Severe Weather Flashcards
1
Q
Factors Affecting Wind
A
wind Speed and Direction
2
Q
What does the air pressure gradient do?
A
- drives winds
- ultimately comes from solar energy
3
Q
Types of Fronts
A
- stationary
- occluded
4
Q
Stationary Front
A
-air moves parallel to the boundary
5
Q
Occluded Front
A
-cold front overtakes a warm front
6
Q
What does a mid latitude cyclone do ad how does it move?
A
- affects our weather
- moves from west to east across continent
7
Q
Life Cycle of A Mid Latitude Cyclone
A
- front between cP and mT air masses
- establishes a low pressure cyclone with warm and cold fronts extending outwards
- cold front overtakes warm front
- occluded front forms and storm then dissipates
8
Q
Description of Thunderstorms
A
- associated with cold fronts
- updrafts caused by warm air and latent
9
Q
Tornadoes
A
- intense lows
- funnels of high wind
- associated with cold fronts
- formed from mesocyclones in thunderstorms
10
Q
What is the scale that measures tornadoes?
A
Enhanced Fujita Scale
11
Q
Hurricanes
A
- big low pressure areas
- need high sea surface temperature to form
- latent heat gives energy
12
Q
Causes of A Hurricane
A
- tropical disturbance-low pressure areas
- thick layer of warm water
- strong gradient of T in the atmosphere above the ocean surface
13
Q
Tropical Depression
A
-wind start spiral around low pressure
14
Q
Tropical Storms
A
-minimum sustained wind speed
>63 km
