AVN 2300: Midterm 2 Mnemonics & Study Craziness

AVN 2300: Last Minute Midterm 2 Mnemonics & Study Craziness


ALL MNEMONICS: 


RA = Rain

SN = Snow
SG = Snow Grains

PL = Ice Pellets

GR = Hail

GS = Small Hail or Snow Pellets

DZ = Drizzle

SH  = Showers

+    =  Heavy

-      = Light



  • FSH: “Friendly Snakes Hide” – Ferrel cell, Subtropical jet stream, Hadley cell

  • FPP: “Fast Pigs Paint” – Ferrel cell, Polar jet stream, Polar cell


GSMM: “Giant Snakes Make Moves”

G = Global scale

S = Synoptic

M = Meso

M = Micro



“Some silly girls drink good shots, cry good luck”

Some silly girls – Sublimation = solid to gas = ice to water vapor

Drink good shots – Deposition = gas to solid = water vapor to ice

Cry good luck – Condensation = gas to liquid = water vapor to water


  • Valley Breeze – up mountain slopes (sun heats valley floor).

    • “Bring valley UPPP!!” – “Bring Sally up!” song


  • “Saturday Night Live in South Carolina (SC-SN), U DUB (UW-CC) Child Cousins” 

  • SC-SN: Stratus/Nimbostratus = STABLE air = COLD front = CALM weather

    • long light rain

  • UW-CC: Cumulonimbus, Cumulus = UNSTABLE air = WARM front = Storms, heavy weather

    • temps ^, pressure v then ^

    • Cumulonimbus, Cumulus thunderstorms heavy rain



FOG:

  • Radiation Fog: Forms overnight in clear, calm conditions due to rapid cooling of the surface (typically in valleys).

  • Advection Fog: Forms when warm, moist air moves over cooler land or water.

  • Upslope Fog: Forms as moist air rises up a slope, cooling and condensing to form fog.

  • Evaporation Fog: Forms when cold air moves over warmer water, causing evaporation and subsequent condensation.

  • Ice Fog: Forms in extremely cold temperatures, where moisture freezes into ice crystals.

  • Valley Fog: A type of radiation fog that forms in valleys due to cooling air.


AIRMETS, SIGMETS, CONVECTIVE SIGMETS:

  • AIRMETs: Moderate hazards (light turbulence, moderate icing, visibility issues)

    • Below 24,000 feet.

  • SIGMETs: Severe weather (severe icing, severe turbulence, volcanic ash, dust storms, hurricanes) 

    • Above/Below 24,000 feet. (any altitude)

  • Convective SIGMETs: Severe thunderstorms, tornadoes, hail, and squall lines, usually affecting altitudes

    • Below 24,000 feet. 


FRONTS:

  • Cold front: cold overtakes warm, pushes under, steepest front

    • Abrupt weather changes

    • Short intense storms/rain

    • Clear skies follow

  • Warm front: warm overtakes cold, pushes over, less steep

    • Overcast, light rain

    • Warm weather follows

  • Stationary front: cold and warm meet neither moves much

    • Gentle slope, can remain for a few days

  • Occluded front: cold overtakes warm, complex, steep

    • Heavy rain, clouds, storms 

    • Occlusion = end of storm system

  • Weather phenomena: “Saturday Night Live in South Carolina (SC-SN), U DUB (UW-CC) Child Cousins” 

    • STABLE AIR = Cold front = CALM weather

      • temps v, pressure v then ^

      • Stratus/nimbostratus, long light rain

    • UNSTABLE AIR = Warm front = Storms, heavy weather

      • temps ^, pressure v then ^

      • Cumulonimbus, Cumulus thunderstorms heavy rain


FLIGHT NEAR THUNDERSTORMS:

  • Dangerous. Because of:

    • Turbulence, windshear, lightning, hail, icing

  • Stay 20 nm away or more, alter flight path if necessary, climbing above it if needed is better

  • Within the storm: updrafts/downdrafts, lightning, thunder, hail, tornadoes = bro watch out

  • Surrounding the storm: wind shear, squall lines, microbursts, outflow boundaries  



What is necessary for the development of microbursts?

  • Instability, high precipitation water, dry air in the mid levels, and strong winds in dry layer


SCALES:

GSMM = “Giant Snakes Make Moves”

Global scale

Synoptic, 

Meso, 

Micro


  • Frontolysis = getting weaker “lys = do break down”

  • Frontogenesis = birth of a storm “genesis = birth”


HURRICANE STAGES:

  1. Disturbance

  2. Depression 

  3. Storm

  4. Hurricane


JET STREAM: 

  • Jet stream: fast flowing ribbon of air 

    • ITCZ: low pressure area near equator

  • FSH: “Friendly Snakes Hide” – Ferrel cell, Subtropical jet stream, Hadley cell

  • FPP: “Fast Pigs Paint” – Ferrel cell, Polar jet stream, Polar cell


WINDS:

Daytime: WARM

  • Sea Breeze – sea to land (land heats up faster)

  • Valley Breeze – up mountain slopes (sun heats valley floor).

    • “Bring valley UPPP!!” – “Bring Sally up!” song

Night Time: COLD

  • Land Breeze – land to sea (land cools faster)

  • Mountain Breeze – down mountain slopes (cool air sinks).

    • Katabatic Winds – Cold, dense air rushes downhill (common in polar regions).

      • Basically just mega extra chilly mountain breezes

Hills & mountains: WARM/HOT

  • Chinook Winds – Warm, dry winds descending mountains (can rapidly warm areas)

  • Santa Ana Winds – Hot, dry winds descending in California that fuel wildfires.


TYPES OF AIRMASSES: 

  • c = dry, m = moist

  • P = cold, T = warm, A = freezing



PRESSURE REMINDERS: 

  • Cold air parcel ^

  • Warm air parcel v


  • High pressure v and clockwise

  • Low pressure ^ and counter clockwise


  • Converge = goes together

    • Low pressure (goes up) = converges at the surface 

  • Diverge = goes apart

    • High pressure (goes down) = diverges at the surface