Weather Facts for Kids
Wild facts about weather
The old saying 'Red sky at night, shepherd's delight; red sky in the morning, shepherd's warning' has some scientific basis. In mid-latitudes, where weather moves from west to east, a red sunset suggests dust and dry air to the west — meaning good weather is coming.
Tundra regions are so cold and windy that trees cannot grow there — the ground is frozen solid for most of the year and the growing season lasts only a few weeks. Despite this, tundra ecosystems support an astonishing variety of plants, insects, and animals.
A weather front is a boundary between two air masses of different temperatures. When a warm front arrives, cloud thickens and rain often follows; when a cold front sweeps through, there can be heavy showers and a sharp drop in temperature.
Relative humidity is a measure of how much water vapour is in the air compared to the maximum it could hold at that temperature. On a hot, humid day, sweat cannot evaporate efficiently to cool you down because the air is already nearly full of moisture — which is why high humidity feels so uncomfortable.
Fata Morgana is a type of mirage common in Arctic regions, where layers of air at different temperatures bend light rays to create extraordinary optical illusions — sometimes making distant ships appear to float in the air. The name comes from the Arthurian sorceress Morgan le Fay.
Trade winds are steady winds that blow from the north-east (in the Northern Hemisphere) or south-east (in the Southern Hemisphere) towards the equator. Sailors relied on trade winds for centuries to navigate the world's oceans, especially on voyages of exploration.
A frost hollow is a low-lying area — such as a valley or dip in a field — where cold air drains and pools on still, clear nights, making it much colder than surrounding areas. Frost hollows can experience temperatures several degrees colder than the tops of nearby hills.
In weather forecasting, a 'watch' means conditions are favourable for a severe weather event and people should be prepared, while a 'warning' means that severe weather is imminent or already occurring. Warnings require immediate action.
Clouds form when water vapour condenses onto tiny particles called condensation nuclei, which include dust, sea salt, pollen, and even bacteria. Without these particles, the air could become supersaturated with water vapour without any clouds forming at all.
The Shetland Isles, located about 170 kilometres north of the Scottish mainland, are the windiest inhabited part of the United Kingdom. The islands experience gale-force winds on about 70 days per year and are home to some of the UK's largest wind farms.