Weather terms starting with S

436 terms

S 1) South or 2) Snow
S-Band Radar These were in use as network radars in the National Weather Service prior to the installation of the WSR 88-D radars.
S/W Shortwave - a disturbance in the mid or upper part of the atmosphere which induces upward motion ahead of it.
S/WV Shortwave - a disturbance in the mid or upper part of the atmosphere which induces upward motion ahead of it.
SafetyNET Inmarsat-C SafetyNET is an internationally adopted, automated satellite system for promulgating weather forecasts and warnings, marine navigational…
Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale is a 1 to 5 categorization based on the hurricane's intensity at the indicated time.
Saffir-Simpson Scale This scale was developed in an effort to estimate the possible damage a hurricane's sustained winds and storm surge could do to a coastal area.
Sahara a large desert in northern Africa.
Sahel a large savanna in northern Africa.
Salinity (SAL) In oceanography, conductivity is measured and converted to salinity by a known functional relationship between the measured electrical conductivity of…
SAME (Specific Area Message Encoding) - A tone alert system which allows NOAA Weather Radio receivers equipped with the SAME feature to sound an alert for only…
SAMEX Storm and Mesoscale Ensemble Experiment
sampling frequency The rate at which sensor data is read or sampled.
Sandstorm Particles of sand carried aloft by strong wind. The sand particles are mostly confined to the lowest ten feet, and rarely rise more than fifty feet above…
Santa Ana Wind In southern California, a weather condition in which strong, hot, dust-bearing winds descend to the Pacific Coast around Los Angeles from inland desert…
Sastrugi Ridges of snow formed on a snow field by the action of the wind.
SAT 1. Satellite (imagery) 2. Saturday
Satellite Hydrology Program A NOHRSC program that uses satellite data to generate areal extent of snow cover data over large areas of the western United States.
SATL Satellite
Saturation Saturation The condition in which the partial pressure of any fluid constituent (water in the atmospheric air) is equal to its maximum possible partial…
Saturation Vapor Pressure The vapor pressure of a system, at a given temperature, wherein the vapor of a substance is in equilibrium with a plane surface of that substance's pure…
Savanna A flat grassland of tropical and subtropical regions usually having distinct periods of dry and wet weather.
SAWRS Supplementary Aviation Reporting Station - the SAWRS program addresses the concerns of users who depend on weather observations for air operations.
SBCAPE Surface Based CAPE; CAPE calculated using a Surface based parcel.
SBND Southbound
SBSD Subside
SC Abbreviation for synaptonemal complex.
SCA Abbreviation for specific combining ability.
Scale Ratio of map distance to Earth distance. Thus, in a 1:24,000 scale map, one centimeter, inch, or foot equals 24,000 centimeters, inches, or feet on the…
Scattered When used to describe precipitation (for example: "scattered showers") - Area coverage of convective weather affecting 30 percent to 50 percent of a…
Scattering The process in which a beam of light is diffused or deflected by collisions with particles suspended in the atmosphere.
Science Board An ACRF group made up of the ARM Science Team Executive Committee working group science chairs and climate research community appointees, that ensures…
Science Team Executive Committee (STEC) The committee that provides recommendations, prioritization, coordination of activities, and program vision to the U.S.
SCT Scattered
SCUD Small, ragged, low cloud fragments that are unattached to a larger cloud base and often seen with and behind cold fronts and thunderstorm gust fronts.
SE Southeast
Sea Breeze A thermally produced wind blowing during the day from a cool ocean surface onto the adjoining warm land, caused by the difference in the rates of heating…
Sea Breeze Convergence Zone The zone at the leading edge of a sea breeze where winds converge. The incoming air rises in this zone, often producing convective clouds.
Sea Breeze Front The leading edge of a sea breeze, whose passage is often accompanied by showers, a wind shift, or a sudden drop in temperature.
Sea Fog Common advection fog caused by transport of moist air over a cold body of water.
Sea Ice Any form of ice found at sea which has originated from the freezing of sea water (sea ice does NOT include superstructure icing).
Sea Level Pressure The sea level pressure is the atmospheric pressure at sea level at a given location.
Sea smoke Sea smoke (arctic sea smoke) Evaporation fog or steam fog which is formed when water vapor is added to air which is much colder than the vapor's source…
Sea surface temperature Sea surface temperature Temperature of the water film at the sea surface.
Sea Surface Temperatures The term refers to the mean temperature of the ocean in the upper few meters.
SEAS Secure Environment Access Solution
Second-Day Feet The volume of water represented by a flow of one cubic foot per second for 24 hours; equal to 84,000 cubic feet.
Secondary Ambient Air Quality Standards Air quality standards designed to protect human welfare, including the effects on vegetation and fauna, visibility and structures.
Secondary oil recovery Injection of water into an oil well after primary oil recovery to force out some of the remaining thicker crude oil.
Secondary Pollutant Pollutants generated by chemical reactions occurring within the atmosphere. Compare primary pollutant.
Sector A sector is a segment of the economy that shares distinctive characteristics, such as telecommunications or energy.
