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

Ábrego

A warm, moist southwesterly wind on the Iberian Peninsula, associated with rainfall on the Atlantic slope.

Wind

Anabatic wind

Wind that ascends mountain slopes heated by the sun during the day.

Wind

Anti-trade winds

Upper-level winds blowing from the equator towards the poles above the trade winds, completing the return flow of the Hadley cell.

Wind

B

Bora

Violent, cold, gusty katabatic wind descending from the Balkan interior plateaux toward the Adriatic Sea coast.

Wind

C

Chinook

Warm, dry wind descending the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains in North America, capable of raising temperatures by tens of degrees in hours.

Wind

Cierzo

Cold, dry northwesterly wind channelled through Spain's Ebro Valley.

Wind

E

Etesian winds

Dry, persistent northerly winds blowing over the Aegean Sea and eastern Mediterranean during summer, also known as meltemi.

Wind

F

Foehn effect

Warming and drying of air as it descends the leeward slope of a mountain after losing moisture as precipitation on the windward side.

Wind

G

Galerna

A sudden, violent northwesterly squall occurring over the Bay of Biscay, with abrupt temperature drops and hurricane-force winds.

Wind

Garbí

South-westerly breeze along the Spanish Mediterranean coast, especially in Catalonia and Valencia, associated with warm, humid summer afternoons.

Wind

Geostrophic wind

Theoretical wind that would blow parallel to isobars when the pressure gradient force and Coriolis force are in perfect balance.

Wind

Gregal

North-easterly wind in the western Mediterranean, common in the Balearic Islands and Catalonia, bringing cold, moist air with rain and swell.

Wind

H

Haboob

Intense sandstorm or dust storm driven by the outflow of a convective thunderstorm, forming a wall of dust up to 1,500 metres high.

Wind

Harmattan

Dry, dusty wind from the Sahara blowing towards the Gulf of Guinea between November and March, reducing visibility and cooling coastal temperatures.

Wind

J

Jet stream

Very strong wind current in the upper troposphere (9–12 km) that steers depressions and anticyclones.

Wind

K

Katabatic wind

Cold wind that flows downhill driven by gravity, common in mountain areas and polar regions.

Wind

L

Lebeche

Warm, moist south-westerly wind along the Spanish Mediterranean coast, associated with unstable weather, rising temperatures, and swell.

Wind

Levante

Easterly wind in the western Mediterranean, moist and associated with coastal rainfall.

Wind

M

Mistral

Cold, dry, and violent wind channelled down the Rhone valley toward the western Mediterranean, typical of southern France.

Wind

N

Nortada

Northerly wind along the Atlantic coast of Portugal and western Iberia during summer, driven by the contrast between the Azores High and the heated interior plateau.

Wind

P

Pampero

Strong, cold southerly or south-westerly wind sweeping across the Argentine Pampas and Uruguay after a cold front passage, causing a sharp temperature drop.

Wind

Poniente

A westerly wind blowing in the Mediterranean and various regions of Spain, generally warm and dry.

Wind

S

Santa Ana wind

Hot, dry, strong wind descending from interior plateaus to the coast of southern California, associated with high wildfire risk.

Wind

Sea breeze

Local wind that blows from sea to land during the day, caused by differential heating of both surfaces.

Wind

Simoom

Strong, very hot, dry wind of the Sahara and Arabian deserts, raising sandstorms with temperatures that can exceed 54 °C.

Wind

Sirocco

Hot wind originating in the Sahara that crosses the Mediterranean, picking up moisture and carrying African dust toward southern Europe.

Wind

Solano

A warm, dry east or southeasterly wind blowing in central and southern Spain, associated with heat waves.

Wind

T

Terral

A nocturnal wind blowing from land toward the sea, particularly notable on the Mediterranean coast of Andalusia.

Wind

Trade winds

Steady winds blowing from the subtropical high-pressure belts toward the equator — from the northeast in the Northern Hemisphere and from the southeast in the Southern Hemisphere.

Wind

Tramontana

A strong, cold north or northeasterly wind blowing in Catalonia, the Balearic Islands, and southern France.

Wind

V

Valley breeze

Daytime wind blowing up valley slopes due to solar heating of the hillsides, reversing direction at night as a mountain breeze.

Wind

W

Wind shear

Abrupt change in wind speed or direction over a short distance, either vertically or horizontally, hazardous for aviation and associated with severe storms.

Wind

X

Xaloc

Warm south-easterly wind in the western Mediterranean, a regional variant of the sirocco bringing hot African air to the Balearics, Catalonia, and Valencia.

Wind

Z

Zonda

Hot, dry wind descending the eastern slopes of the Andes in Argentina, the South American equivalent of the Fohn.

Wind