MET1010 Final Test
the greatest wind speed ever recorded at the earths surface occurred at
200 knots (230 mph) in 1934 at Mount Washington, NH
A comma cloud is:
A band of organized cumuliform clouds that look like a comma on a satellite photograph
During the summer, what conditions prevail near the surface over the Great Plains that help a hailstone survive as ice all the way to the ground?
A cold thick layer of moist air
Which statement below is NOT correct concerning hurricanes?
A hurricane moving northward over the pacific will normally survive for a longer time than one moving over the Atlantic
Which below is the best indication that a hurricane will likely strike your area within 24 hours?
A hurricane warning is issued by the national weather service
White light is ____ of electromagnetic radiation.
A mixture of all visible wavelengths
A group of thunderstorms which develop in a line one next to the other, each in a different stage of development, are called:
A multi - cell thunderstorm
A forecast of an extended period of dry weather would be made for a region beneath
An upper-level ridge
Which method below describes how scientists have tried to modify hurricanes?
Dropping dry ice and silver iodine into them
On a surface weather map, which of the following marks the boundary where a warm, dry air mass encounters a warm, moist air mass?
Dry line
The downdraft in an ordinary thunderstorm is created mainly by:
Evaporating raindrops that make the air cold and heavy
Most waterspouts would fall into which category of the Enhanced Fujita Scale?
Fo
A weather warning indicates that:
Hazardous weather is either imminent or occurring within the forecast area
The energy for hurricanes comes from the transfer of ____ from the ocean surface to the atmosphere.
Heat
The immense amounts of energy taken in by hurricanes are:
Heat and humidity
Distant lightning that is so far away you cannot hear the thunder is called:
Heat lightning
Which of the following is NOT a reason why water warms and cools much more slowly than land?
It takes more heat to raise the temperature of a given amount of soil 1°C than it does to raise the temperature of water 1°C.
When it is January and winter in the Northern Hemisphere, it is ____ and ____ in the Southern Hemisphere.
January, summer
Halos are caused by:
Refraction of light passing through ice crystals
All thunderstorms require:
Rising air
Storms that form in the tropics are given names when:
They reach tropical storm strength
A small thunderstorm cloud with virga falling out of its base and blowing dust at the ground could warn of a severe hazard to an airplane because:
This could indicate an intense downdraft or microburst
a typical raindrop is about ___ a typical cloud droplet
a million times
A high water vapor pressure indicates:
a relatively large number of water vapor molecules in the air
According to the three-cell general circulation model, at the equator we would not expect to find:
a ride of high pressure
A small, moving disturbance imbedded in a longwave is called:
a shortwave
an aneroid barometer works on the principle that
a small closed cell with most of its air removed will expand and contract with changes in air pressure
Alternating lines of blue and red on a surface weather chart indicate:
a stationary front
which cloud type below will only produce precipitation by the collision-coalescence process
a thick warm cumulus cloud
A surface low pressure center is generally associated with ____ on an upper level isobaric chart.
a trough
stratus and high fog are
a uniform grayish cloud that often cover the entire sky. Resembles fog that does not reach the ground. Might be confused with nimbostratus.
A halo around the sun or moon indicates that rain may be on the way because the halo indicates:
a warm front may be approaching
infrared and visible satellite images might provide
a way of determining cloud thickness and altititude
The maximum in daytime surface temperature typically occurs ____ the earth receives its most intense solar radiation.
after
A "back door" cold front describes which of the following situations?
a cold front that moves into new england from the atlantic ocean
Where cold surface air replaces warm air, the boundary separating the different bodies of air is:
a cold front.
the surface weather map is a sea level chart. thus, a surface weather map is also called
a constant height chart
An upper-level pool of cold air that has broken away from the main flow is called:
a cut off low
On a surface weather map that shows an open wave cyclone, the warm sector can be observed:
ahead of an advancing cold front
An increase in albedo would be accompanied by ____ in radiative equilibrium temperature.
a decrease
In the Northern Hemisphere, the polar jet stream is strongest when:
air north of the polar front is much colder than air south of the polar front
The temperature at which water boils depends mainly on:
air pressure
Which of the following sets of conditions would produce a cumulus cloud with the lowest base?
air temperature 90°F, dew point temperature 60°F
Which of the features below could indicate prevailing wind direction?
all of the above
for frozen dew to form
all of the above
Refraction of light by the atmosphere is responsible for:
all of these
Which of the following are capable of producing a red sunrise or sunset?
all of these
condensation nuclei may be
all of these
frost forms when
all the above
Northeasters (or nor'easters) are midlatitude storms commonly found:
along the atlantic coast of north america
To correctly monitor horizontal changes in air pressure, the most important correction for a mercury barometer is the correction for:
altitude
the contour lines drawn on a 500 mb chart are lines of constant
altitude
a middle cloud that sometimes forms in parallel waves or bands is
altocumulus
which clouds often appear in parallel waves or bands
altocumulus
which of the following pairs of cloud types could be very similar in appearance
altocumulus and cirrocumulus
a dim, 'watery' sun visible through a gray sheet-like cloud layer is often a good indication of ____ clouds
altostratus clouds
The dry adiabatic lapse rate is ____ greater than the moist adiabatic lapse rate.
always
The temperature of a rising air parcel:
always cools due to expansion
radar gathers information about precipitation in clouds by measuring the
amount of energy reflected back to a transmitter
The ionosphere is an atmospheric layer that contains a high concentration of ions. An ion is:
an atom that has lost one or more electrons.
