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By: Ikedi Ani-okoye.

Introduction to weather

For most, the details of how weather patterns form is less important than whether the factors lead to rain, snow, heat, strong winds or other conditions. Those who are not professionals in the weather-watching industry rely on those who are professional.

These specialists have benefited, in recent years, from the introduction of specialized instruments and computer modeling that help track storms and predict weather conditions. In addition, amateurs have access to high-quality instruments and information that puts them nearer to the status of a meteorologist or other weather/climate professional.

Weather Basics

For those who study weather on a daily basis, movement of air masses is at the heart of most changes in weather conditions. These huge areas of warm air or cold air (weather fronts) move up or down in the atmosphere, as well as horizontally, sometimes covering hundreds of miles in a short time. The sun does not heat the atmosphere on a consistent basis. Variations in temperature occur, depending on the location. The large masses of air move about, part of nature's attempt to maintain balance.

Weather problems

One of the more destructive of earth's extreme weather conditions is the tornado, featuring quickly spinning winds that pack a damaging punch. This category of storms can include small, entertaining dust devils, waterspouts that form over the ocean and, of course, the well-known tornado. There are basic differences in how these three weather phenomena are formed, even though they share the whirling wind characteristic.

CONCLUSION

Weather formation is a very complex process, involving the sun, the Earth's atmosphere and the rotation of the Earth. But there is one more item to add to the list of ingredients responsible for changing weather patterns. This last piece of the puzzle is none other than good old terra firma.