Lake Effect Snow - The driving force behind lake effect snow is arctic air moving over relatively warm lake water. When this occurs, moisture and warmth is transferred out of the lake and into the lower levels of the atmosphere. When the moistened air reaches the shore, the air rises, inducing bands of snow. Snowfall rates in heavier lake effect snow bands can be as high as 3-6 inches per hour, causing near white-out conditions.

Cirrocumulus clouds - These high clouds are noted by small rounded white puffs composed of ice crystals. When the sky is covered by these clouds the sky can look like the scales of a fish, and is called a mackerel sky. These clouds are common during the cold season, and often indicate fair but chilly weather conditions.

Horse Latitudes - Areas of calm or light and variable winds located between 30 and 35 degrees north and south of the equator. This region's weather is influenced by converging air flows aloft from the tropics, thereby creating regions of high pressure at the surface. Hot and windless conditions can last for weeks at a time in the horse latitudes. When ships would travel to the New World, this region was known for creating delays in shipping that could create food and supply shortages for merchant ships.

Corona - A corona is a series of alternating dark and bright rings of light that can at times be seen surrounding the moon or sun. When a thin stratus cloud is present, a corona can be seen around the moon as the moonlight is diffracted by the water droplets in the cloud. The corona of the sun is most visible during a total solar eclipse.

Microscale - Microscale meteorology is the study of small and/or short-lived atmospheric phenomenon. This study of small-scale weather systems includes tornadoes, rainbows, and thunderstorm updrafts and downdrafts.

Gulf Stream - A warm, swift, and narrow ocean current that originates in the Gulf of Mexico and then heads north along the east coast of the U.S. The Gulf Stream eventually makes it all the way to western Europe. Without the Gulf Stream, western Europe would be subjected to much colder winters.

Valley Breeze - A breeze that flows up a mountainside during the day. This upsloping breeze occurs due to the fact that the valley walls warm up faster than the higher terrain in the mountains. This makes the air in the valleys lighter than the air along the higher terrain of the mountains, making the air near the valley buoyant. The result is the upward breeze along the mountainsides during the day.