Air moving eastward more slowly than the earth rotates, would appear to be ____ wind to an observer on the earth.
an east
When the air is saturated, which of the following statements is NOT correct?
an increase in temperature will cause condensation to occur
During the positive phase of the North Atlantic Oscillation,
an increased pressure gradient exists across the north atlantic ocean, the prevailing westerlies in the northern hemisphere are stronger, winters in the eastern US are wet and mile (all of these)
Which of the following conditions would be described as the most stable?
an inversion
An instrument used to measure wind speed is called a(n):
anemometer
Which below is not a name given to a large cyclonic storm system that forms in the middle latitudes?
anticyclone
If we assume that the absolute vorticity of flowing air is conserved, air moving northeastward will bend ____ to compensate for the ____ in the earth's vorticity.
anticyclonically, increase
when clouds are viewed near the horizon, the individual cloud elements usually
appear closer together than is actually the case
Many small-scale processes are ____ in General Circulation Models.
approximated and parameterized
winds blow slightly inward
around surface low pressure centers in the northern and southern hemisphere
The pressure gradient force is directed from higher pressure toward lower pressure:
at all places on earth
Radiational cooling typically occurs:
at night (once the sun sets and the amount of outgoing energy is greater than incoming energy).
The largest annual ranges of temperatures are found:
at polar latitudes over land.
Nighttime temperatures rarely drop below the dew point temperature because:
at saturation, latent heat of condensation is released into the air
At what time during a 24-hour day would a radiation temperature inversion best be developed?
at sunrise
In the general circulation of the atmosphere, one would find the region called the doldrums:
at the equator
Cumuliform cloud development would be most likely in which of the following?
cP air mass moving over warm water
The lake effect occurs when ____ air mass moves over a ____ body of water.
cP, warm
What type of air mass would be responsible for hot, dry summer weather in southern Arizona?
cT
Which air mass forms over North America only in summer?
cT
Major ocean currents that flow parallel to the coast of North America are:
california, gulf stream, and labrador
Ideal conditions for a strong radiation inversion are:
calm air, long night, and dry, dust-free air.
freshly fallen snow ___ sounds waves
can absorb
when you see your breath on a cold morning, the air temperature
can be above or below freezing
The gas responsible for the greenhouse effect on Venus is:
carbon dioxide (CO2)
The greenhouse gas that has been increasing in concentration, at least partly due to deforestation, is:
carbon dioxide (CO2)
If the outflow of air around a surface high pressure area is greater than the convergence of air aloft, you would observe:
a decrease in the central pressure
A drylines is:
a dew point front and a boundary marking a strong horizontal change in atmospheric pressure
A wind profiler obtains wind information using:
a doppler radar
In summer, during the passage of a sea breeze, which of the following is NOT usually observed?
a drop in relative humidity
On a weather map, the transition zone between two air masses with sharply contrasting properties is marked by:
a front
The word "frontogenesis" on a weather map would mean that:
a front is regenerating or strengthening
Snow will usually melt on the roof of a home that is a:
a good radiator of heat
The nighttime counterpart of the sea breeze circulation is called a:
a land breeze
which of the following can be used to determine the height of cloud bases
ceiling balloons, rotating-beam ceilometer, fixed beam ceilometer (all of the above)
which of the following would provide the most accurate method of determining cloud base altitude
ceilometer
The net force on air moving in a circle at constant speed is:
centripetal force
cyclonic flow means ___ in either northern or southern hemisphere
circulation around a low pressure center
a "mackerel sky" describes what type of cloud
cirrocumulus
when viewed from the surface, the smaller individual cloud elements (puffs) are observed with which cloud
cirrocumulus
which cloud is LEAST likely to produce precipitation that reaches the ground
cirrocumulus
which of the following cloud types would be found at the highest elevation above the earth's surface
cirrocumulus
Suppose the sky is completely covered with a thin, white layered-type cloud. You look at the ground and see that objects cast a distinct shadow. From this you conclude that the cloud type must be:
cirrostratus
You would most likely see a halo or sundog with which of the following cloud types?
