Understanding Weather Elements: Temperature

Weather Elements

• Temperature is an indicator of the degree of hotness or coldness of the air, averaging 15°C at sea level but varying according to latitude, elevation, season, and time of day.
• The highest recorded temperature is 58°C, while the lowest is -88°C.
• Temperature is generally highest in the Tropics and lowest near the Poles.
• On any given day, it is usually warmest during mid-afternoon and coldest around dawn.

Humidity

• Humidity is a measure of the amount of water vapour in the atmosphere.
• Relative humidity is the most common measure of humidity, equal to the amount of water vapour present in the atmosphere divided by the atmosphere's maximum water vapour holding capacity at that temperature.

Cloudiness

• Most clouds are produced due to the cooling of air as it rises up.
• When air temperature gets reduced, the excess water vapour in the air condenses into liquid droplets or ice crystals, forming clouds or fog.
• Fog refers to clouds that almost touch the ground, with a visibility range of around 50 m or less in dense fog.

Precipitation

• Precipitation is produced when the droplets and crystals in clouds grow, resulting in various forms such as rain, drizzle, snow, hail, ice pellets, or sleet.