Subj : Wx Terms (C)(5)
To   : All
From : Daryl Stout
Date : Mon Sep 04 2017 12:06 am

Comprehensive Flare Index (CFI)
In solar-terrestrial terms, the indicative of solar flare importance.

Concentric Rings
These are common in the most intense hurricanes. They usually mark the
end of the period of intensification. These hurricanes then maintain
quasi-constant intensity or weaken. When the inner eye is completely
dissipated, more intensification may occur.

COND
Condition

Condensation
In general, the physical process by which a vapor becomes a liquid or
solid; the opposite of evaporation, although on the molecular scale,
both processes are always occurring.

Condensation Funnel
A funnel-shaped cloud associated with rotation and consisting of
condensed water droplets (as opposed to smoke, dust, debris, etc.).

Conditionally Unstable Air
An atmospheric condition that exists when the environmental lapse rate
is less than the dry adiabatic lapse rate but greater than the moist
adiabatic lapse rate.

Conduction
Flow of heat in response to a temperature gradient within an object or
between objects that are in physical contact.

Cone of Depression
In hydrologic terms, the depression, roughly conical in shape, produced
in a water table, or other piezometric surface, by the extraction of
water from a well at a given rate. The volume of the cone will vary
with the rate of withdrawal of water. Also called the Cone of Influence.

Cone of Influence
Same as Cone of Depression; in hydrologic terms, the depression, roughly
conical in shape, produced in a water table, or other piezometric surface,
by the extraction of water from a well at a given rate. The volume of the
cone will vary with the rate of withdrawal of water.

Confined Ground Water
In hydrologic terms, ground water held under an aquiclude or an aquifuge,
called artesian if the pressure is positive.

Confluence
A pattern of wind flow in which air flows inward toward an axis oriented
parallel to the general direction of flow. It is the opposite of
difluence. Confluence is not the same as convergence. Winds often
accelerate as they enter a confluent zone, resulting in speed divergence
which offsets the (apparent) converging effect of the confluent flow.

Congestus
(or Cumulus Congestus) - same as towering cumulus.

Congressional Organic Act of 1890
The act that assigned the responsibility of river and floor forecasting
for the benefit of the general welfare of the Nation's people and
economy to the Weather Bureau, and subsequently the National Weather
Service.

Coning
With regards to wildfires, pattern of plume dispersion in a neutral
atmosphere, in which the plume attains the form of a cone with its
vertex at the top of the stack.

Conjugate Points
Two points on the earth's surface, at opposite ends of a geomagnetic
field line.

Conservation Storage
In hydrologic terms, storage of water for later release for usual
purposes such as municipal water supply, power, or irrigation in
contrast with storage capacity used for flood control.

Consolidated Ice Cover
In hydrologic terms, ice cover formed by the packing and freezing
together of floes, brash ice and other forms of floating ice.

Constant Pressure Chart
Alternate term for Isobaric Chart; a weather map representing
conditions on a surface of equal atmospheric pressure. For example,
a 500 mb chart will display conditions at the level of the atmosphere at
which the atmospheric pressure is 500 mb. The height above sea level at
which the pressure is that particular value may vary from one location
to another at any given time, and also varies with time at any one
location, so it does not represent a surface of constant altitude/height
(i.e., the 500 mb level may be at a different height above sea level
over Dallas than over New York at a given time, and may also be at a
different height over Dallas from one day to the next).

CONT
Continue/Continuously

Contents
In hydrologic terms, the volume of water in a reservoir. Unless
otherwise indicated reservoir content is computed on the basis of a
level pool and does not include bank storage.

Continental Air Mass
A dry air mass originating over a large land area. Contrast with
tropical air mass.

Continental Shelf
The zone bordering a continent and extending to a depth, usually around
100 FM, from which there is a steep descent toward greater depth.

Continuum Storm (CTM)
In solar-terrestrial terms, general term for solar noise lasting for
hours and sometimes days.

Control Points
In hydrologic terms, small monuments securely embedded in the surface of
the dam. Any movement of the monument indicates a movement in the dam
itself. Movements in the dam are detected by comparing control points
location to location of fixed monuments located off the dam using
accurate survey techniques.

CONTS
continues

CONUS
Continental United States

Convection
Generally, transport of heat and moisture by the movement of a fluid.

In meteorology, the term is used specifically to describe vertical
transport of heat and moisture in the atmosphere, especially by updrafts
and downdrafts in an unstable atmosphere. The terms "convection" and
"thunderstorms" often are used interchangeably, although thunderstorms
are only one form of convection. Cbs, towering cumulus clouds, and
ACCAS clouds all are visible forms of convection. However, convection
is not always made visible by clouds. Convection which occurs without
cloud formation is called dry convection, while the visible convection
processes referred to above are forms of moist convection.

Convective Boundary Layer
The unstable boundary layer that forms at the surface and grows upward
through the day as the ground is heated by the sun and convective
currents transfer heat upwards into the atmosphere.

Convective Clouds
The vertically developed family of clouds are cumulus and cumulonimbus.
The height of their bases range from as low as 1,000 feet to a bit more
than 10,000 feet. Clouds with extensive vertical development are
positive indications of unstable air. Strong upward currents in
vertically developed clouds can carry high concentrations of supercooled
water to high levels where temperatures are quite cold. Upper portions
of these clouds may be composed of water and ice.

Convective Condensation Level
(abbrev. CCL)- The level in the atmosphere to which an air parcel, if
heated from below, will rise dry adiabatically, without becoming colder
than its environment just before the parcel becomes saturated. See
Lifted Condensation Level (LCL).

Convective Inhibition
(CIN or B-) - A numerical measure of the strength of "capping,"
typically used to assess thunderstorm potential. Specifically, it
represents the cumulative effect of atmospheric layers the are warmer
than the parcel moving vertically along the adiabat. Low level parcel
ascent is often inhibited by such stable layers near the surface. If
natural processes fail to destabilize the lower levels, an input of
energy from forced lift (a front, an upper level shortwave, etc.) will
be required to move the negatively buoyant air parcels to the point
where they will rise freely. Since CIN is proportional to the amount of
kinetic energy that a parcel loses to buoyancy while it is colder than
the surrounding environment, it contributes to the downward momentum.

Convective Outlook
(sometimes called AC) - A forecast containing the area(s) of expected
thunderstorm occurrence and expected severity over the contiguous
United States, issued several times daily by the SPC. The terms
approaching, slight risk, moderate risk, and high risk are used to
describe severe thunderstorm potential. Local versions sometimes are
prepared by local NWS offices.

Convective Overdevelopment
Convection that covers the sky with clouds, thereby cutting off the
sunshine that produces convection.

Convective Temperature
The approximate temperature that the air near the ground must warm to
in order for surface-based convection to develop, based on analysis of
a sounding.

Calculation of the convective temperature involves many assumptions,
such that thunderstorms sometimes develop well before or well after
the convective temperature is reached (or may not develop at all).
However, in some cases the convective temperature is a useful parameter
for forecasting the onset of convection.



---
� Synchronet � The Thunderbolt BBS - wx1der.dyndns.org

You are viewing proxied material from bbs.kd3.us. The copyright of proxied material belongs to its original authors. Any comments or complaints in relation to proxied material should be directed to the original authors of the content concerned. Please see the disclaimer for more details.