wind from the north that is common in the south of France

Monsoon – the wind that causes a monsoon

Prevailing wind – a wind that blows in a particular area at a particular time of year

Sandstorm – a strong wind in the desert that blows clouds of sand in the air

Sea breeze – a gentle wind that blows from the sea onto the land

Sirocco – a hot wind that begins in the Sahara and moves across the Mediterranean, often bringing dust

Southwester – a strong wind or storm that is moving in a south-west direction

Tailwind – a wind that blows in the same direction in which a vehicle is moving. A wind that blows directly towards a vehicle is called a headwind.

Tornado – a very strong wind that goes quickly round in a circle or funnel

Trade wind – a wind that blows continuously towards the equator (=the imaginary line around the middle of the Earth)

Turbulence – sudden violent movements of air or water

Twister – a tornado

Typhoon – a tropical storm with strong winds that move in circles

Whirlwind – a very powerful dangerous wind that spins extremely fast, carrying away anything in its path

Wind – a natural current of air that moves fast enough for you to feel it Windstorm – a period of bad weather when there is a lot of wind but no rain Zephyr – a gentle wind

Wind is the effect of the sun heating our planet. When the sun sets, the wind usually reduces in speed. The wind can tell us a lot about what is happening and what is about to happen.

When the wind is calm, under 10 miles per hour, it is telling us that there is going to be little or no change in the weather we are currently having.

When the wind picks up in speed it indicates the weather is going to change.

You cannot rely on just the wind to make this determination but it is a good sign that when the wind is picking up, things will be changing.

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