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z Geog 111 > Week 4 - Weather in mid-latitudes > Flashcards

Week 4 - Weather in mid-latitudes Flashcards

1
Q

What pressure generally brings nicer days?

A

High-pressure weather systems usually bring fair weather, calm winds, and relatively clear skies; low-pressure vice versa.

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2
Q

When the barometer is _____, bad weather is coming.

A

falling

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3
Q

What are clouds mostly made of?

A

Water and ice

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4
Q

Icy clouds are _____; warmer clouds are _____ (altitude-wise)

A

high / low

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5
Q

What do you need for condensation to occur?

A

Condensation nuclei.

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6
Q

What is the lifting condensation level?

A

The layer where condensation occurs at altitude; this is why fluffy cumulus clouds have flat bottoms.

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7
Q

How does weather radar work?

A

Radar transmits microwaves in pulses, some of which hits objects (i.e. precipitation) and reflects back to the radar station, allowing the object’s distance from the station to be measured. Combined with the radar’s ability to scan up and down (elevation scanning) and in a circle in all directions (azimuthal scanning), modern radars can measure the three-dimensional distribution of precipitation within 100+ miles of the radar.

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8
Q

What are the four main types of clouds?

A

Cumulus, cirrus, stratus, and nimbus.

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9
Q

Which clouds are defined by their shape?

A

Cumulus, cirrus, and stratus.

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10
Q

Which clouds are defined by their function?

A

Only one: nimbus.

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11
Q

What are stratus clouds?

A

Flat, grey, horrible sheets of clouds.

layer

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12
Q

What are cumulus clouds?

A

Fluffy! Low and friendly, flat on the bottom.

heap

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13
Q

How can you tell if a cloud is cumulus or alto-cumulus?

A

Alto-cumulus seem smaller because they’re much farther away (further up).

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14
Q

What are the thunderstorm clouds?

A

Cumulonimbus.

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15
Q

What are cirrus clouds?

A

Little, wispy, high up.

wisp of hair

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16
Q

What are nimbus clouds?

A

Rain rain rain!

rain

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17
Q

What are the gross, grey, crappy-rain sheet weather clouds called?

A

Nimbostratus.

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18
Q

How are clouds and albedo related?

A

The thicker the cloud, the greater the albedo; therefore thick clouds will appear bright in visible light.

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19
Q

Which clouds would appear brightest in visible light?

A

Cumulus and cumulonimbus–the thicker clouds.

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20
Q

What does infrared imagery show us?

A

It shows us temperature.

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21
Q

What can IR imagery tell us about clouds?

A

The height of the clouds (colder=higher)

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22
Q

What do you call stratiform clouds near the ground?

A

Fog.

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23
Q

What do stratiform clouds look like in visible light?

A

Broad, smooth, flat

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24
Q

What can hold more moisture: warm air or cold air?

A

Warm air, because the air expands and therefore the package containing the moisture has more room.

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25
Q

How does precipitation occur with rising air?

A

As warm air rises, it cools, so it can no longer hold the water (dewpoint temp), and precipitation occurs.

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26
Q

Where does precipitation occur during a cold front?

A

During or after the front.

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27
Q

Where does precipitation occur during a warm front?

A

Before the front hits.

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28
Q

What is the line between the Polar and Ferrel Cells called?

A

The Polar Front.

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29
Q

Where do jet streams occur?

A

Along the polar fronts and sub-tropical highs.

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30
Q

What are the low-pressure cells along the Polar Front called?

A

Mid-latitude cyclones.

31
Q

Are mid-latitude cyclones high pressure or low pressure?

A

Low

32
Q

In which direction to mid-latitude cyclones cycle and why?

A

Counter-clockwise because of the Coriolis force.

33
Q

Why are contrails formed?

A

If air is close to 100% humidity, then added vapor from the engine’s exhaust (hot and moist) makes clouds of ice crystals.

34
Q

How is fog formed?

A

Through condensation.

35
Q

What type of fog is the most common?

A

Radiation fog.

36
Q

What is the time difference between Kelowna and Zulu time?

A

Zulu is 8 hrs ahead.

37
Q

Which types are more likely to be associated with instability in the troposphere?

A

Cumulus

38
Q

What are the steps in forecasting the weather?

