Virtual Science Center -- Current Weather

Virtual Science Center

Glossary of Terms

Weather Icon (upper right): This icon shows the general conditions as reported at Oakland International Airport, METAR station KOAK.

Temperature, High and Low: The maximum and minimum temperature recorded since midnight of the current day.

Temperature, Current and Rate: Beneath the current/high/low temperature thermometer is the current temperature, plus an arrow and a rate. The arrow indicates whether the temperature has been rising, falling, or remaining steady, and the rate, in degrees per hour, shows how fast any change is occurring.

Wind Direction: Shows the direction from which the wind is blowing.

Gust: Shows averaged strength of wind gusts in the past 30 minutes.

Humidity: The percentage of water vapor contained in the air relative to the maximum amount (100%) it is capable of holding under prevailing temperature and pressure conditions.

Dew Point: The temperature to which the air needs to be cooled for the relative humidity to reach 100%, when condensation will occur to form cloud.

Heat Index: The apparent temperature when the actual temperature and relative humidity are both taken into account.

Barometer: The atmospheric air pressure expressed in "inches of mercury." This is the height of a column filled with mercury that can be supported by the current atmospheric pressure.

Barometric Rate: Along with the current barometric pressure is an arrow and number indicating the rate at which atmospheric pressure has risen or fallen in the last 30 minutes. Falling atmospheric pressure can indicate the coming of stormy weather, while a rising barometer can indicate fair weather ahead.

Rain Today: The amount of rainfall since midnight of the present day.

Rain Total: The total amount of rainfall measured since the beginning of the rainy season, which for this weather station is set at July 1st.

Moon Day: The "age" of the Moon, or the number of days since the last New Moon.

Moon Phase: An image showing the current phase of the Moon.

Sunrise, Sunset, Moonrise, Moonset: Today's times of the rising and setting of Sun and Moon as seen from Chabot Space & Science Center.