BASIC MET (WINDS)

Sea Breeze

Comes from the sea, happens in the morning

Morning to afternoon

When does sea breeze usually happen?

Land breeze

Comes from land, happens in the evening, and goes to the sea

Evening

When does land breeze happen?

Valley Breeze

This follows from the valley to the mountain, usually happens in the morning

Morning to afternoon

When does valley breeze usually happen?

Mountain breeze

Happens in the evening, follows from the mountain going to the valley

Evening

When does mountain breeze happen?

decreases

The barometric pressure (increases/decreases) in a low pressure area

increases

The barometric pressure (increases/decreases) in a high pressure area

Pressure gradient force

“High pressure goes to low pressure”

Coriolis force

Force acting perpendicular to the direction of motion

Centrifugal force

Another name for coriolis force

In high pressure area, coriolis force & centrifugal force is greater than pressure gradient force
In low pressure area, pressure gradient force is greater than coriolis force

Explain the forces in high pressure & low pressure area

Friction force

This force happens below 2000 feet AGL

Water Vapor
Condensation Nuclei
Lifting Action
Drop in temperature

Requirements to form clouds

Clouds

These are visible aggregate of tiny water droplets or ice crystals suspended in the air

Surface heating and free convection
Uplift along topography
Widespread ascent due to convergence of surface air
Uplift along weather fronts
Cloud breakage

cloud formation

Sun heats up, air travels upward, which creates clouds (ITCZ)

Explain Surface heating and free convection

Sea breeze pushes the winds upward, hits the condensation level, which creates clouds

Explain Uplift along a topography

Air collides, when it hits, it create clouds

Explain Widespread ascent due to convergence of surface air

Air pushes itself upward, which creates clouds (hot air goes up to cold)

Explain Uplift along weather front

Cloud breaks, it separates itself, which creates clouds

Explain Cloud breakage

High clouds
Middle clouds
Low clouds
Clouds with vertical development

4 types of clouds

Cirrus Clouds (Ci)

it’s feathery

Cirrocumulus clouds (CC)

like cotton balls

Cirrostratus Clouds (CS)

very thin covered layer of cloud (big area)

Altocumulus clouds (Ac)

Like cotton, but bigger

Altostratus clouds (As)

like cirrocumulus, but thicker

Nimbostratus clouds (Ns)

heavy clouds

Stratocumulus clouds (SC)

like cumulus, but wider

Stratus clouds (ST)

wider, flatter, near surface

Cumulus Humilis
Cumulus Congestus
Cumulus Fractus
Cumulonimbus

Cumulus clouds (4 types)

Cumulus Humilis (CU HUM)

one we draw as a kid

Cumulus Congestus (TCU)

like a cauliflower

Cumulus Fractus (CUFRA)

cotton balls that you pinch

Cumulonimbus (CB)

like an anvil

Lenticular clouds

Banner clouds

Pileus/Cap Cloud

Mammatus clouds

circles

contrail clouds

nacreous clouds

noctilucent clouds

Pressure gradient force

the force which results when there is a difference in pressure across a surface.

Coriolis force

effect whereby a mass moving in a rotating system experiences a force

3300 feet AGL

Clouds with vert dev altitude

tropical - surface to 6500 ft
middle - surface to 6500 ft
polar - surface to 6500 ft

Low clouds AGL altitude

tropical - 6500 to 26000
middle - 6500 to 23000
polar - 6500 to 13000

middle clouds altitude

tropical - 20000 to 60000
middle - 16000 to 43000
polar - 10000 to 26000

high clouds altitude

cirrus
cirrocumulus
cirrostratus

examples of high clouds

altocumulus
altostratus

example of middle clouds

nimbostratus
stratocumulus
stratus

example of low clouds

cumulus humilis
cumulus fractus
cumulus congestus
cumulonimbus

examples of clouds with vert dev.

Fog

A thich cloud of tiny water droplets suspended in the atmosphere or near the surface

Ground fog

Ground fog

usually fog located in the morning, near the ground

Advection fog

Ice fog

Upslope fog

steam fog

Precipitation fog

atmospheric stability

Measure if atmosphere tendency to encourage or deter vertical motion

Stable Atmosphere
Neutral Atmosphere
Unstable Atmosphere

3 types of atmospheric stability

Stable atmosphere

air rises, inside air is it sinks back down

Neutral atmosphere

air rises up, outside air is same to the inside, it doesnt fall down

Unstable atmosphere

hotter outside than inside, it keeps on rising up

relative humidity

amount of water vapor present in air expressed as a percentage of amount needed for saturation

actual vapor pressure (content)/saturation vapor pressure (capacity)*100

relative humidity formula

dew point temperature

temperature to which the air would have to cool to reach saturation

lesser

dew point far from each other, what happens to humidity?

humidity goes to 100%

dew point and temperature equal, what happens to humidity?

temperature inversion

reversal of the normal decrease of air temperature with altitude, or of water temperature with depth

Thermal inversion - air cools in the bottom, heavier, air stays in the bottom
Advection inversion - moving air goes to a certain direction, comes from the sides
Subsidence inversion - comes from the top, warm air trues to push itself down, but it doesn’t really go down

types of temperature inversion

ordinary cell thunderstorm

multi cell thunderstorm

supercell thunderstorm

squall line

haze

microbursts

smoke

smog

dust

volcanic ash

rain

drizzle

virga

fallstreak

flurries

snowsquall

true blizzard

ground blizzard

sleet

freezing rain

rime

black ice

ice storms

snow grains

snow pellets

hailstones