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Course: Middle school Earth and space science - NGSS > Unit 3
Lesson 2: WeatherWeather
Review your understanding of weather in this free article aligned to NGSS standards.
Key points:
- Weather is the state of the atmosphere at a given place and time. Weather is defined by factors such as temperature, rain, and wind.
- Changes in weather are caused by the movement of air masses. An air mass is a large body of air with uniform temperature and humidity. In general, air masses move from areas of high pressure to areas of low pressure.
- As air masses move, they collide and form weather fronts.
- A cold front is formed when a cold air mass moves into a warm air mass. Cold fronts usually bring cool temperatures and heavy rain or thunderstorms.
- A warm front is formed when a warm air mass moves into a cold air mass. Warm fronts usually bring warm temperatures and moderate rain.
- Scientists make weather predictions by collecting current weather data and inputting it into computer models. Because weather is so complex, these predictions are only probabilities and not certain outcomes.
Want to join the conversation?
Why does weather change(24 votes)
First, you need to understand high and low-pressure systems. A low-pressure system brings heavy rain and thunderstorms. A high-pressure system is the opposite of that; it brings more pleasant weather, low-moderate amounts of rain, and warm temperatures. And both of them are all over the place. Places near the equator are hotter, moister, so they get more rain. There are sections of low and high-pressure systems around the world, and sometimes they mix around a bit. So in general, weather forms because of location, humidity, high/low pressures, and more. Hope it helps. ^v^(60 votes)
How do the seasons change?(12 votes)- As the Earth rotates around the sun, the Earth tilts on its axis. So one place might get the sunlight directly or not on an angle, which results in summer, and another place gets sunlight from an angle, resulting in winter, and fall and spring are kinda in the middle.(28 votes)
why do clouds turn gray when its about to rain why not some other color(11 votes)
Because water vapor doesn't absorb light. Clouds can appear white or gray by diffusing light, but into order to appear some other color then absorption would have to occur.(11 votes)
what are temperature fonts.
for example what is warm or cold font(7 votes)
A weather front is a boundary between two air masses. It can be thought of as the frontline in a battle, where the warm air represents one side and its 'enemy,' the cold air, the other side. Across a front, there can be significant variations in temperature, as warm air comes into contact with cooler air. This can cause the formation of clouds and even storms.
I hope that helps! Let me know if you have other questions.(15 votes)
Cant we make an artificial storm with heavy high tech machinery?(8 votes)
I think it would be possible if we made water vapor condense into a cloud with enough mass to start rain, and some electricity would probably create lightning.(9 votes)
- Why does clouds form at different heights in the atmosphere?(11 votes)
probaly so it never ends(2 votes)
how does the weather affect us(8 votes)- Lot's of different ways! The weather can affect the outcome of that years crops so therefor our food supply can be drastically changed depending on the weather in the region. Weather can also affect water levels so if it's hot and dry the water levels go down and if it's rainy and humid the water levels go up. If a hurricane hits an area it can destroy homes and communities.
Weather can have lots of other affects on humans, but those are a few of them.
I hope this helps!(8 votes)
how are lightning bolts made?(7 votes)- Lightning happens when the negative and positive atoms clash between each other, causing a strike of light, known as lightning. Lightning can burn down things and electrify them. Lightning is a natural disaster that can naturally happen. So in simplified, lightning is the state/process of the negative and positive atoms clash and create a strike of light.
-Does this help now better?(3 votes)
bro the comment is ai 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣(2 votes)
How bright can Lightning get?(5 votes)
Lightning can be incredibly bright -- about equal to 100,000,000 light bulbs. (That may even blind you)(7 votes)