Index of meteorology articles

This is a list of meteorology topics. The terms relate to meteorology, the interdisciplinary scientific study of the atmosphere that focuses on weather processes and forecasting. (see also: List of meteorological phenomena)

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v t e

• advection
• aeroacoustics
• aerobiology
• aerography (meteorology)
• aerology
• air parcel (in meteorology)
• air quality index (AQI)
• airshed (in meteorology)
• American Geophysical Union (AGU)
• American Meteorological Society (AMS)
• anabatic wind
• anemometer
• annular hurricane
• anticyclone (in meteorology)
• apparent wind
• Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML)
• Atlantic hurricane season
• atmometer
• atmosphere
• Atmospheric Model Intercomparison Project (AMIP)
• Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM)
• (atmospheric boundary layer [ABL]) planetary boundary layer (PBL)
• atmospheric chemistry
• atmospheric circulation
• atmospheric convection
• atmospheric dispersion modeling
• atmospheric electricity
• atmospheric icing
• atmospheric physics
• atmospheric pressure
• atmospheric sciences
• atmospheric stratification
• atmospheric thermodynamics
• atmospheric window (see under Threats)

• baller lightning
• balloon (aircraft)
• baroclinity
• barotropity
• barometer ("to measure atmospheric pressure")
• berg wind
• biometeorology
• blizzard
• bomb (meteorology)
• buoyancy
• Bureau of Meteorology (in Australia)

• Canada Weather Extremes
• Canadian Hurricane Centre (CHC)
• Cape Verde-type hurricane
• capping inversion (in meteorology) (see "severe thunderstorms" in paragraph 5)
• carbon cycle
• carbon fixation
• carbon flux
• carbon monoxide (see under Atmospheric presence)
• ceiling balloon ("to determine the height of the base of clouds above ground level")
• ceilometer ("to determine the height of a cloud base")
• celestial coordinate system
• celestial equator
• celestial horizon (rational horizon)
• celestial navigation (astronavigation)
• celestial pole
• Celsius
• Center for Analysis and Prediction of Storms (CAPS) (in Oklahoma in the US)
• Center for the Study of Carbon Dioxide and Global Change (based in Arizona in the US)
• (Central America Hurricane of 1857: see) SS Central America (Ship of Gold)
• Central Florida Tornado of February 2007
• Certified Consulting Meteorologist
• chaos theory (see "butterfly effect" under Chaotic dynamics)
• (Chapman cycle: see) ozone-oxygen cycle
• chemtrail theory
• Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX)
• chinook wind (see "inversion smog" under Chinooks and health)
• Henry Helm Clayton
• clear-air turbulence (CAT)
• climate
• climate change
• Climate Diagnostics Center (in the US)
• climate engineering
• (climate forcing: see) radiative forcing
• Climate Group
• climate house
• climate model
• climate modeller
• Climate Monitoring and Diagnostics Laboratory (CMDL) (in the US)
• Climate Outreach and Information Network (COIN) (British charity)
• (climate parameters, forcings and feedbacks: see) parametrization (climate)
• Climate Prediction Center (CPC)
• (climate science: see) climatology
• climate sensitivity
• (climate simulation: see) climate model
• climate surprise
• (climate techno-fix: see) climate engineering
• (climate theory: see) Charles de Secondat, Baron de Montesquieu (see "climate theory" in paragraph 3 under Political views)
• (climate variability: see) climate change
• (climate warming: see) global warming
• (climate weapon: see) Weather modification (see under In the military)
• climateprediction.net (CPDN) (distributed computing project)
• climatic determinism (equatorial paradox) (see also environmental determinism)
• Climatic Regions of India
• Climatic Research Unit (at the University of East Anglia in the UK)
• (climatic zone: see) clime
• climatology
• clime (climatic zone)
• Clinton Foundation (see under Clinton Climate Initiative (CCI))
• cloud
• cloud albedo ("a measure of the reflectivity of a cloud")
• cloud base ("the lowest altitude of the visible portion of a cloud")
• cloud chamber (Wilson chamber) ("for detecting ... ionizing radiation")
• cloud condensation nuclei (CCNs) (see under Phytoplankton role)
• cloud cover
• cloud feedback
• cloud forcing (see "greenhouse effect" in paragraph 2)
• cloud forest
• (cloud formation: see) nephology
• cloud physics
• cloud seeding
• cloud street
• cloud suck
• cloudburst (see "destruction" in paragraph 2 and see "Mumbai" in paragraph 3)
• CloudSat ("a NASA environmental satellite")
• coefficient of haze (in meteorology)
• cold-core low
• cold weather boot
• cold weather rule (cold weather law) (for public utility companies)
• (coldest place on earth: see) climate of Antarctica (see under Temperature)
• coldest temperature achieved on Earth
• Colorado low
• Community Climate System Model
• continental climate
• contrail
• controlled airspace
• controlled atmosphere (for agricultural storage)
• convection (see under Atmospheric convection)
• convective available potential energy (CAPE) (in meteorology)
• convective condensation level (CCL)
• convective inhibition (CIN)
• convective instability
• convective temperature (T_c)
• Cooperative Institute for Atmospheric Sciences and Terrestrial Applications (CIASTA)
• Cooperative Institute for Arctic Research
• Cooperative Institute for Climate and Ocean Research (CICOR)
• Cooperative Institute for Climate Applications and Research (CICAR)
• Cooperative Institute for Climate Science (CICS)
• Cooperative Institute for Limnology and Ecosystems Research (CILER)
• Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies (CIMAS)
• Cooperative Institute for Mesoscale Meteorological Studies (CIMMS)
• Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies (CIMSS)
• Cooperative Institute for Precipitation Systems (CIPS)
• Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES)
• Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere (CIRA)
• corona (meteorology)
• COSMIC (Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere, and Climate)
• Cosmic Anisotropy Telescope (CAT)
• Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) ("to investigate the cosmic background radiation" etc.)
• cosmic microwave background experiments
• cosmic microwave background radiation (CMB) (CMBR) (CBR) (MBR)
• cosmic noise
• cosmic ray (see under Lightning)
• Cosmochemical Periodic Table of the Elements in the Solar System
• cosmochemistry
• cumulonimbus cloud (see under Effects)
• (cumulonimbus with mammatus: see) mammatus cloud
• (cumulonimbus with pileus: see) pileus (meteorology)
• cumulus castellanus cloud
• cumulus cloud
• cumulus congestus cloud
• cumulus humilis cloud
• cumulus mediocris cloud
• (cup anemometer: see) anemometer (see under Cup anemometers)
• current solar income
• cyclogenesis
• cyclone
• cyclone furnace (a type of coal combustor)
• (cyclone preparedness: see) hurricane preparedness
• cyclonic separation (method of removing particles from an air or gas stream)