cirrostratus
in middle latitudes, which cloud will have the highest base
cirrostratus
which cloud type is composed of ice crystals and can cause a halo to form around the sun or the moon
cirrostratus
a halo around the moon means that
cirrostratus clouds are present, the clouds overhead are high clouds
along an irregular coastline, advection fog is more likely to form at the headlands than at the beaches because of the ___ surface winds and __ air
converging rising
Developing low pressure areas generally have ____ air near the surface and ____ air aloft.
converging, diverging
Which set of conditions, working together, will make the atmosphere the most stable?
cool the surface and warm the air aloft
What two sets of conditions, working together, will make the atmosphere the most unstable?
cool the surface and warm the air loft
A maritime polar air mass that reaches the Pacific Coast is:
cool, moist, and conditionally unstable
In clear weather, the air next to the ground is usually ____ than the air above during the night and ____ than the air above during the day.
cooler, warmer
Evaporation is a ____ process.
cooling
Upslope fog forms because air ____ as it flows up a hill or mountain range.
cools
The ___ is an apparent force created by earth's rotation
coriolis force
Which of the following forces CANNOT act to change the speed of the wind?
coriolis force
the rate of the earth's rotation determines the strength of the
coriolis force
Which of the following can influence wind direction?
coriolis force, pressure gradient force, centripetal force (all of the above)
Detached clouds of delicate and fibrous appearance, without shading, usually white in color and sometimes of a silky appearance are:
cirrus
fall streaks most often form with
cirrus clouds
which of the following clouds are almost always composed of ice crystals
cirrus clouds
In the middle latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere, surface winds tend to blow ____ and ____ around an area of surface low pressure.
counterclockwise, inward
During some years, the northern hemisphere has more than 10 semi-permanent highs and lows.
false
In an exceptionally cold winter during which the Great Lakes were entirely covered by ice, lake effect snows would be expected in extremely high frequency and intensity.
false
Suppose two unsaturated air masses mix horizontally. The resulting mixture cannot possibly be saturated.
false
The Coriolis force is the force that causes the wind to blow.
false
even at high elevations where cirrus clouds are found, liquid water still exists in the clouds
false
when fog is "burning off," the cloud droplets are preventing solar radiation from reaching the ground
false
which of the following produces the strongest Coriolis force?
fast winds, high latitudes
large raindrops fall ____ than smaller raindrops, and have a ___ terminal velocity than smaller raindrops
faster, greater
Atmospheric shortwaves usually move ____ than longwaves, and ____ when they move through a longwave ridge.
faster, weaken
The southern hemisphere has ____ semi-permanent lows than the northern hemisphere.
fewer
stratus clouds are typically puffy and form by convection
flase
a light shower of snow that falls intermittently from cumuliform clouds for a short duration is known as
flurries
A chinook wind in the Alps is called a:
foehn
A true cold front on a weather map is always:
followed by cooler air
Which of the following does NOT describe the subtropical jet stream?
forms along the polar front
Dust storms and dust devils are ____ on Mars.
found
In the winter you read in the newspaper that a large section of the Midwest is without power due to downed power lines. Which form of precipitation would most likely produce this situation?
freezing rain
Which type of precipitation would most likely form when the surface air temperature is slightly below freezing and the air temperature increases as you move upward away from the ground?
freezing rain
glaze is another name for
freezing rain
the winds speed generally increases with height above the earth's surface because
friction with the earth's surface slows air near the ground
surface winds blow across the isobars at an angle due to
frictional force
when radiation fog "burns off," the fog tends to dissipate
from bottom up
the winds aloft in the middle latitudes of the southern hemisphere generally blow
from west to east
On a weather map, sharp changes in temperature, humidity, and wind direction are marked by:
front
fog that most often forms as warm rain falls into a cold layer of surface air is called
frontal fog
The name given to a liquid drop of dew that freezes when the air temp drops below freezing
frozen dew
A good source region for an air mass would be:
generally flat areas of uniform composition with light surface winds
When comparing an "average" cold front to an "average" warm front, which of the following is NOT correct?
generally, precipitation covers a much broader area with a cold front
Names given to satellites
geostationary satellites, polar-orbiting satellites, TRIOS, GOES, TRMM
A wind blowing at a constant speed parallel to straight line isobars with the pressure gradient force (PGF) and the Coriolis force in balance is called a:
geostrophic wind
A hurricane warning:
gives the percent chance of a hurricane's center passing within 65 miles of a community
when only ice crystals exist in a cloud, the cloud is said to be
glaciated
a wind that blows at a constant speed parallel to curved isobars or contour lines is called a
gradient wind
which of the following might be mistaken for hail
graupel
Which of the following forces does not have a direct effect on horizontal wind motions?
gravitational force
the atmosphere around the earth would rush off into space if the vertical pressure gradient force were not balanced by
gravity
At the same sub-freezing temperature, the saturation vapor pressure just above a liquid water surface is ____ the saturation vapor pressure above an ice surface.
