Page 25 - Year 7 Spring 2026 Knowledge Organiser

Geography: Weather and Climate: 1 of 2

Key Terminology

Weather The short-term state of the atmosphere.
Generally lasting days and weeks at the
longest.
Climate This is the average conditions in the
atmosphere over many years.
Prevailing The prevailing wind is the most frequent
wind wind direction a location experiences.
Air mass A huge block of air moving
over the Earth; it can be warm or cold,
damp or dry, depending on where it came
from.

Air The force pressing down on us because of
Pressure the weight of the atmosphere
Altitude The height of a place above sea level

Atmosphere The layer of gas around the earth.
Depression A weather system made up of a warm
front chased by a cold front. It brings wet
and windy weather.
Latitude How far a place is North or South of the
Equator. It is measured in degrees.
North Atlantic A warm current in the Atlantic Ocean. It
Drift keeps the weather on the west coast of
Britain mild in winter.
Precipitation Water falling from the sky as rain,
sleet, hail or snow.
Temperature How hot or cold something is. Measured
in degrees centigrade.