A small, rapidly rotating wind that is made visible by the dust, dirt, or debris it picks up. Also called a whirlwind, it develops best on clear, dry, hot afternoons.

– an area where high surface winds have picked up loose dust, reducing visibility to less than one-half mile.

– European Centre for Meteorology Forecast model.

A major warming of the equatorial waters in the Pacific Ocean. El Niño events usually occur every 3 to 7 years, and are characterized by shifts in “normal” weather patterns.

– El Niño-Southern Oscillation.

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– The temperature of a parcel of air after all moisture and latent heat is condensed out of an air parcel then descended to the 1000 mb level. Also known as Theta-E

– “Eta” (from Greek) model generated every 12 hours by NCEP