| A | B |
|---|
| atmospheric pressure | the pressure exerted by the earth's atmosphere at any given point |
| cyclone | a violent rotating windstorm |
| condensation | the process by which a gas or vapor changes to a liquid |
| convection current | the transfer of heat by the mass movement of heated particles into an area of cooler fluid |
| Category 3 | a strong hurricane with winds from 111-130mph and a storm surge of 9-12 feet. |
| Category 4 | a hurricane that causes extreme damage with wind strength between 131-155mph and a storm surge of 13-18 feet. |
| eye | a very calm area at the center of the hurricane. Usually has few clouds and around it is the eye wall. |
| hurricane | a violent tropical storm with winds over 74mph |
| millibar | a unit of atmospheric pressure equal to one thousandth of a bar |
| typhoon | a tropical cyclone occuring in the western Pacific or Indian oceans |
| tornado | a rotating column of air ranging in width from a few yards to more than a mile and whirling at destructively high speeds |
| vortex | a spiral motion of water or air that sucks everything near it toward its center |
| Gulf Stream | a western current in the N.Atlantic that carries warm water north along the east coast of the U.S. |
| Tropical Depression | tropical cyclones that have a max wind speed of less than 39 mph |
| trade winds | winds blowing mainly from the northeast in the N.Hemisphere and from the southeast in the S.Hemisphere |
| storm surge | a huge "dome" of ocean water that can be 20 feet tall and 50 to 100 miles wide |
