Ice Pellets - Ice pellets are small, translucent balls of ice that are also known as sleet. Ice pellets form when falling snow encounters a region of above freezing air and melts or partially melts into raindrops and then refreezes as it encounters sub-freezing air near the surface. Ice pellets tend to bounce when they hit the ground.

Cirrostratus clouds - A widespread, thin high level cloud that is composed of ice crystals. These clouds form a thin veil-like layer over the entire sky. When sunlight or moonlight passes through these clouds, a ring or halo may form. Many times cirrostratus clouds arrive 12-24 hours before a rain or snow event.

SREF - An abbreviation for Short Range Ensemble Forecast. An ensemble forecast is a group of forecast model runs that each have a slightly different set of initial conditions plugged into them. This is used to get a spread of different model solutions that can show the variability that occurs in certain weather patterns. Spaghetti plots are an example of a forecast plot that meteorologists use when looking at an ensemble forecast.

CAPE - An important term used to describe how unstable the atmosphere is. CAPE is an acronym for Convective Available Potential Energy. CAPE is a measure of potential energy in the atmosphere. The greater the CAPE is, the stronger a thunderstorm will be if one develops. The presence of CAPE alone does not mean thunderstorms will develop, as other factors must be overcome for the energy potential to be realized.

Steam Fog - The name for fog that is produced due to cold air mixing with warmer and more humid air. The most common setup for steam fog is when cold air drifts across warm water. The first cold air masses of the season that drift across lakes and rivers will often result in the creation of steam fog.

Hiver - Hiver is the French word for winter.

Brontophobia - This phobia is defined as the irrational fear of thunder. For those who suffer, it creates high anxiety even though the thunder may pose no real threat to them.