greater than
Suppose a west wind of 20 knots blows over a coastal region which is densely covered in shrubs. If this same wind moves out over the middle of a large calm lake, its speed and direction would probably be:
greater than 20 knots and more northwesterly
In a conditionally unstable atmosphere, the environmental lapse rate will be ____ than the moist adiabatic rate and ____ than the dry adiabatic rate.
greater, less
A dust or sandstorm that forms along the leading edge of a thunderstorm is a:
haboob
hail deposited in a long narrow band is known as a
hail streak
precipitation with the greatest size (diameter) is
hailstone
Which of the following are caused by the bending of light through ice crystals?
halos and sundogs
geostationary satellites
has a geostationary orbit - a circular geosynchronous orbit directly above the earths equator. remain permanently fixed in exactly the same position in the sky
A cold-type occluded front:
has cold surface air behind it
In the polar front theory of a developing wave cyclone, energy for the storm is usually derived from all but which of the following?
heat energy stored in the ground
low ____ on a constant height chart corresponds to low ___ on a constant pressure chart
height, pressure
The term "latent" means:
hidden
The albedo of the earth's surface is only about 4 percent, yet the combined albedo of the earth and the atmosphere is about 30 percent. Which set of conditions below BEST explains why?
high albedo of clouds, low albedo of water
In most areas, the warmest time of the day about 5 feet above the ground occurs:
in the afternoon around 2-5 PM local time.
A valley breeze would develop its maximum strength:
in the early afternoon
Clouds often form in the:
in the rising air in the center of a low pressure area
on a cold, winter morning, the most likely place for radiation to form is
in the valley
in hilly areas, cold air typically collects
in valleys
Which of the following statements is most plausible?
in winter cA source regions have lower temperatures than cP source regions
In meteorology, the word insolation refers to:
incoming solar radiation.
As an air parcel aloft moves northward from the equator, it moves closer to the earth's axis of rotation. Because of the conservation of angular momentum, the air parcel's motion should:
increase
If the flow of air into a surface low pressure area is greater than the divergence of air aloft, the surface pressure in the center of the low will:
increase
Suppose a parcel of air has a given temperature, pressure, and density. If the parcel's size remains the same while its temperature increases, then the air pressure inside the parcel will:
increase
The planetary vorticity of an air parcel moving from low toward high latitude in the Northern Hemisphere will:
increase
When the air temperature increases, the saturation vapor pressure will:
increase
if a liquid with a lower density than mercury were used in a barometer, the height of the column in the barometer would
increase
if the earth's gravitational force were to increase, atmospheric pressure at the ground would
increase
infrared satellite images are computer enhanced to
increase contrast between features and their backgrounds
net convergence of air would cause surface pressure to ___ and net divergence would cause surface pressure to ___
increase, decrease
If the air temperature remains constant, evaporating water into the air will ____ the dew point and ____ the relative humidity.
increase, increase
Which of the following is NOT correct concerning a warm front?
it has warm air ahead (in advance) of it
Which of the following is NOT correct concerning a cold front?
it is colored purple on a surface weather map
Which below is NOT correct about the stratospheric polar-night jet stream?
it is found near the tropopause
Which of the statements below is NOT correct concerning the pressure gradient force?
it is non-existent at the equator
exhaled breath from our mouth can condense when
its very cold
A strong, usually cold, downslope wind is called a:
katabatic wind
An extremely strong downslope wind that occurs in parts of Antarctica would be considered a:
katabatic wind
Energy of motion is also known as:
kinetic energy
"A good absorber of a given wavelength of radiation is also a good emitter of that wavelength." This is a statement of:
kirchoff's law
A condition where the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean turns cooler than normal is called:
la nina
During the summer in humid climates, nighttime clouds tend to form over water during a:
land breeze
The rate at which temperature decreases with increasing altitude is known as the:
lapse rate
A sea breeze is most likely to develop along a coastline when:
large temperature difference exist between the land and water
A change of one degree on the Celsius scale is ____ a change of one degree on the Fahrenheit scale.
larger than
In winter, which sequence of clouds would you most likely expect to observe as a warm front with precipitation approaches your location?
cirrus, cirrostratus, altostratus, nimbostratus
Which of the following is a serious hazard to aircraft?
clear air turbulence
At jet stream is a place where ____ is (are) often found.
clear air turbulence, strong vertical wind, speed shear, very strong winds (all of the above)
Dew is most likely to form on
clear calm nights
radiation fog typically forms on
clear winter night with a very slight breeze
During the afternoon, the greatest temperature difference between the surface air and the air several meters above occurs on a:
clear, calm day.
the wind around a surface low pressure center in the southern hemisphere blows
clockwise and inward
the wind around a surface high pressure center in the northern hemisphere blows
clockwise and outward
Lake-effect snows are best developed around the Great Lakes during:
late fall and early winter when cold, dry polar air moves over the relatively warm water
The cold feeling that you experience after leaving a swimming pool on a hot, dry, summer day represents heat transport by:
latent heat
What is released as sensible heat during the formation of clouds?
