Weather Fundamentals

A common misconception is meteorology being the study of meteors, but that is actually from a different department; astronomy. Meteorology is actually the study of weather. The root word "Meteor" goes back all of the way to Ancient Greece where meteor meant anything that appeared in the sky. This would include phenomena such as precipitation, clouds, rainbows, thunderstorms, etc. In today's terms we use hydrometeors. Hydrometeors are water or ice particles in the atmosphere or at the Earth’s surface that form through condensation, deposition (sublimation), or are lifted from the ground by the wind. They include everything from clouds and fog to rain, snow, hail, and even blowing spray. Many meteorologists will reference any type of precipitation as hydrometeors in radar meteorology. Regardless, it is an evolving and growing field of study with several factors that shape our atmosphere today. 

Meteorology is the study of weather, which can range from a variety of spatial and temporal scales anywhere from the current weather conditions you receive to several decades of averaged data over time. The state of the atmosphere at a specific time or place is called weather. Weather reflects short-term changes in the state of the atmosphere based on changes in temperature, barometric pressure, wind, clouds, and precipitation. When these conditions are averaged over a long period of time, such as 30 years or more, it is called climate. 30 Years is your typical average climatological period where scientists can compare 30-year averages to daily temperature extremes. In other words, scientists would look at trends, anomalies (deviations from normal), and extremes in regards to the climate. 

For example, let's say the average high temperature for Cincinnati, Ohio on January 1st is 41F. This average temperature comes from 30 years of data averaged on January 1st from 1991-2020. Let's say on January 1st, 2025 Cincinnati recorded a high temperature of 68F. That is 27 degrees above normal! This would be an example of a positive anomaly where the temperature is higher than normal. This is merely one example, but scientists can compare more than just temperature. There is a lot more that impacts our daily weather conditions, which we will dive into throughout this course. First, let's discuss the air we breathe.