Mountain Weather Flashcards
What are the two winds caused by mountainous environments? Describe them.
Anabatic Winds - warm rising air causes a light upward current.
Katabatic Winds - cooling mountain surface causing strong downdrafts (think catabolic - breakDOWN).
What are the three types of lifting that can cause precipitation?
**Overall, rising air cools and cooling air reaches its saturation point. This leads to precipitation.
Orographic Uplift: Air mass pushed over a mountain.
Convection Effects: UV radiation causes ground heating and rising air.
Frontal Lifting: When two air masses of different densities meet, warmer air is forced up.
Describe the differences between cirrus, cumulus, and stratus clouds.
Cirrus: wispy/feathery high altitude clouds usually forming in advance of a front.
Cumulus: cotton ball type clouds caused by rising air currents. Cumulonimbus are associated with short, heavy precipitation.
Stratus: horizontal layered clouds caused by moist air cooling. Associated with long duration light precipitation.
Describe Warm, Cold, and Occluded Fronts.
Fronts are described by the temperature of the overtaking air.
Warm Front: Warm air moving over slow-moving cold air.
Cold Front: Cold air moving under slow-moving warm air.
Occluded Front: A cold front, moving faster than a warm front, overtakes it and causes rising of the warm air.
If contrail lines do not dissipate in 2 hours, what pressure is predominant in the atmosphere?
Low pressure: which usually indicates deteriorating weather.
How many degrees of temperature should be expected with a rise in elevation of 1000ft?
4 degrees is the military answer.
3.2 deg/1000’ in saturated air, 5.5deg/1000’ in dry air.
