Introduction & principle
A curated glossary based on the WMO International Meteorological Vocabulary, paraphrased for amateur observers.
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Meteorological Terminology Simplifier
Translate professional meteorological terms into plain civilian language.
Live tool
Adiabatic
Temperature change with no heat exchange — e.g. rising air cools as it expands.
Advection
Horizontal transport of an air property like temperature or moisture.
Anticyclone
High-pressure system; usually fair weather.
Convection
Vertical motion driven by buoyancy.
Coriolis
Apparent deflection of moving air due to Earth's rotation.
Dew point
Temperature at which air becomes saturated.
Front
Boundary between two air masses with different temperatures.
Inversion
Layer where temperature rises with altitude — traps pollutants.
Lapse rate
Rate of temperature decrease with altitude.
Mesoscale
Weather systems of 5–500 km — thunderstorms, sea breezes.
Occluded front
Cold front catching a warm front, lifting it aloft.
Synoptic
Large-scale weather features visible on a continental map.
Trough
Elongated area of relatively low pressure.
Vorticity
Local spin of the atmosphere — drives cyclones.
Tool advantage
Faster than scrolling the WMO PDF; written for non-specialists.
Detailed usage guide
- 1Type or browse a term.
- 2Read the plain-English explanation and a short example.
Common problems & FAQ
Is it exhaustive?
It covers the ~200 terms amateur observers hit most often.
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