The blanket of air around the earth is called the atmosphere. 

All our weather happens in the bottom layer of the atmosphere called the troposphere, which is six to ten miles thick. 

Meteorology is the study of the changes in temperature, air pressure, moisture, and wind direction in the troposphere.     

The Big Two

All of our weather comes from basically two things:  the sun and the moisture in the air.  These two work together to form clouds, to make rain and thunderstorms, and to cause winds to blow.  Without the sun or moisture, our earth would have no weather.

Air Masses and Fronts

   An air mass is a large area of air that may be warm or cold or dry or moist.  When two air masses come together, the line between them is called a front.  Along a front there are usually clouds and rain and maybe thunderstorms.  The movement of air masses helps to cause our weather.