EARTH SCIENcE Flashcards
what are severe storms?
they are one of natures most destructive forces
spring and summer
they cause damage by tornadoes and have a strong force
late summer and early fall
they cause damage by hurricanes over tropical oceans and cause a lot of destruction
what are summer heat waves?
several days of high temps and humidity which cause a series of storms through a area; stormy weather followed by cool weather
What are Winter cold spells
Periods of frigid temps under clear skies; bitter cold periods followed by cloudy, snowy, warm days that are milder
What are air masses?
They are extremely large body’s of air in the troposphere with similar temps and levels of moisture at any given altitude; they take multiple days to move over a area
What is air-mass weather
It is fairly constant weather
What is the movement of air masses
It’s when a airmass moves out of the region over which it formed, it carries its temperature and moisture conditions, its characteristics change as well as the weather of the area it travels to
What is a source region
A source region is where air gets its temps and moisture from
What are Polar(P) air masses:
Polar(P) air masses come from high up, near the poles, and are very cold
What are tropical(T) air masses
They are air masses that come from near the equator and are warm
What are continental (c) air masses
They are air masses that form over land and are dry
What are maritime(m) air masses
They are air masses that form over water and are humid
What are the 4 basic types of air masses
They are Continental Polar(cP), Continental Tropical (cT), Maritime Polar(map), and Maritime Tropical (mT).
What is Continental Polar(cP) air?
Air that is dry and cold, bringing sun shine as it moves south
What is lake effect snow?
It’s when cold dry air moves over a lake, picks up moisture and then creates snow
What are snow belts
They are areas that get a lot of snow from lake-effect snow
What is continental tropical (cT)
It’s air thats dry and warm usually coming from southwestern USA and Mexico
What is Indian summer?
It’s mild weather in fall caused by the movement of warm, dry air masses
What is maritime polar (mP) air
It’s when air is cold and humid, causing rain or snow in places like the northwestern USA and New England
What is maritime tropical (mT) air
It’s air that is warm and humid, bringing lots of rain in summer to eastern USA
