Understanding Weather Terms

In the world of weather and climate, there's a lot of jargon that can be confusing to navigate. To help you better understand these terms and their meanings, we've created a comprehensive glossary that covers everything from common instruments like barometers and hygrometers to more specialised terms such as "Indian Summer" and "lunar eclipse." Whether you're a weather enthusiast, a gardening hobbyist, or just curious about the terms you often hear in forecasts, this glossary will serve as a handy reference to clarify and demystify the language of meteorology.

Weather Glossary:

Allotment: A plot of land an individual rents for growing vegetables and flowers.

Barograph: An instrument that continuously records a barometer’s atmospheric pressure reading.

Barometer: An instrument used to measure atmospheric pressure. Barometers are used for weather forecasting, altitude measurement, aviation, and marine operations, and scientific research involving meteorology and climatology.

Banjo Barometer: A type of barometer designed with an elongated shape. Mainly for decorative effect and can often include additional meteorological instruments such as a thermometer and a hygrometer.

Barometric Pressure: Also known as atmospheric pressure, the pressure exerted by the atmosphere at a given point. Can be measured in millibars, inches, or millimeters of mercury.

Climate: The long-term patterns and average conditions of temperature, humidity, wind, precipitation, and other atmospheric elements in a particular region over a significant period.

Climate Change: Long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. Caused by burning fossil fuels which produce heat-trapping gases, known as greenhouse gases.

Combined Weather Dial: An instrument that integrates multiple meteorological tools into one device. At ClimeMET our combined dial includes; a thermometer, hygrometer, and barometer.

Dry bulb thermometer: A thermometer used to measure the ambient temperature. The temperature recorded is considered identical to air temperature. It’s been named “dry bulb” to distinguish it from its sister thermometer the “wet bulb” which is used to measure relative humidity.

Falling Tide: The period where the sea level decreases, moving from high tide to low tide.

Forecast: A prediction or estimation of future weather events.

Greenhouse gases: Gases in the Earth’s atmosphere that trap heat, the gases raise the surface temperature of the Earth by absorbing infrared radiation.

Full Moon: The lunar phase where the moon appears fully illuminated from the earth. This appears when Earth is located between the sun and the moon.

Greenhouse: A glass building in which plants that need protection from the cold weather are grown.

High Tide: The point in the tidal cycle when the water level is at its highest elevation (closest to the shore), it occurs twice per day.

Humidity: The amount of water vapour in the air.

Hygrometer: A weather instrument that measures the amount of water vapour in the atmosphere.

Indian Summer: A period of abnormally warm weather in mid to late autumn.

Low Tide: The point in the tidal cycle when the water level is at its lowest elevation (furthest away from the shore) this is due to gravitational pulls by the moon and the sun.

Lunar Eclipse: Occurs when the earth directly lines up with the sun and the moon. During a lunar eclipse, the moon is in the Earth’s shadow. Looking slightly orange.

Masons Wet and Dry Bulb Hygrometer: Used to measure the relative humidity of the air. It consists of two thermometers, the wet bulb and the dry bulb thermometers, used together to determine the moisture content in the air.

Meteorology: The scientific study of the atmosphere, particularly weather and climate. It involves understanding and predicting weather patterns and climatic trends.

Moon Phase: The appearance of the moon from Earth as it changes throughout the lunar cycle. These phases are caused by the varying angles from which we view the moon as it orbits the Earth.

Moon Phase Clock: A clock that indicates the moon's current phase, a practical tool for tracking the lunar cycle.

New Moon: Occurs when the moon is between the sun and the earth, this is when the moon is least visible to earth, hidden by its shadow. 

Perspex: A brand name for a type of acrylic plastic. A transparent thermoplastic material that is used as a lightweight and shatter-resistant alternative to glass.

Precipitation: Any form of water that falls from the atmosphere to the Earth’s surface.

Rain Gauges: A weather instrument used to measure rainfall, the amount of rain that falls over a specific period.

Rising Tide: The period when the sea level is moving from low tide to high tide.

Soil Thermometer: A specialised probe tool designed to measure soil temperature, can be inserted into the soil at various depths to measure exact soil temperatures.

Solar Eclipse: When the moon passes between the Earth and the sun and obscures the view of the sun from the Earth either partially or completely.

Thermometer: Gardening thermometers are used to measure temperature in different parts of the garden, this includes; soil, air, and compost. Thermometers help gardeners make decisions about managing their gardens.

Tide Clock: A specialized timekeeping clock dial, rotating on a 12-hour and 25-minute mechanism, to indicate the current position of the tide, at your desired location.

Waning Moon: The lunar phase in which the moon's visible surface is getting smaller. A waning moon occurs between a full moon and a new moon.

Waxing Moon: The lunar phase in which the moon’s surface is becoming more visable. A waxing moon occurs between a new moon and a full moon.

Weather: Short-term atmospheric conditions in a specific place at a particular time. Weather is based upon elements such as temperature, humidity, precipitation, wind, and atmospheric pressure. They are measured over short periods such as hours or days.

Weather Chart: A specially designed chart to record daily weather patterns, each sheet has 1 months’ worth of data to fill.

Weather Dials: Decorative and functional instruments used to display various meteorological information. Useful for monitoring weather at a glance, typically used in home decor and gardens.

Weather Stations: A compact system designed for personal use that measures various meteorological conditions and provides real-time weather data. Used to monitor local weather conditions from the comfort of your home.

Zodiac: The zodiac is a circle divided into twelve equal parts, each 30° wide, along the path the Sun appears to take through the sky over a year. These parts are known as zodiac signs or star signs, and they include: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces. Your star sign is determined by the position of the Sun within one of these twelve segments on the day you were born