Sector Boundary In solar-terrestrial terms, in the solar wind, the area of demarcation between sectors, which are large-scale features distinguished by the predominant…
Sector Visibility The visibility in a specific direction that represents at least a 45Âº arc of a horizontal circle.
Sectorized Hybrid Scan A single reflectivity scan composed of data from the lowest four elevation scans. Close to the radar, higher tilts are used to reduce clutter.
Securite A headline within National Weather Service high seas forecasts transmitted via the GMDSS to indicate that no hurricane or hurricane force winds are…
Sediment Any finely divided organic and/or mineral matter deposited by air or water in nonturbulent areas.
Sediment Storage Capacity The volume of a reservoir planned for the deposition of sediment.
Seepage The act or process involving the slow movement of water or other fluid through a porous material such as soil or rock.
Seiche A standing wave oscillation of water in large lakes usually created by strong winds and/or a large barometric pressure gradient.
SEL A watch cancellation statement issued to terminate a watch before its original expiration time.
SELS Severe Local Storm
SELY Southeasterly
Semipermanent anticyclone Semipermanent anticyclone (high) High pressure area largely predominate during a major portion of the year where an anticyclone appears on the mean…
Semipermanent depression Semipermanent depression (low) Slowly moving or motionless cyclone.
Sensible Heat The heat absorbed or released when a substance undergoes a change in temperature.
Sensible Heat Flux The flux of heat from the earth's surface to the atmosphere that is not associated with phase changes of water; a component of the surface energy budget.
Separation Eddy An eddy that forms near the ground on the windward or leeward side of a bluff object or steeply rising hillside; streamlines above this eddy go over the…
Septic tank Underground tank for treatment of wastewater from a home in rural and suburban areas.
Serial Derecho Type of derecho that consists of an extensive squall line which is oriented such that the angle between the mean wind direction and the squall line axis…
SERN Southeastern
Service Hydrologist The designated expert of the hydrology program at a WFO.
Servo Loop In radar meteorology, a generic description of hardware needed to remotely control the motion of the antenna dish.
Set Three of a kind when you have two of the rank in your hand, and there is one on the board.
Set-up The process whereby strong winds blowing down the length of a lake cause water to "pile up" at the downwind end, raising water levels there and lowering…
Severe Icing The rate of ice accumulation on an aircraft is such that de-icing/anti-icing equipment fails to reduce or control the hazard.
Severe Local Storm A convective storm that usually covers a relatively small geographic area, or moves in a narrow path, and is sufficiently intense to threaten life and/or…
Severe Local Storm Watch An alert issued by the National Weather Service for the contiguous U.S. and its adjacent waters of the potential for severe thunderstorms or tornadoes.
Severe Thunderstorm A thunderstorm that produces a tornado, winds of at least 58 mph (50 knots), and/or hail at least Â¾" in diameter.
Severe Thunderstorm Warning This is issued when either a severe thunderstorm is indicated by the WSR-88D radar or a spotter reports a thunderstorm producing hail 3/4 inch or larger…
Severe Thunderstorm Watch This is issued by the National Weather Service when conditions are favorable for the development of severe thunderstorms in and close to the watch area.
Severe Weather Analysis This WSR-88D radar product provides 3 base products (reflectivity (SWR), radial velocity (SWV), and spectrum width (SWW)) at the highest resolution…
Severe Weather Potential Statement This statement is designed to alert the public and state/local agencies to the potential for severe weather up to 24 hours in advance.
Severe Weather Probability This WSR-88D radar product algorithm displays numerical values proportional to the probability that a storm will produce severe weather within 30 minutes.
Severe Weather Statement A National Weather Service product which provides follow up information on severe weather conditions (severe thunderstorm or tornadoes) which have…
Sewage treatment (primary) Mechanical treatment of sewage in which large solids are filtered out by screens and suspended solids settle out as sludge in a sedimentation tank.
SEWD Southeastward
SFC Surface
Sferic In solar-terrestrial terms, a transient electric or magnetic field generated by any feature of lightning discharge (entire flash).
SG Snow grains
SGFNT Significant
Shale oil Slow-flowing, dark brown, heavy oil obtained when kerogen in oil shale is vaporized at high temperatures and then condensed.
Shallow Fog Fog in which the visibility at 6 feet above ground level is 5/8ths statute mile or more and the apparent visibility in the fog layer is less than 5/8ths…
SHARS Subtle Heavy Rainfall Signature
Shear Literally the sliding of one layer across another, with deformation and fracturing in the direction parallel to the movement.
Sheet Flow Flow that occurs overland in places where there are no defined channels, the flood water spreads out over a large area at a uniform depth.
Sheet ice Ice formed by the freezing of liquid precipitation or the freezing of melted solid precipitation (see snow depth)
Shelf Cloud A low, horizontal wedge-shaped arcus cloud, associated with a thunderstorm gust front (or occasionally with a cold front, even in the absence of…
SHFT Shift
SHIELD Shield (screen) A screen to shield a rain-gauge from the influence of the wind, or to shield a thermometer against insolation.
SHLW Shallow