A
  1. Look outside!
  2. Check current conditions:
  3. Check historical data for averages, highs, and lows.
  4. Check other forecasts!
  5. Is it a two-week forecast? Get drunk and duke it out with another meteorologist!
39
Q

What things should you check when you check current weather conditions to make a forecast?

A
  • wind direction + speeds
  • temperature
  • cloud types
  • location of jet stream
  • locations of pressure zones
  • ridge/trough relative positions
40
Q

What is a meteogram?

A

A graph of recent weather.

41
Q

What types of clouds will IR images tell us about?

A

Cirrus

42
Q

What is Zulu time?

A

Greenwich Mean Time

43
Q

Generally, what does an upper air chart show?

A

The altitude of air at a particular pressure, usually 250 hPa and 500h Pa

44
Q

What is hPa?

A

Hectopascal, a measure of pressure

45
Q

What does the 250 hPa chart show?

A

Wind speed and direction, so it’s possible to determine the location of the jet stream.

46
Q

What does the 500 hPa chart show?

A

It helps identify upper air ridges and troughs.

47
Q

What kind of weather are troughs associated with?

A

Stormy weather and cold surface temperatures.

48
Q

What kind of weather are ridges associated with?

A

Warm, dry weather at the surface.

49
Q

What do weather models show?

A

Current weather analyses, and at 12-hour intervals for the next 48 hours.

50
Q

What are the front “teeth” for warm and cold fronts?

A 
Warm = rounded
Cold = pointy
51
Q

What is occlusion?

A

The fact that, in a mid-latitude cyclone, the cold front will eventually catch up with the warm front because the cold travels faster than the warm.

52
Q

What are the wind pattern in a mid-latitude cyclone?

A

In toward the centre of the low pressure zone, but deflected right (in the n.hemisphere) because of the Coriolis force.

53
Q

Why is UTC or Z time important in weather forecasting?

A

It helps us standardize a world weather view at any given moment, without needing to worry about various local times.

54
Q

What is the connection between mid-latitude cyclones and the jet stream?

A

The jet stream is where two pressure systems meet (the Polar Front), which determines where the mid-latitude cyclones will be.

55
Q

Draw the typical arrangement of cold and warm fronts in a mid-latitude cyclone in the n.hemisphere.

A

Draw it!

56
Q

Draw a map showing wind directions in a n.hemisphere mid-latitude cyclone.

A

Draw it!

57
Q

How much area does a front have?

A

None, it’s a line!

58
Q

Are air masses fixed?

A

No, they move around with the seasons.

59
Q

How are air masses formed?

A

It stays over an area long enough to acquire the characteristics of an area (then it moves).

60
Q

What happens when two air masses meet?

A

You get a front.

61
Q

What can air masses help us predict?

A

Weather and climate.

62
Q

How are air masses classified?

A

Based on temperature and moisture.

63
Q

What are the four types of air masses that affect us in N.America?

A

mP - cold and wet;
cA - cold and dry;
mT - hot and wet;
cT - hot and dry.

64
Q

What is fog?

A

It is moisture, condensed air. It is NOT water vapour (water vapour is invisible to the naked eye)

65
Q

How do you get condensation that forms fog?

A

You need the air to cool enough (for some reason) that the dewpoint temperature is met and condensation forms.

66
Q

What is the “overnight” fog called?

A

Radiation fog.

67
Q

How does radiation fog form?

A

At night, someone turns out the lights; so, no insolation is being received, but the ground is still radiating. That means the atmosphere is getting warmer, but the ground and the air immediately above the ground is getting colder. If the dewpoint temp is met–BAM!–you’ve got yourself some radiation fog.

68
Q

How does up-slope fog form?

A

Moist air flows toward the slope, air rises with the terrain, then cools to condensation temperature, forming fog on the slope.

69
Q

What is advection fog?

A

Fog that forms when air moves side-to-side from a relatively warm area to a relatively cool area. Common with bodies of water.

70
Q

Why is air rising to begin storms (lift) associated with convection?

A

Because of the warming of the surface.

71
Q

Are thunderstorms likely to occur when its warm or cool?

A

Warm

72
Q

How does lightning happen?

A

The ground is positively charged, the base of the clouds (lifting condensation level) is negatively charged, the ground is positively charged, and the charge difference results in lightning.

73
Q

How are ice and water charged?

A

Ice is positive, water is negative.

z Geog 111 (11 decks)

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