Air masses are large areas of air having the same characteristics throughout. They may be either warm or cold, depending on whether their source is polar or tropical. They are also classified as either maritime or continental. When two different air masses meet they form a boundary which is known…
Atmospheric pressure and temperature are mainly responsible for our weather systems. Atmospheric pressure is the pressure that the air exerts on the surface of the earth and everything on it. It changes with altitude and temperature. The air pressure in Johannesburg is less than that at the coast. When the…
If the cooling process which gives rise to cloud formation is continued, the droplets of which the cloud consists grow in size until they become too heavy to remain suspended in the air and they fall to the ground as rain. The longer the droplets are held aloft by the…
The formation of fog and mist is basically the same as that of clouds. In cloud the resulting condensation into visible particles takes place high above the ground, but for fog or mist, the condensation takes place on the surface of the sea or ground. The only difference between fog…
Clouds are formed when warm, moist air rises until it reaches the air’s saturation point (dew point). After this the moisture in the air condenses into visible droplets and clouds are formed. There are two basic types of cloud. Cumulus clouds. When air is heated by the surface of the…