latent heat
The heat energy released when water vapor changes to a liquid is called:
latent heat of condensation
What type of air mass would be responsible for persistent cold, damp weather with drizzle along the east coast of North America?
mP
What type of air mass would be responsible for snow showers on the western slopes of the Rockies?
mP
A moist, tropical air mass that is warmer than the surface over which it is moving would be classified ____.
mT
During the spring, which air mass would most likely bring record-breaking high temperatures to the eastern half of the United States?
mT
In Southern California, which air mass is mainly responsible for heavy rains, flooding in low-lying valleys, and melting of snow at high elevations?
mT
The air mass with the highest actual water vapor content is ____.
mT
What type of air mass would be responsible for daily afternoon thunderstorms along the Gulf Coast?
mT
What type of air mass would be responsible for heavy summer rain showers in southern Arizona?
mT
What type of air mass would be responsible for summer afternoon thunderstorms along the eastern slopes of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California?
mT
The greatest contrast in both temperature and moisture will occur along the boundary separating which air masses?
mT and cP
clouds that appear as bag-like sacks hanging from beneath a cloud are
mammatus
which cloud forms in descending air
mammatus
a barograph will
measure and record atmospheric pressure
A jet stream transfers more heat across the globe when it is:
meridional
a wind flow pattern that takes on a more or less north-south trajectory is called
meridional
which of following association is most accurate
mesoscale - land breeze
the smallest scale of atmospheric motion is the
microscale
The scatterometer measures winds by sending and receiving pulses of:
microwave energy
the unit of pressure most commonly found on a surface weather map is
millibars
The ratio of the mass of water vapor in a given volume (parcel) of air to the mass of the remaining dry air describes the:
mixing ratio
The rate at which the temperature changes inside a rising (or descending) parcel of saturated air is called the:
moist adiabatic lapse rate
large, heavy snowflakes are associated with
moist air and temperature near freezing
the largest snowflakes would probably be observed in ___ air whose temperature is ___ freezing
moist, near
the slowing of the wind due to the random motion of air molecules is called
molecular viscosity
pressure changes
more rapidly in the vertical direction than in the horizontal
Water heats up ____ and cools off ____ than land.
more slowly, more slowly
Suppose saturated polar air has an air temperature and dew point of -10°C, and unsaturated desert air has an air temperature of 35°C and a dew point of 10°C. The desert air contains ____ water vapor and has a ____ relative humidity than the polar air.
more, lower
Advection fog is often observed along the Pacific coast during summer, as westerly winds carry moist air toward the shore. The fog forms because the surface water near the coast is ____ the surface water farther offshore.
much colder
The temperature of the tropopause:
much colder than the temperature at the earth's surface.
another name for a "mother of pearl" cloud is
nacreous
which of the following clouds would form in the stratosphere
nacreous
The lowest temperature is usually observed:
near sunrise
the creaking sound produced by walking on snow is most common on
new snow when the air temperature is below -10 deg C
The "force exerted on an object equals its mass times the acceleration produced" is a description of:
newton's second law of motion
The low-level jet that forms over the Central Plains of the United States appears to be responsible for:
nighttime thunderstorms
light or moderate-but-steady precipitation is most often associated with ___ clouds
nimbostratus
The most abundant gases in the earth's atmosphere by volume are:
nitrogen and oxygen
In a volume of air near the earth's surface, ____ occupies 78 percent and ____ nearly 21 percent.
nitrogen, oxygen
"luminous night clouds" are also called
noctilucent
How much radiant energy will an object emit if its temperature is at absolute zero?
none
Average winter temperatures in Great Britain and Norway would probably be much colder if it were not for the:
north atlantic drift
A phenomenon in the Atlantic Ocean, similar to the southern oscillation, is the:
north atlantic oscillation
A surface low pressure area with a deep upper-level trough to the west will tend to move toward the:
northeast
A wind reported as 45° would be a wind blowing from the:
northeast
In Honolulu, Hawaii (latitude 2°N), you would most likely experience winds blowing from the:
northeast
a surface LOW pressure area that moves from the south to north directly easy of your home would most likely produce winds that shift from
northeast to north to northwest
The intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) is a region where:
northeast trades meet the southeast trades
The origin of cP and cA air masses that enter the United States is:
northern canada and alaska
Continental tropical air masses are typically found in:
northern mexico and southwestern US
Suppose that the winds aloft are geostrophic and blowing from the north. With the same orientation of isobars at the surface, the winds would blow from the:
northwest
satellites can
observe clouds in earth orbit, provide extreme valuable cloud photos of areas where there are no ground based clouds
The world's deserts are found at 30° latitude because:
of the sinking air of the subtropical highs
Over the earth as a whole, one would expect to observe the smallest variation in temperature from day to day and from month to month:
on a small island near the equator
A lee-side low forms:
on the downward side of a mountain
During summer near the North Pole, the sun is above the horizon ____ in the mid-latitudes.
