Super-Typhoon - A tropical cyclone in the western Pacific basin that has one minute sustained wind speeds of a last 150 mph. This corresponds to what would be a category 4 or greater hurricane if the tropical cyclone were in the Atlantic or eastern Pacific.

Albedo - The percentage of solar radiation that is reflected by a surface. An albedo of 100 means that 100% of the sun's energy is reflected back to space, while an albedo of 0 refers to a surface that absorbs all the sun's energy. The whiter the surface is, the higher the albedo will be. Snowpack has a high albedo.

Insolation - Insolation is the amount of solar radiation that reaches the earth and the atmosphere. The amount of insolation at a specific location varies due to the length of day and the angle of the sun. During the winter in the northern hemisphere, the shorter days compiled with the lower angle of the sun results in much lower insolation compared to what is received during the summer months.

Coriolis force - An apparent force that is a result of the earth's rotation. When air currents develop, they are deflected to the right or left, depending on which hemisphere you are in. This is why low pressure systems and hurricanes in the northern hemisphere have winds that rotate counterclockwise around their center. In the southern hemisphere, low pressure system's winds rotate clockwise around their center.

Parhelion (Sun dog) - The scientific name for sun dogs. This phenomenon is seen as two colored luminous spots that appear at roughly 22 degrees on both sides of the sun at the same elevation. They are caused by the refraction of sunlight passing through ice crystals. They are most commonly seen during winter in the middle latitudes and are exclusively associated with cirriform clouds. They are also known as mock suns.

Hydrosphere - The hydrosphere is composed of the sum of all the water on Earth. This includes all the Earth's surface waters such as oceans and lakes, as well as all sources of frozen water. Water vapor and therefore clouds are also included in the hydrosphere.

Cumulonimbus - A form of a cumulus cloud that grows vertically to great heights. These clouds are associated with heavy thunderstorm activity and are the result of strong currents of rising air called updrafts.