Meteopedia — Weather glossary

Weather encyclopedia with 342 terms

Browse detailed definitions of atmospheric phenomena, cloud types, measurement instruments, regional winds, meteorological scales, climatology and more.

342 Meteopedia 16 categories
All (342) Atmospheric phenomena (50) Instruments (30) Scales and measurements (10) Clouds (36) Wind (34) Precipitation (24) Temperature (15) Cyclones and severe storms (14) Atmospheric optics (16) Meteorological astronomy (5) Climatology (34) Marine meteorology (15) Air quality (10) Agrometeorology (10) Hazards and safety (10) General (29)
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

A

AQI

Air Quality Index that converts pollutant concentrations (PM2.5, PM10, O₃, NO₂, SO₂) into a numerical scale from 0 to 500 to inform the public.

Scales and measurements

B

Beaufort scale

Empirical scale from 0 to 12 that classifies wind intensity by its observable effects.

Scales and measurements

E

Enhanced Fujita scale

Scale from EF0 to EF5 that classifies tornado intensity based on observed damage.

Scales and measurements

H

Humidex

Canadian index combining temperature and humidity to express perceived thermal sensation: values above 40 indicate considerable discomfort.

Scales and measurements

K

Kelvin

SI unit of temperature. 0 K is absolute zero (−273.15 °C).

Scales and measurements

S

Saffir-Simpson scale

Scale from 1 to 5 that classifies hurricane intensity by sustained wind speed.

Scales and measurements

SPI

Standardised Precipitation Index quantifying rainfall deficit or surplus relative to the mean at different time scales, used as a drought indicator.

Scales and measurements

T

TORRO scale

Scale from T0 to T11 that classifies tornado intensity in Europe, complementary to the Fujita scale.

Scales and measurements

U

UTCI

Universal Thermal Climate Index evaluating thermal stress on the human body by combining temperature, wind, humidity, and solar radiation.

Scales and measurements

UV index

International scale from 0 to 11+ measuring the intensity of solar ultraviolet radiation at the surface.

Scales and measurements