on the vernal equinox (March 20)
A sea breeze circulation will reverse direction and become a land breeze:
once per day
Considering each hemisphere as a whole, seasonal temperature variation in the Southern Hemisphere is ____ that in the Northern Hemisphere.
opposite
Continental polar (cP) and continental Arctic (cA) air masses:
originate over the ice and snow covered regions of the arctic, northern canada, and alaska where long, clear nights allow for strong radiational cooling
lenticular clouds typically form ___ a mountain range
over
The rising of warm air up and over cold air is called:
overrunning
The gas that absorbs most of the harmful ultraviolet radiation in the stratosphere is:
ozone (O3)
The large semi-permanent surface anticyclone that is normally positioned over the ocean, west of California, is called the:
pacific high
On an upper-level chart the wind tends to blow:
parallel to the contour lines
The primary source of oxygen for the earth's atmosphere during the past half billion years or so appears to be:
photosynthesis
the small, smooth cloud that may form just above the top of a towering cumulus cloud is called (a)
pileus cloud
The wind belt observed on the poleward side of the polar front is called the:
polar easterlies
Strong storms that develop over water, poleward of the polar front, are called:
polar lows
What color would the sky be if air molecules selectively scattered only the longest wavelengths of visible light?
red
How do red and blue light differ?
red has a higher wavelength and lower frequency and blue has a lower wavelength
As light passes through ice crystals, ____ is bent the least and is, therefore, observed on the ____ of halos or sundogs.
red, inside
Sunlight that bounces off a surface is said to be ____ from the surface.
reflective
Red sunsets, blue moons, and milky-white skies are mainly the result of:
refraction
The bending of light that occurs when it enters and passes through a substance of different density is called:
refraction
the most practical location for building a wind turbine would be
regions with moderate, steady winds
The wind-chill factor:
relates body heat loss with wind to an equivalent temperature with no wind.
The percentage of water vapor present in the air compared to that required for saturation is the:
relative humidity
Which of the following will increase in a rising parcel of air?
relative humidity
As the air temperature increases, with no addition of water vapor to the air, the dew point will:
remain the same
At a warm front, the warm air:
rise and cools
we can generally expect air to be ___ above areas of surface low pressure and ___ above areas of surface high pressure
rising, sinking
The most latent heat would be released in a ____ parcel of ____ saturated air.
rising, warm
violent, rotating eddies that create hazardous flying conditions beneath the crest of a mountain wave are called
rotors
which below would NOT be considered on onshore wind
santa ana wind
Which of the winds below is NOT considered to be a cold wind?
santa ana wind or chinook wind
Conditional instability depends on the condition of:
saturation
which term below describes a situation in which clouds cover between one-tenth and five-tenths of the sky
scattered
On a foggy night, it is often difficult to see the road when the high beam lights are on because of ____ of light by the fog.
scattering
The blue color of distant mountains is due primarily to:
scattering of light
the name given to ragged-looking clouds that rapidly drift with the wind beneath a rain-producing cloud is
scud
A cool, summertime wind that blows from sea to land is called a:
sea breeze
A smog front is most often associated with which wind system?
sea breeze
When a sea breeze moving north meets a sea breeze moving south, they form a:
sea breeze convergence zone
Satellites provide a global picture of winds by converting ____ into wind speed and direction.
sea roughness
a reasonably successful method of dispersing cold fog is to
seed the fog with dry ice
A red shirt:
selectively scatters red wavelengths of visible light and absorb the rest
The position of the Pacific high over the North Pacific Ocean shifts ____ in winter and ____ in summer.
southward, northward
A wind reported as 225° would be a wind blowing from the:
southwest
The amount of heat energy required to bring about a small change in temperature is called the:
specific heat
Air which resists vertical displacements is considered to be:
stable
An mT air mass lying above a cold ground surface represents a(n) ____ situation.
stable
If an air parcel is given a small push upward and it falls back to its original position, the atmosphere is said to be:
stable
Most thunderstorms do not extend very far into the stratosphere because the air in the stratosphere is:
stable
A conditionally unstable atmosphere is ____ with respect to unsaturated air and ____ with respect to saturated air.
stable, unstable
you would use a wooden stick to measure rainfall in the
standard rain gauge
if you hold your hand at arm's ;length and cloud elements appear to be about the size of your fist the cloud type is probably
statuscumulus
On a cold, calm autumn morning, the formation of fog above a relatively warm lake would most likely be:
steam fog
Which of the following provides a measure of the average speed of air molecules?
