Weather Word of the Day | weatherology°

Weather Word of the Day

October 23, 2025

Rossby waves - Also known as planetary waves. Rossby waves are a series of long-wavelength troughs and ridges that occur along the main branches of the jet stream. They form due to the rotation of the Earth and are an important way for the planet to distribute heat away from the equator as well as cold air from the poles.

October 22, 2025

Skew-T - A Thermodynamic Diagram on which temperature, dew point, and winds are plotted for the various levels in the atmosphere. Meteorologists receive the data needed to construct a skew-t diagram from weather balloon launches. Skew-t charts are a great way to diagnose how stable or unstable the atmosphere is on a given day.

October 21, 2025

Snow roller - A phenomenon that can occur when there is a wet snow on the ground combined with strong winds. Snow rollers look like the beginnings of the snowballs that humans roll when constructing a snowman.

October 20, 2025

Severe Thunderstorm Warning - One is issued when either a severe thunderstorm is indicated by the WSR-88D radar imagery or via spotter reports. In order for a thunderstorm to be considered severe one or more of the following parameters must be reached: quarter sized diameter hail or larger, 58 mph or greater winds, isolated tornadoes. When a severe thunderstorm approaches people in the affected area should seek shelter immediately.

October 19, 2025

Precipitable Water - This takes into account all the water vapor that is found in the atmosphere from the surface to a specified height. Precipitable water is the amount of liquid precipitation that would occur if all the water vapor were condensed. The measurement is given in inches of rain. Precipitable water values are watched closely by meteorologists when diagnosing the potential for heavy rains during weather events.

October 18, 2025

Rossby waves - Also known as planetary waves. Rossby waves are a series of long-wavelength troughs and ridges that occur along the main branches of the jet stream. They form due to the rotation of the Earth and are an important way for the planet to distribute heat away from the equator as well as cold air from the poles.

October 17, 2025

Roll Cloud - Also known as a shelf cloud. This cloud formation is seen when a solid line of thunderstorms approaches. These low hanging clouds cover the entire horizon and are seen as a cylindrically shaped and elongated cloud. They occur along the gust front of a line of storms as one can expect winds to increase noticeably as these clouds head through.