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weather class > exam 4 > Flashcards

exam 4 Flashcards

1
Q

what is needed for a thunderstorm?

A
  • Moist air near surface
  • unstable air aloft
  • lifting mechanism
  • vertical wind shear(for severe)
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2
Q

NWS definition of severe thunderstorm

A 
->1 inch diameter hail
       and/or
-gusts>50 knots
       and/or
-tornados
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3
Q

4 types of thunderstorms

A
  • single cell
  • multicell cluster
  • multicell line
  • super cell
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4
Q

characteristics of a supercell

A
  • large powerful single cell
  • vertical wind shear
  • very strong updraft (convection)
  • 150 to 175 mph
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5
Q

where do most people die during flash floods?

A

in car

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6
Q

Stepped leader VS. Return stroke

A
  • stepped leader- descends from clouds
  • return stroke-rushes up the cloud
  • Several surges of “dart leaders” may follow the path
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7
Q

Types of lighting

A
  • cloud to ground lighting ( + )
  • cloud to ground lightning ( - )
  • ground to cloud lighting
  • Intra cloud lightning
  • Anvil crawlers
  • Cloud to air lightning
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8
Q

time lag between lighting and thunder

A

5 seconds per 1 mile

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9
Q

average width path and speed of funnels

A 
funnel = diameter 1000 feet
path = north east 
speed = 20 to 40 knots (80mph)
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10
Q

cyclonic vs anticyclonic tornadoes

A
  • cyclonic 90%

- anitcyclonic 10%

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11
Q

when and where do tornadoes occur

A
  • over flat, dry, land
  • usually during spring because
    • big contrast in air masses
    • fast jet streams
    • unstable air(hot ground cold sky)
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12
Q

tornado life cycle

A
  1. Dust-whirl
    • Sfc. debris and/or wall cloud
  2. Organizing
    • elongated funnel, rotating wall cloud
  3. Mature
    • vertical funnels
  4. Shrinking
    • tilted funnels
  5. Decay
    • ropey funnel
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13
Q

outlook VS watch VS warning

A
  • Convection outlook
    • from the store prediction center
    • 4:30 am and 4:30 pm
  • Tornado watch
    • From SPC
    • based on storm indices
  • Tornado warning
    • from the NWS
    • after verification by spotters and radar indications
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14
Q

Hook vs. TVS

A
  • Hook Echo - tornado is at the tip of the hook in the radar

- TVS- tornado vortex signature

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15
Q

The four statical scales

A
  • microscale (<1 mile)
    • e.g. turbulent eddies

-Mesocale(~ 100 miles)

  • Synoptic scale (~ 1000 miles)
    • air masses and fronts
  • Planetary (global)
    • trade winds, polar jet stream
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16
Q

what and where are the santa anna winds

A

Santa ana winds

  • southern California
  • usually in the fall
  • fast warm dry air down the mountains
  • wire fire season
17
Q

what and where are the chinook winds

A

chinook winds

  • foot of rocky mountains
  • usually during the winter
  • snow eater
18
Q

what and where are the katabatic winds

A

katabatic winds

  • any wind that is gravity driven
  • cold air draining downhill
  • common in the mountain ranges and ice caps
19
Q

how is lake affect snow produced

A

Lake-effect snow is produced during cooler atmospheric conditions when cold winds move across long expanses of warmer lake water, providing energy and picking up water vapor, which freezes and is deposited on the leeward shores.

20
Q

squall line vs. pre-frontal squall line vs. dry line

A

A SQUALL LINE is a line of thunderstorms that can form along or ahead of a cold front

PRE-FRONTAL SQUALL LINE
- A line of thunderstorms that precedes an advancing cold front.

Dry line
-is an imaginary line across a continent that separates moist air from an eastern body of water and dry desert air from the west

21
Q

Hurricane vs. typhoon vs. cyclone

A

hurricanes- near north america

typhoons- in northwest pacific

cyclones- in indian ocean and Australia

22
Q

stages of development

A

Tropical depression
- sustained winds < 39 mph

Tropical storm
-sustained wind 39-73 mph

Hurricane(typhoons)
-sustained winds < or = 74mph

23
Q

role of “easterly wave”

A

triggers convection

24
Q

water temp needed for formation

A

80F or 26.5 C

25
Q

types of hurricane damage

A 
high surf(swells)
-coastal erosion and rip tides

Fast winds

  • wilma 2005 215 mph
  • when storm is moving towards you the eye is the most danger

Spawned tornados
-NE quadrant of the hurricane

Inland flood

storm surge
-5-40 feet rise in seal level

26
Q

*vertical wind shear

A

Sudden change in wind speed or direction with height

27
Q

*microburst

A

Concentrated winds that blast down from showers or thunderstorms with strong gusty winds

28
Q

*wall cloud

A

An abrupt lowering of a cloud from its parent cloud base,

29
Q

*roll cloud

A

low-level, horizontal, tube-shaped cloud completely detached from the base of the cumulonimbus cloud

30
Q

*rear flank down draft

A

is a region of dry air wrapping around the back of a mesocyclone in a supercell thunderstorm

31
Q

*over shooting top

A

is a dome-like protrusion that shoots out of the top of the anvil of a thunderstorm

32
Q

*gust front

A

The leading edge of the cool, gusty surface winds produced by thunderstorm downdrafts

33
Q

*enhanced fujita scale

A

rates the strength of tornadoes in the United States and Canada based on the damage they cause

34
Q

*tornado vortex signature

A

is a Pulse-Doppler radar weather radar detected rotation algorithm that indicates the likely presence of a strong mesocyclone that is in some stage of tornadogenesis

weather class (2 decks)

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