• D region (in the atmosphere)
• Darrieus wind turbine
• dawn
• dBZ (meteorology)
• degree (temperature)
• deicing
• dendroclimatology ("extracting past climate information from information in trees")
• density altitude
• Denver Convergence Vorticity Zone (DCVZ)
• deposition (physics)
• (depression [meteorology]: see) low pressure area
• derecho (see also List of derecho events)
• dew
• dew point (dewpoint, T_d)
• dew point depression
• disdrometer
• downwelling
• drizzle
• drought
• dry-bulb temperature
• dry line (dew point line)
• dry punch
• dry season
• dusk

• Earth's atmosphere
• Earth's magnetic field
• Earth System Research Laboratories (ESRL)
• economics of global warming
• Emagram
• effect of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans (see also Hurricane Katrina effects by region)
• effect of sun angle on climate
• Enhanced Fujita scale (EF scale)
• eolian processes
• equator (see under Equatorial seasons and climate)
• equilibrium level (EL)
• equivalent potential temperaturбe
• equivalent temperature
• European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF)
• European Climate Change Programme (ECCP)
• European emission standards (for motor vehicles)
• European Severe Storms Laboratory (ESSL)
• European windstorm
• evaporation
• evaporative cooler
• evaporative cooling
• evaporite (a mineral sediment resulting from evaporation of saline water)
• evapotranspiration (ET) (sum of evaporation and plant transpiration)
• exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) (exhaust gas recycling)
• exosphere (layer of atmosphere)
• extratropical cyclone (mid-latitude cyclone)
• extreme weather
• extremes on Earth

• fire whirl
• firestorm
• fog
• forensic meteorology
• free convective layer (FCL)
• freezing rain
• (front [meteorology]: see) surface weather analysis
• frontogenesis
• frontolysis
• frost
• frost creep (frost heave)
• frost flowers (frost castles) (ice castles) (ice ribbons) (ice blossoms)
• frost heaving (frost heave)
• frost law
• frost line
• (frost point: see) dew point (dewpoint)
• frostbite
• Fujita scale (F scale) (for measuring tornadoes)
• fulgurite
• (full lunar eclipse: see) lunar eclipse
• full-spectrum light
• funnel cloud (related to a tornado)

