Energy
The main driving force behind the weather is the Sun. The Sun is the Earth's only source of energy. Energy from the Sun is stored in the atmosphere as heat. When this heat is moved around, this makes the weather.
The equator is much hotter than the poles because it receives much stronger sunlight. There is more heat stored in the atmosphere nearer the equator. Heat however, likes to flow from warm to cold temperatures. This makes winds which carry the heat from the equator towards the poles.
More heat is also stored nearer the ground. This makes the air lighter than that above it and it rises. When air rises its temperature falls and this makes weather features like clouds and rain.
Print Topic
Websites
Other topics
Technical Page
• USA Today
• K8 Aeronautics
• Introduction to Weather
• Clouds
• Dew
• Energy
• Fog
• Forecasting
• Hurricanes
• Measuring Weather
• Thunderstorms
• Tornadoes
• Water Cycle