Weather Patterns Flashcards
Scientist classify air masses according to ______ and _______.
Temperature
Humidity
Four major types of air masses influence the weather in _____ ______.
North America
- Maritime air masses form over oceans
- Warm, humid air mass
Maritime Tropical
Cool, humid air mass that forms over the icy cold North Pacific and North Atlantic oceans.
Maritime Polar
Continental air masses form over land.
Hot, dry air mass
Continental tropic
Forms over Alaska and Canada
Very cold, dry air
This year = polar vortex
Continental polar
When an air mass moves into an area and interacts with other air masses, it causes the weather to _______.
Change
In the U.S., air masses are commonly moved by the _______ ________ and ________ ________.
Prevailing westerlies
Jet Streams
Air masses generally move from ______ to ______.
West to East
When 2 air masses collide that have _____ ______ and _____, they do not mix easily.
Different temperatures
Humidity
The boundary where the air masses meet becomes a _____
Front
_______ and ______ weather often develop along the front.
Storms
Changeable
4 types of fronts
Cold front
Warm front
Stationary front
Occluded front
_____ air is _____ and tends to sink.
Cold
Dense
______ air is _____ dense and tends to rise.
Warm
Less
When a fast moving cold air mass runs into a slow moving warm air mass, the denser cold air slides under the warm air and pushes it upward.
Cold front
Fast moving warm air mass overtakes slow cold air mass (moves above cold air)
Warm front
Cold air mass and hot air mass meet, but cannot move each other.
Stationary front
Warm air mass caught between 2 cold air masses.
Occluded front
A _____ is a violent disturbance in the atmosphere.
Storm
Storms involve sudden _____ in _____ _____ that causes rapid air movements.
Changes
Air pressure
Types of storms
Thunderstorms
Tornados
Small storm often with heavy rain, thunder, and lightening.
Form in large cumulonimbus clouds, AKA thunderheads
Thunderstorms
______ is a sudden spark, or electrical discharge, as positive and negative charges move around.
Lightening