• galactic cosmic ray (GCR)
• gale
• gale warning
• Galileo thermometer (Galilean thermometer)
• Galveston, Texas (see under Hurricane of 1900 and recovery)
• Galveston Hurricane of 1900 (in the US)
• gas balloon (see under History)
• gas flare (flare stack)
• (gas warfare: see) chemical warfare
• Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL)
• glossary of climate change
• glossary of environmental science
• glossary of tornado terms
• glossary of tropical cyclone terms
• glossary of wildfire terms
• gustnado

• geomagnetic storm
• (geomagnetism: see) Earth's magnetic field
• geospatial technology (Spatial Information Technology)
• Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) (a program of the US)
• geostatistics
• geostrophic wind
• Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW)
• Global Forecast System (GFS)
• global warming
• greenhouse effect
• greenhouse gas (GHG)
• growing degree day (GDD)
• growing season
• gust front

• hail
• halo (optical phenomenon)
• haze
• heat
• (heat budget: see) radiation budget
• (heat equator: see) thermal equator
• (heat lightning: see) lightning
• heat wave
• heating degree day (HDD)
• (Heaviside layer) Kennelly–Heaviside layer (E region) (in the atmosphere)
• Heavy snow warning
• heliostat
• High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP)
• high pressure area
• High Resolution Fly's Eye Cosmic Ray Detector
• high-altitude airship (HAA)
• hodograph
• humid continental climate
• humid subtropical climate
• (humidex) heat index (HI)
• humidity
• HurriQuake nail (for resisting hurricanes and earthquakes)
• (hydrologic cycle) water cycle
• hydrological phenomenon
• hydrology
• hydrosphere
• hygrometer (different from hydrometer)
• hypercane ("hypothetical class of hurricane")

• ice
• Ice Accretion Indicator
• ice age
• ice storm
• Ice Storm Warning
• illuminance
• impact winter
• impluvium
• in situ (see under Earth and atmospheric sciences)
• incidental radiator
• India Meteorological Department
• Indian summer
• infrared (IR) radiation (see under Meteorology)
• insolation
• instrument meteorological conditions (IMG)
• instrumental temperature record
• intentional radiator
• International Meteorological Organization (IMO)
• International Temperature Scale of 1990 (ITS-90)
• International Terrestrial Reference System (ITRS)
• inversion
• Invest (meteorology)
• ion wind (ion wind) (coronal wind)
• ionosonde (chirpsounder)
• ionosphere
• ionospheric reflection
• ionospheric sounding
• iron cycle
• irradiance
• irradiation
• isobar
• isochore (in a thermodynamic diagram)
• isodrosotherm
• isogon (meteorology)
• (isogram) contour line (level set) (isarithm)
• isohel
• isohume
• isohyet
• isohypse (in topography)
• isotherm

• katabatic wind

• Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP)
• lake effect snow (a snowsquall)
• (lake surge: see) storm surge
• land hemisphere
• land lighthouse
• landspout
• lapse rate
• Lemon technique
• lenticular cloud
• level of free convection (LFC)
• life zone
• lifted condensation level (LCL)
• lifted index (LI)
• lightning
• lightning detection
• lightning prediction system
• lightning rod (lightning protector) (lightning finial)
• lightning safety
• (lightning storm) thunderstorm (T-storm) (electrical storm)
• lightvessel (lightship)
• line echo wave pattern (LEWP)
• line source ("a source of air, noise, water contamination or electromagnetic radiation")
• (list of all-time high and low temperatures by state: see) U.S. state temperature extremes
• list of basic earth science topics
• list of Category 5 Atlantic hurricanes
• list of Category 5 Pacific hurricanes
• list of cloud types
• list of coastal weather stations of the United Kingdom
• list of countries by carbon dioxide emissions
• list of countries by carbon dioxide emissions per capita
• list of Earth observation satellites
• list of lighthouses and lightvessels
• list of meteorological phenomena
• list of most polluting power stations
• list of named tropical cyclones
• list of Northern Indian Ocean tropical cyclone seasons
• List of derecho events
• list of power outages
• list of scientific journals in earth and atmospheric sciences
• list of Solar Cycles (list of sunspot cycles)
• list of tornado-related deaths at schools
• list of weather instruments
• list of weather records
• Little Ice Age (LIA)
• Local storm report
• low pressure area (see same for "low-pressure cell")
• (lowest elevations: see) list of places on land with elevations below sea level
• (luminous pollution) light pollution (photopollution)
• lunar phase

• Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO)
• magnetic storm (geomagnetic storm)
• magnetopause
• magnetosheath
• magnetosphere
• marine west coast climate (maritime climate) (oceanic climate)
• Mars Climate Orbiter
• Mars Radiation Environment Experiment (Martian Radiation Experiment) (MARIE)
• maximum parcel level (MPL)
• maximum sustained wind
• Max Planck Institute for Meteorology (MPI-M)
• mean radiant temperature (MRT)
• Mediterranean climate
• medium Earth orbit (MEO) (intermediate circular orbit) (ICO)
• megathermal (macrothermal)
• melting
• mercury (element) (see "Clean Air Act" under United States)
• mercury-in-glass thermometer
• mesopause
• mesoscale convective complex (MCC)
• mesoscale convective system (MCS)
• mesoscale convective vortex (MCV)
• mesoscale meteorology
• mesocyclone
• mesohigh
• mesolow
• mesonet
• mesosphere
• mesothermal (in climatology)
• mesovortex
• Met Office (previously Meteorological Office) (the UK's national weather service)
• meteorological history of Hurricane Katrina
• Meteorological Service of Canada (MSC)
• meteorology
• metrology
• Miami Tornado (of May 12, 1997)
• Miami tornadoes of 2003
• microclimate
• microscale meteorology
• Mid-Atlantic United States flood of 2006
• middle latitudes
• midnight
• millimeter cloud radar (millimeter wave cloud radar) (MMCR)
• misoscale meteorology
• mist
• mixed layer
• mixing ratio
• moisture
• molecular-scale temperature
• moonlight

• NASA Clean Air Study
• NASA Earth Observatory
• NASA World Wind (virtual globe)
• National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) (in the US)
• National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) (in the US)
• National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) (in the US)
• National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) (in the US)
• National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAPS) (in the US)
• (National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service: see) National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) (in the US)
• National Geomagnetism Program (in the US)
• National Hurricane Center (NHC) (in the US)
• National Map (in the US)
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) (in the US)
• (National Severe Storms Forecast Center [NSSFC]: renamed) Storm Prediction Center (SPC) (in the US)
• National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL) (in the US)
• National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) (in the US)
• National Solar Observatory (in the US)
• National Weather Association (NWA) (in the US)
• National Weather Center (NWC) (in the US)
• National Weather Service bulletin for New Orleans region (at 10:11 a.m., August 28, 2005)
• National Weather Service (NWS)
• nautical almanac
• nephology
• nephoscope
• night sky
• nimbus cloud
• nitrogen cycle
• (nitrogen pollution: see) eutrophication (see under Atmospheric deposition)
• NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards (NWR) (of the US)
• noctilucent cloud
• North Atlantic tropical cyclone
• North Pole
• numerical weather prediction

• observational astronomy (see "light pollution" in places)
• observatory (see also list of observatories)
• ocean heat content (OHC)
• Ocean Prediction Center (OHC)
• occultation
• oceanic climate
• Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR)
• 1999 Oklahoma tornado outbreak
• orographic lift
• outflow boundary
• oxygen
• oxygen cycle
• ozone
• ozone depletion
• ozone depletion potential (ODP)
• ozone layer (ozonosphere layer)
• ozone-oxygen cycle

• Pacific decadal oscillation
• paleoclimatology
• paleomagnetism
• paleotempestology
• parts-per notation
• photovore
• planetary boundary layer (PBL)
• pluvial lake
• pneumonia front
• polar circle
• polar climate
• polar easterlies
• polar high
• polar ice cap
• (polar light: see) aurora (astronomy)
• polar low
• (polar mesospheric cloud) noctilucent cloud
• polar mesospheric summer echoes (PMSE)
• polar night
• polar region
• (polar reversal) magnetic polarity reversal
• polar stratospheric cloud (PSC) (nacreous cloud)
• polar vortex
• Polarization (waves) (see under Polarization effects in everyday life)
• pole shift theory
• positive streamer
• post-glacial rebound
• potential evaporation
• potential temperature
• precipitation
• pressure gradient
• pressure gradient force (PGF)
• pyrocumulus

• Quantitative precipitation estimation
• Quantitative precipitation forecast
• Quasi-geostrophic equations

• radiance
• radiant barrier
• radiant energy
• radiation
• radiation budget
• radiation hormesis
• radiation poisoning (radiation sickness)
• radiative cooling
• radiative forcing
• radiological weapon (radiological dispersion device [RDD])
• radiosonde
• radius of outermost closed isobar
• rain
• rain fade (fading of signal by rain or snow)
• rain gauge
• rain sensor
• rain shadow
• rainbow
• rainforest
• rarefaction
• RealClimate (commentary site on climate science)
• RealSky (digital photographic sky atlas)
• relative humidity
• relative pressure
• (relief precipitation: see) orographic lift
• research balloon
• resistance thermometer (resistance temperature detector) (RTD)
• rime (frost)

• Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale
• satellite temperature measurements
• (Sea Islands Hurricane) 1893 Sea Islands Hurricane
• sea level
• (sea level pressure) atmospheric pressure
• sea surface temperature (SST)
• severe weather
• severe weather terminology (United States)
• Skew-T log-P diagram
• sky
• skyglow
• smoke
• snow
• Solar and Heliospheric Observatory
• solar azimuth angle
• solar cell
• solar collector
• solar constant
• solar cycle
• solar eclipse
• solar flare (see under Hazards)
• solar furnace
• solar greenhouse (technical)
• solar heating
• solar maximum
• Solar Maximum Mission
• solar minimum
• solar mirror
• solar proton event
• solar radiation (solar irradiance)
• (solar storm) geomagnetic storm
• solar thermal collector
• solar thermal energy
• solar updraft tower
• solar variation
• solar wind
• solarium
• space geostrategy (astrostrategy) (geostrategy in space)
• Space Science and Engineering Center (SSEC)
• space weather
• (specific humidity: see) humidity (see under Specific Humidity)
• squall
• squall line
• (standard atmospheric pressure) atmospheric pressure (standard atmosphere)
• standard conditions for temperature and pressure
• storm
• storm cellar
• storm chasing
• storm drain (storm sewer) (stormwater drain)
• storm-scale
• storm surge
• storm tide
• storm track
• storm warning (see same for "storm watch")
• storm scale
• stormwater
• stratopause
• stratosphere
• Stüve diagram
• subarctic
• subarctic climate
• subtropical cyclone (see same for "subtropical depression" and for "subtropical storm")
• subtropics (see same for "subtropical" and for "subtropical climate")
• sudden ionospheric disturbance (SID)
• sudden stratospheric warming
• sun
• sun dog (sundog) (parhelion)
• sunlight
• sunshower
• sunspot (see under "Significant events")
• supercell
• surface temperature inversion
• surface weather analysis
• surface weather observation
• synoptic scale meteorology

• teleconnection
• temperature
• temperature extremes
• (temperature inversion) inversion (meteorology)
• temperature record
• temperature record of the past 1000 years
• tephigram
• The Weather Channel (TWC)
• The Weather Network
• thermal equator
• thermodynamic temperature
• thermometer
• thunder
• thundersnow
• thunderstorm (electrical storm)
• TIMED (Thermosphere Ionosphere Mesosphere Energetics and Dynamics)
• TOR
• tornado
• tornado climatology
• tornado intensity
• tornado warning
• tornado watch
• tornado emergency
• tornadogenesis
• torr (symbol: Torr) (millimetre of mercury) (mmHg)
• Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS)
• tropical climate
• tropical cyclogenesis
• tropical cyclone (tropical storm) (typhoon) (hurricane)
• Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert (TCFA)
• tropical cyclone observation
• tropical cyclone prediction model
• tropical cyclone rainfall climatology
• tropical cyclone scales
• Tropical Ocean-Global Atmosphere program (TOGA)
• tropical rain belt
• Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM)
• Tropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatra (in Indonesia)
• (Tropical Research Institute) Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) (in Panama)
• Tropical upper tropospheric trough (TUTT)
• tropical wave (African easterly wave)
• tropopause
• troposphere
• Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES)
• tropospheric ozone
• tsunami
• Tsunami PTSD Center (Tsunami Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Center)
• tsunami warning system
• typical meteorological year

• U.S. state temperature extremes
• ultraviolet
• United States temperature extremes
• urban heat island (UHI)
• UV index

• vapor pressure
• virtual temperature
• vorticity

• waterspout
• water vapor
• weather
• weather forecasting
• weather front
• weather lore
• Weather Modification Operations and Research Board (US)
• Weather Prediction Center (WPC)
• weather radar
• weather satellite
• wet-bulb potential temperature
• wet-bulb temperature
• wind
• wind chill
• wind direction
• wind gradient
• wind profiler
• wind shear
• wind speed
• windcatcher
• Windscale fire
• winter storm
• Winter Storm Warning
• Winter Weather Advisory
• World Asthma Day
• World Climate Change Conference, Moscow
• World Climate Conference
• World Climate Programme
• World Climate Report
• World Climate Research Programme
• World Meteorological Organization (WMO)
• World Solar Challenge

• Zonal wavenumber