The amount of precipitation falling in one day, or other specified period, that is likely to be equalled or exceeded in any given place only once in a century. That is, a precipitation amount that has a return period of 100 years.

In a radiosonde observation, a level (other than a standard level) for which values of pressure, temperature, and humidity are reported because temperature and/or humidity data at that level is sufficiently important or unusual to warrant the attention of ...

The inherent imprecision of a given process of measurement, the unpredictable component of repeated independent measurements of the same object under sensibly uniform conditions.

The programs and instructions which direct a computer.

A system of designating meteorological observing stations by number. established and administered by the World Meteorological Organization. Under this scheme, specified areas of the word are divided into "blocks" each bearing a two-number designator. Stat ...

A recording hair hygrometer.

Eluding precise prediction, completely irregular.

Precipitation composed of balls or irregular lumps of ice with diameters between 5 and 50 mm.

An instrument used to measure changes in the level of the water in an evaporation pan. The gauge is normally placed in a Stillwell and adjusted so that the point of the hook just breaks the water surface. The change in water level is read on the attached ...

Same as aneroid barometer. Holostelic means wholly made of solids, while aneroid means devoid of liquid.

An instrument used to determine atmospheric pressure or elevation by observing the boiling point of water or both liquids. The sensitivity of the hypsometer increases with decreasing pressure, making it more useful for high altitude work.

A type of climatic diagram whose coordinates are some form of temperature vs. a form of humidity or precipitation.

Water vapor content of the air. See absolute humidity, dew point, mixing ratio, relative humidity, specific humidity.

An instrument for measuring the extinction coefficient in water.

Anemometer which measures wind speed by measuring the degree of cooling of a metal film heated by an electric current. A type of cooling-power anemometer.

A measure, proposed by Angstrom, of the precipitation effectiveness of a region.

The transducer of any hygrometer, i.e. that part of a hygrometer that quantitatively "senses" atmospheric water vapor.

See hurricane beacon.

A graphical representation of stage or discharge at a point on a stream as a function of time.

Fine dust or salt particles dispersed through a portion of the atmosphere; a type of lithometer. The particles are so small they cannot be felt or seen with the naked eye. Many haze formations are caused by the presence of an abundance of condensation nuc ...