still air
Lee-side lows are:
storms (extratropical cyclones) that form on the eastern (lee) side of a mountain range
An aneroid barometer carried from sea level to the top of a 300 m (1,000 ft) hill would indicate:
stormy weather
a low, lumpy cloud layer that appears in rows, patches, or rounded masses would be classified
stratocumulus
in middle latitudes, which cloud will have the lowest base
stratocumulus
high fog is also called
stratus
which cloud would most likely produce drizzle
stratus
Good hang-gliding conditions require:
strong winds
A seiche can be caused by:
strong winds and sudden changes in atmospheric pressure or earthquakes
fall streaks usually ___ before reaching the ground
sublimate
The change of state of ice into water vapor is known as:
sublimation
The semi-permanent pressure systems associated with the polar front are called:
subpolar lows
which below best best describes the solute effect
substances dissolved in a droplet can enhance or retard growth of the droplet
Low pressure becomes best developed over the Asian continent in:
summer
Sunlight passes through a thicker portion of the atmosphere at:
sunset
The type of weather system known as a 'mid-latitude cyclone' CANNOT form over the tropical ocean because:
surface temperature contrasts are not large and the coriolis force is weak in the tropics
Which of the following will increase the relative humidity in a home during the winter?
taking a shower and letting the air circulate throughout the home
The earth's atmosphere is divided into layers based on the vertical profile of:
temperature
The only indication on the station model of past weather conditions is the:
temperature
Which of the following has a wavelength shorter than that of violet light?
temperature
Without the atmospheric greenhouse effect, the average surface temperature would be:
temperature
The dry adiabatic rate is the rate at which:
temperature changes in a rising or descending parcel of UNSATURATED air
Suppose yesterday morning you noticed ice crystals (frost) on the grass, yet the minimum temperature reported in the newspaper was only 35°F. The most likely reason for this apparent discrepancy is that:
temperature reading are taken in instrument shelters more than 5 feet above the ground.
to obtain the station pressure you must normally make corrections for
temperature, gravity, and instrument error
An air mass is characterized by similar properties of ____ and ____ in any horizontal direction.
temperature, moisture
In the Northern Hemisphere, ocean currents in the Atlantic and the Pacific move in a generally circular pattern. The direction of this motion is ____ in the Atlantic and ____ in the Pacific.
clockwise, clockwise
In the middle latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere, surface winds tend to blow ____ and ____ around an area of surface high pressure.
clockwise, outward
dew, frozen dew, and frost form when he below-freezing layer of air is
close to ground level
Warming in the stratosphere is mainly caused by:
the absorption of ultraviolet radiation by ozone.
the winds aloft in the middle latitudes would not blow from the west if
the air over high latitudes became warmer than over the equator
The difference between the "moist" and "dry" adiabatic rates is due to:
the fact that latent heat is released by a rising parcel of saturated air
polar orbiting satellites
closely parallel the earths meridian lines. pass over the north and south polar regions on each revolution. covers the entire earth
On the eastern side of the Rocky Mountains, chinook winds are driest when:
clouds form and precipitation falls on the upwind side of the mountain
An example of orographic clouds would be:
clouds forming on the windward slope of a mountain
the merging of liquid cloud droplets by collision is called
coalescence
One would expect a cP air mass to be:
cold and dry
cloud seeding using silver iodide only works in
cold clouds composed of ice crystals and supercooled droplets
On a weather map, this front, drawn in blue, represents a region where colder air is replacing warmer air:
cold front
Squall lines most often form ahead of a:
cold front
Why is there a minus sign in the hydrostatic equation? (The hydrostatic equation is .)
the minus sign indicates that, as pressure decreases, height increases
If the temperature of the air is said to be at absolute zero, one might conclude that:
the molecules contain a minimum amount of energy
which of the following is NOT an important factor in the production of rain by the collision-coalescence process
the number of ice crystals in the cloud
a wind rose indicates
the percentage of time that wind blows from different directions
The force that would cause a stationary parcel of air to begin to move horizontally is called the:
the pressure gradient force
which of the following relationships best describes the gas law
the pressure of a gas is equal to its temperature times its density times a constant
Wintertime mP air masses are less common along the Atlantic coast of North America than along the Pacific coast mainly because:
the prevailing winds aloft are westerly
large cloud droplets fall faster than small cloud droplets because
the ratio of the drops surface area to weight is smaller
Upwelling is:
the rising of cold water from below
If two air parcels at sea level have the same size but different temperatures, the colder parcel of air will have:
the same pressure but higher density than the warm parcel
The blueness of the sky is mainly due to:
the scattering of sunlight by air molecules
If the earth's surface was homogeneous (either all land or all water),
the semi-permanent highs and lows wouldn't change in intensity
the size and shape of a turbulent eddy depend on
the size of the obstacle, the shape of the obstacle, and the speed of the wind (all of the above)
Factors that contribute to the formation of a low-level jet stream over the Central Plains of the United States are:
the sloping of the land from the rockies to the mississippi valley, a north-south trending mountain range, stable air above the jet (all of the above)
The reversal of the positions of surface high and low pressure at opposite ends of the Pacific Ocean is called:
the southern oscillation
Vorticity refers to:
the spin of air parcels
During an equinox,
the sun is directly above the equator, and day and night are of equal length everywhere but the poles.
