Weather Quiz Flashcards
Water cycle (definition)
The movement of water through Earth’s systems, powered by the sun’s energy
humidity
a measure of the amount of water vapor in the air
relative humidity
the percentage of water vapor that is actually in the air compared to the maximum amount of water vapor the air can hold at a particular temperature
psychrometer
An instrument used to measure relative humidity
How does a psychrometer work?
It has a wet-bulb and a dry-bulb thermometer, the wet-bulb is covered by a moist cloth, when the psychrometer is slung air blows over both thermometers, the relative humidity can be found by comparing the temperatures of the wet-bulb and dry-bulb thermometers
dew point
the temperature at which condensation begins
cirrus clouds
wispy, and feathery clouds at high altitudes
altocumulus and altostratus
medium level clouds that indicate precipitation
cumulus clouds
low level clouds that look like cotton that indicate thunderstorms
fog
clouds that form near the ground
cirrocumulus clouds
mid level clouds that indicate storms and look like cotton
stratus
dull flat layer clouds that look gray
nimbus clouds
clouds that produce precipitation
precipitation definition
any form of water that falls from clouds and reaches Earth’s surface
What are the 5 types of precipitation?
sleet, hail, snow, freezing rain, rain
What is sleet?
Ice particles smaller than 5 millimeters in diameter
What is hail?
a round pellet of ice larger then 5 millimeters in diameter
What is snow?
water vapor in a cloud that is converted directly into ice crystals
What is freezing rain?
rain drops that fall as liquid, but freeze when they touch a cold surface
What is rain (definition)?
moisture condensed from the atmosphere that falls visibly in separate drops.
What is a rain gauge?
An open ended tube that collects rain
What is a flood?
An overflowing of water normally in a dry area
What is a drought?
A long period of scarce rain or dry weather
What is an air mass?
a huge body of air in the lower atmosphere that has similar temperature, humidity, and air pressure at any given height
What are the four types of air masses?
Tropical, Polar, Maritime, and Continental
What is a Tropical air mass?
an air mass that forms in the tropics and have low air pressure
What is a Polar air mass?
an air mass that forms at 50 degrees North latitude and 50 degrees South latitude, polar air masses have high air pressure
What is a Maritime air mass?
An air mass that forms over oceans, so the air can become very hungry
What is a continental air mass?
An air mass that forms over land, these air masses have less exposure to large amounts of moisture from bodies of water, therefore continental air masses are dryer then maritimes
What are prevailing westerly winds?
The major wind belts over the continental United States, these generally push in masses from east to west
What are jet streams?
bands of high speed winds going from West to
East about 10km above Earth’s surface
What are trade winds?
a wind blowing steadily toward the equator from northeast or southeast, especially at sea.
What is a front?
the boundary where air masses meet
What are the types of fronts?
cold, warm, occluded and stationary
What is a Continental Polar air mass?
cold and dry air mass
What is a Maritime Polar air mass?
A cold, wet, low humidity air mass that causes Nor’easters
What is a continental tropical air mass?
Warm, dry and hot air masses
What is a maritime tropical air mass?
warm, wet and humid air mass that can bring thunderstorms
What are cold fronts?
When the warm air is pushed upward along the leading edge of the colder air
What are warm fronts?
a fast moving warm air overtakes the slow moving cold air and also is accompanied by clouds and precipitation
What are Occluded fronts?
Where a warm front is caught between two cooler fronts, and the warm air is cut off from the ground
What are stationary fronts?
When cold air masses and warm air masses meet, but neither can move, so therefore it is called a stationary front
What is a cyclone?
A swirling center of low air pressure
What is an anticyclone?
High pressure centers of dry air shown by an H on a weather map
Cyclone vs. Anticyclone
cyclone is low air pressure and anticyclone is high air pressure
What is a storm?
A violent disturbance in the atmosphere
What is a thunderstorm?
a small storm often accompanied by heavy precipitation and frequent thunder and lightning
What is lightning?
A sudden spark or electrical discharge
What is a hurricane?
a tropical cyclone with winds of 119km/h or higher
What is a storm surge?
A ‘dome’ of water that sweeps across the coast where the hurricane lands
What is a tornado?
A rapidly whirling funnel-shaped cloud that reaches down from a thunderstorm to touch Earth’s surface
What is a meteorologist?
A scientist that tries to predict that weather
How do you be safe in a winter storm?
If you are caught in a snowstorm or winter storm, try to find shelter from the wind
How do you be safe from a thunderstorm?
During a thunderstorm avoid places where lightning may strike. Also avoid objects that can conduct electricity, such as metal objects and bodies of water
How do you be safe from a hurricane?
You should be prepared to evacuate or move away temporarily, if you hear a hurricane warning and are told to evacuate, leave immediatley
How do you be safe from a tornado?
The safest place to be during a tornado is in a storm shelter or basement
How does a hurricane form step 1?
- equatorial sun strag
How does a hurricane die?
Land, cold water, Cold front- continental polar, dropping down from an anticyclone, cold air/windsheer
How does a hurricane form step 2?
- Massive evaporation takes place
How does a hurricane form step 3?
- Convection causes t-storms
How does a hurricane form step 4?
- T-storms organize in squall line
How does a hurricane form step 5?
- squall line is pushed outside by weather force (upper level disturbance) which causes kink
How does a hurricane form step 6?
- Hurricane grows from spinning squall line. Inner convection gets stronger, cow pressure strengthens, eye wall forms
