Heat released or absorbed by a substance as it changes its state. When water vapour condenses into liquid, it releases this heat into the surrounding atmosphere. The atmosphere around this condensation then warms. Island in the Indian Ocean off the east coast of Africa. Area which has a central pressure lower than its surroundings.
Storm systems are all low pressure systems.
Opposite of apogee. The time between two successive peaks of a wave. The smallest unit of resolution on a computer screen or image. A tropical storm or hurricane that moves beyond the tropics into the mid-latitudes and begins losing its tropical characteristics. The size of the circulation usually expands, the speed of the maximum wind decreases, and the distribution of winds, rainfall, and temperatures becomes more asymmetric.