| Word | Definition |
| Evaporation | Process in which the sun's heat turns liquid water into water vapor |
| Hurricane | Violent tropical storm with high winds and heavy rains |
| Humid Subtropical Climate | Weather pattern characterized by hot, humid, rainy summers and short, mild winters |
| El Nino | Combination of temperature, wind, and water effects in the Pacific Ocean that causes heavy rains in some areas and drought in others |
| Humid Continental Climate | Weather pattern characterized by long, cold, and snowy winters and short, hot summers |
| Savanna | Broad grassland in the tropics with few trees |
| Tornado | Funnel shaped windstorm that sometimes forms during a severe thunderstorm |
| Condensation | Process in which air rises and cools, which makes the water vapor it holds change back into a liquid |
| Timberline | Elevation along mountains above which no trees grow |
| Collection | Process in the water cycle during which streams and rivers carry water back to the oceans |
| Glacier | Giant slow-moving sheets of ice |
| Drought | Long period of extreme dryness and water shortages |
| Local Wind | Pattern of wind caused by landforms in a particular area |
| Marine West Coast Climate | Weather pattern characterized by rainy and mild winters and cool summers |
| Canopy | Umbrella-like covering formed by the tops of trees in a rain forest |
| Rain Shadow | Dry area on the inland side of coastal mountains |
| Tundra | Vast rolling treeless plain in high latitude climates in which only the top few inches of ground thaw in summer |
| Weather | Unpredictable changes in the air that take place over a short period of time |
| Water Cycle | Process in which water moves from the oceans to the air to the ground and then finally back to the oceans |
| La Nina | Pattern of unusual weather in the Pacific Ocean that has the opposite effects of El Nino |
| Water Vapor | Water in the form of gas |
| Steppe | Partly dry grassland often found on the edges of a desert |
| Climate | Usual, predictable patterns of weather in an area over a long period of time |
| Permafrost | Permanently frozen lower layers of soil in the tundra and subarctic regions |
| Greenhouse Effect | Buildup of certain gases in the atmosphere that, like a greenhouse, hold more of the sun's warmth |
| Subarctic | Weather pattern characterized by severely cold and bitter winters and short, cool summers |
| Mediterranean Climate | Weather pattern characterized by mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers |
| Aquifer | Underground rock layer so rich in water that water actually flows through it |
| Current | Moving streams of water in the world's oceans, which affect the climate of land areas |
| Precipitation | Water that falls back to the earth as rain, snow, sleet, or hail |
| Monsoon | Seasonal wind that blows over a continent for months at a time |
| Rainforest | Dense forest that receives high amounts of rain each year |
| Groundwater | Water that fills tiny cracks and holes in the rock layers below the earth's surface |
| Tropics | Low-latitude region between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn |
| Typhoon | Name for hurrican in Asia |
