Weather, Air Masses & Fronts; Weather Maps & Forecasting; Thunderstorms, Tornadoes, Hurricanes

Fill-in-the-blank flashcards covering weather, air masses & fronts, weather maps & forecasting, and thunderstorms/tornadoes/hurricanes.

Weather is the short-term state of the atmosphere at a particular place and time. It includes elements such as __.

temperature

An air mass is a large body of air that has uniform __ throughout.

temperature, humidity, and pressure

If air stays over a large area for some time, it picks up that area's __ and moisture.

temperature and moisture

The bigger and more stable the region, the more __ the air mass becomes.

uniform

Continental Polar (cP) – cold and dry (forms over __ in high latitudes).

land

Continental Tropical (cT) – hot and dry (forms over __).

deserts

Maritime Polar (mP) – cool and moist (forms over __).

cold oceans

Maritime Tropical (mT) – warm and moist (forms over __).

warm oceans

Continental Arctic (cA) – very cold and dry (forms over __ regions).

Arctic

Unstable air masses have __ temperatures and pressures.

different

Air masses influence weather by bringing their characteristic __ to new areas.

temperature and humidity

When air masses with contrasting properties collide, they can create __, leading to storm development.

fronts

A weather front is a boundary where two different air masses meet. Example: __ air.

Warm

Cold Front: Cold air pushes into warm air; The heavier, denser cold air slides under the warm air, forcing it to rise. Often brings sudden temperature drops, thunderstorms, and heavy rain, followed by __ skies.

clear skies

Warm Front: Warm air moves over cold air. Produces steady rain or drizzle and warmer temperatures afterward. Skies may be __ for a long time.

cloudy

Stationary Front: Neither air mass is strong enough to push the other away. The boundary stays in place, sometimes for days. Brings long periods of __ and precipitation.

clouds and precipitation

Occluded Front: Happens when a cold front catches up to a warm front. Can produce complex weather: __, thunderstorms, and sometimes snow.

rain

Type I climate has two pronounced seasons: Dry from November to April, and wet during the rest of the year. The blank is a climate type: __.

Type I

Type II climate has no dry season with a very pronounced rainfall from November to April and wet during the rest of the year. The climate type is __.

Type II

Type III climate: Seasons are not very pronounced; relatively dry from November to April, wet during rest of the year. The climate type is __.

Type III

Type IV climate: Rainfall is more or less evenly distributed through the year. The climate type is __.

Type IV

Weather Maps reflect data from weather stations to predict future conditions. Two kinds: Maps (12-hour interval) and Maps (6-hour interval).

Surface; Upper-Air

5 Types of forecasts: 1. __ use radar and enable forecasters to focus on timing precipitation & tracking severe weather.

Nowcasts

5 Types of forecasts: 2. Daily forecasts predict weather conditions for a __ period.

48-hour

5 Types of forecasts: 3. Extended forecasts look ahead __.

3-7 days

5 Types of forecasts: 4. Medium-range forecasts look ahead __ days.

8-14 days

5 Types of forecasts: 5. Long-range forecasts look ahead __.

one month and seasonal period

Weather Station: The weather stations contain many instruments for measuring weather factors, including __.

precipitation

Weather Balloon: The weather balloon will rise into the atmosphere until it bursts; as it rises, it will gather weather data and send them to the __.

surface

Weather Radar: A radar device sends out radio waves in all directions; the waves bounce off water in the atmosphere and return to the __.

sender

Weather Data includes Temperature, Wind direction, Wind speed, Cloudiness, and __.

precipitation

Thunderstorms may form from a single cumulonimbus cloud or a cluster when __ rises in a conditionally unstable environment.

warm, humid air

Types of thunderstorms include Ordinary (air-mass) thunderstorms, Severe thunderstorms, Supercell and Squall-line thunderstorms, and __ storms with the dryline.

Severe

The life-cycle figure shows three stages of a thunderstorm: Cumulus, Mature, and __.

Dissipating

Tornadoes are vertical funnels of rapidly spinning air; wind speed can reach up to __ mph.

250

Supercells thunderstorms may create destructive __.

tornadoes

A severe thunderstorm with tilted updraft often features an overshooting top, mammatus clouds, and the __.

anvil

In a hurricane, wind circulation is toward the center; the air rises at the top and outflow moves outward. The feature at the top that moves outward is called the __.

outflow

The strongest radar echoes near the surface are located in the __, adjacent to the eye.

eye wall

Tropical systems life cycle includes stages: tropical disturbance, tropical depression, tropical storm, and __.

hurricane

Typhoon Ambo (International name: __) On May 14, 2020, satellite image released by NASA shows Typhoon Ambo approaching the eastern Philippines.

Vongfong