Memorize these and you could recognize 36.0% of all Weather clues.
| # | Answer | Appearances | Sample Clue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | fog | 17 | A 2-word weather event in a European capital, or a brand of raincoat |
| 2 | humidity | 13 | Amount of water vapor in air divided by amount the air could hold at that temp. & pressure |
| 3 | Lightning | 12 | "It's as if God is trying to tell me something, but I don't know what that is", a man said after the 6th time this happened |
| 4 | the Snow | 10 | "Smilla's Sense of" this helps her solve a murder in Copenhagen |
| 5 | a front | 10 | I'm sick of the same weather again, the result of a stationary one of these where neither of the adjoining air masses can move |
| 6 | a tornado | 9 | On the average, the highly destructive path of one of these storms is less than 16 miles long |
| 7 | hail | 7 | Weather phenomenon in title of song used for presidential entrances |
| 8 | Thunder | 7 | To take attention from another; it literally happened to a guy who came up with a stage audio effect |
| 9 | clouds | 7 | These rotating cone-like clouds aren't called tornadoes until they touch the ground |
| 10 | a typhoon | 7 | This term for a tropical cyclone is the Far East equivalent of a "hurricane" |
| 11 | the doldrums | 6 | A listless depression, such as sailors feel in tropical areas of little or no wind |
| 12 | Indian summer | 6 | In Poland, it's "God's gift to Poland", in England "all hallow's summer", & in America, this |
| 13 | a hailstone | 6 | The largest of these in the U.S. fell on Coffeyville, Kansas; it measured 17 1/2 inches in circumference |
| 14 | trade winds | 6 | More common name for the tropical easterlies |
| 15 | a hurricane | 6 | Admiral Beaufort designated this wind, "that which no canvas could withstand", #12 on his scale |
| 16 | hurricanes | 5 | Their names for '85 include Nana, Bob, Claudette, & Danny |
| 17 | Hawaii | 5 | All states have recorded temperatures below zero (F.), except this one |
| 18 | the troposphere | 5 | Nearly all weather occurs in this, the lowest layer of the atmosphere |
| 19 | Frost | 5 | From the type of plant they resemble, these ice crystals are alliteratively called this type of frost |
| 20 | barometer | 5 | Invented by French scientist Lucien Vidie in 1843, this type of barometer uses a metal capsule instead of mercury |
| 21 | acid rain | 5 | Term for modern weather eco-hazard caused by sulfur dioxide's reaction to moisture in air |
| 22 | a cyclone | 5 | A waterspout has all the same characteristics as one of these, except that it's over water, not land |
| 23 | tornadoes | 4 | The American Midwest sees more of these storms than any other place in the world |
| 24 | the jet stream | 4 | High velocity winds occurring 4.7-7.5 miles above ground, not well known till WWII pilots flew thru them |
| 25 | hailstones | 4 | The largest of these reported in the U.S. weighed over 1½ pounds & was found in Kansas in 1970 |
| 26 | blizzard | 4 | Term for a severe Midwest snowstorm, it's similar to the "purga" in Siberia |
| 27 | a rainbow | 4 | Formed by refraction & reflection of light by water droplets, 2 people can never see the same one |
| 28 | wind | 4 | Triangular flags on a weather map show the direction of this |
| 29 | monsoon | 3 | Reports say that rickshaw pullers in Calcutta triple their rates during the season called this |
| 30 | London | 3 | By Feb. 2014 this city closed the Thames Barrier a record number of times, protecting it from tidal flooding |
| 31 | ice | 3 | Halos around the Sun or Moon are caused by refraction of light by these crystals |
| 32 | drizzle | 3 | Precipitation of droplets larger than .5mm is called rain; in droplets smaller than .5mm, it's called this |
| 33 | cirrus | 3 | Latin for "curl of hair", these wispy clouds can be blown into strands called mare's tails |
| 34 | California | 3 | Climate zones in this state include the southern deserts, the central coast & the Sierra Nevada |
| 35 | Antarctica | 3 | The highest temperature ever recorded on this continent was 59° F. |
| 36 | the eye | 3 | Atmospheric pressure reaches its lowest point in this less cloudy central region of a hurricane |
| 37 | the Department of Commerce | 3 | The National Weather Service is part of this Cabinet department |
| 38 | a storm surge | 3 | A Category 4 hurricane hitting a wide & shallow continental shelf can produce a 20-foot this alliterative phrase |
| 39 | Tropical storm | 3 | Don't worry about Ulka yet--she's not a hurricane, just one of these "storms" with winds over 38 MPH |
| 40 | waterspouts | 2 | In summer, about 100 of these small funnels appear ea. month under ordinary cumulus clouds off Florida |
| 41 | thunderheads | 2 | Storm-producing cumulonimbus clouds are popularly called these |
| 42 | the Indian Ocean | 2 | On March 15-16, 1952 it rained a record 73.62" in 24 hours on the island of Reunion in this ocean |
| 43 | Sunshine | 2 | The Beatles rejoiced, "Good Day" this & then rested "beneath a shady tree" |
| 44 | Sahara | 2 | If you experience a wind known as a sirocco, you're in this desert |
| 45 | Russia | 2 | Country in which both Hitler & Napoleon were defeated by winter weather |
| 46 | red sky at night | 2 | A variant of a proverb calls this the "shepherd's delight" |
| 47 | precipitation | 2 | General term for all moisture that falls |
| 48 | Nuclear Winter | 2 | Carl Sagan & others believe atomic war could lead to this much feared "season" |
| 49 | Miami | 2 | The National Hurricane Center is based in this Florida city |
| 50 | mercury | 2 | Air pressure is usually measured in millibars or in inches of this metal |