Weather Flashcards
What factors influence the weather?
Latitude- Describes how far a place is from the equator
Aspect- This is the direction in which land faces using compass points.
Relief- This describes the shape and height of land
Distance from the sea- How far or close you are located to the coastline and sea
What are the 5 air masses?
Arctic Maritime
Summer: cold with some rain
Winter: very cold with snow
Polar maritime
Summer: cool with heavy rain or showers
Winter: cool with heavy rain or showers
Tropical maritime
Summer: warm and wet e.g. thunderstorms
Winter: mild and wet
Tropical continental
Summer: heat waves, very sunny and dry
Winter: warm and dry
Polar continental
Summer: warmer and drier weather
Winter: cool and dry weather
Source area of air masses
Land= dry Oceans= wet Tropics= warm Arctic= cold
What is an anticyclone?
An anticyclone is an area of high pressure which brings long periods of settled weather. Warm air is sinking which means clouds don’t form.
Anticyclones can be identified by the following features:
Wind moves in a clockwise direction
Isobars are widely spread so the wind blows more slowly
Areas of high pressure
No weather fronts
Opposite characteristics to a depression- brings clear skies and light winds.
Anticyclones in seasons
Summer Clear skies Sunny Warm Low wind speed
Winter Clear skies Frost Cold Sunny
What is a depression?
A depression is an area of low air pressure- look for a number less than 1000 in the centre of isobars on synoptic chart
Wind blows in an anti-clockwise direction around and towards the low pressure.
Isobars- lines joining places with the same air pressure
Isobars close together show strong winds
Isobars wide apart show gentle winds
They have weather fronts
The stages of a depression
Factors: cloud cover, pressure, temperature, rainfall
Stage 1 High wispy cirrus (thin white cloud) High pressure Cool temperature Dry
Stage2 Low and thick cloud cover Decreasing pressure Cool temperature Drizzle
Stage 3 Sparce stralus (thick, grey cloud) Lowest pressure Warm temperature Mainly dry
The stages of a depression
Stage 4 (cold front) Tall/ heavy Cumulonimbus Low pressure Warm temperature Heavy rainfall
Stage 5 (end) Broken up cumulus (thick white clouds) Increasing pressure Cool temperature Showers
Differences in weather conditions question method
Clouds Temperature Direction Speed Precipitation
How do air masses affect the UK?
These low- pressure systems often begin in the Atlantic Ocean, moving eastwards towards/ over the UK. They are responsible for the UK’s changeable weather.
In the UK, it or most common for tropical maritime and polar maritime air masses to meet. They create a LOW PRESSURE when they meet.
Synoptic symbols
Cloud cover measured in oktas
Wind speed measured in knots
Aspect
Temperature:
The sun moves from east to west and it is at its highest point in the south. South facing slopes receive the most heat during the day and are sheltered from the northerly winds.
Rainfall:
The hillsides which face the moist winds received the most rain. In the UK these are the west facing slopes because of the Atlantic Ocean is to the west.