The main reason(s) for warm summers in middle latitudes is that:
the sun is higher and the days are longer.
Which below is NOT correct concerning an occluded front?
the surface it is always followed by cooler air
When an upper-level low lies directly above a surface low,
the surface low will probably weaken
The earth's radiative equilibrium temperature is:
the temperature at which the earth is absorbing solar radiation and emitting infrared radiation at equal rates
The main reason why vegetables take longer to cook in boiling water at high altitudes is because:
the temperature of the boiling water decreases with increasing altitudes
Incoming solar radiation in middle latitudes is less in winter than in summer because:
the tilt of the earth on its axis.
The Ekman Spiral describes:
the turning of water with depth is known as
At the North Pole the sun will rise above the horizon on ____ and set below the horizon on ____.
the vernal equinox (March 20), the autumnal equinox (September 22)
The sun emits its greatest intensity of radiation in:
the visible portion of the spectrum
A stationary front does not move because:
the wind blows parallel to the front
on a clear, windy day, the depth to which mixing occurs above the surface depends upon
the wind speed, surface heating, and the landscape (all of the above)
The hydrostatic equation describes the equilibrium between the:
vertical pressure gradient force and gravity
rain which falls from a cloud but evaporates before reaching the ground is referred to as
virga
the friction of fluid flow is called
viscosity
Electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths between 0.4 and 0.7 micrometers is called:
visible light
Solar radiation reaches the earth's surface as:
visible light
Clear Air Turbulence (CAT) can occur
when huge eddie develop in clear air
Condensation is more likely to occur:
when the air cools
At what time of day is the relative humidity normally at a minimum?
when the air temperature is highest
According to the model of the life cycle of a wave cyclone, the storm system is normally most intense:
when the system first becomes occluded
Along the boundary between continental polar and maritime tropical air masses, ____ is often found.
widespread precipitation and storminess
an abrupt change in wind speed or wind direction is called
wind shear
an example of microscale motion is
winds blowing past a chimney
an example of mesoscale motion is
winds blowing through a city
Upwelling occurs along the northern California coast because:
winds cause surface waters to move away from the coast
The average winds aloft are strongest in:
winter
A frontal inversion would probably be best observed:
with a warm front in winter
condensation nuclei are important in the atmosphere because
without them condensation would not occur easily in the atmosphere
If you want to keep an object cool while exposed to direct sunlight,
wrap it in aluminum foil with the shiny side facing outward
the net force acting on air which is blowing parallel to straight contours at constant speed is
zero
when the wind blows in a more or less west to east direction, the wind flow pattern is called:
zonal
the use of helicopters to mix the air and sippers radiation fog at airports is effective provided that
the fog is a shallow radiation fog with a relatively low liquid water content
frost typically forms on the inside of a windowpane (rather than the outside) because
the inside of the pane is colder than the outside
Newton's first law states that "an object at rest ____ as long as no force is exerted on the object."
"an object at rest stays at rest as long as no force is exerted on the object"
wet haze forms when the relative humidity is
(75% or less than 100%)
clouds are classified by their
(height or appearance)
Which of the following are NOT units of pressure?
Newtons.
The difference in saturation vapor pressure between supercooled water and ice reaches a maximum at about -2°C. This means that the ice crystal process will be most effective in producing precipitation when cloud temperatures are:
-12 degrees C
Which below is NOT a condition associated with an omega high?
...
Which of the following would NOT be considered a "desert" wind?
...
The sun emits a maximum amount of radiation at wavelengths near ____, while the earth emits maximum radiation near wavelengths of ____.
.5 micrometers, 10 micrometers
If a city were to receive 1/2 inch of rain in the morning and then 5 inches of snow that afternoon, about how much precipitation would the weather service report for that day?
1 inch
on average, the water equivalent of 10 inches of snow is about ___ inches of water
1 inch of water
the top of the friction layer is usually found near what altitude
1,000 meters
Which figure comes closest to the estimated number of thunderstorms that occur each year throughout the world?
100,000
If the sea level pressure in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is 1016 mb, the strongest summertime sea breeze along the New Jersey coast would occur when the sea level pressure just east of Atlantic City, New Jersey is:
1019 mb
A station at an altitude of 900 m (about 3,000 feet) above sea level measures an air pressure of 930 mb. Under normal conditions, which of the values below do you think would be the most realistic sea level pressure for this station?
1020 mb
Suppose a station at sea level measures an air pressure of 1,030 mb. Under standard conditions, what would be the most likely air pressure at an elevation of 600 m (about 2,000 ft) above this station?
1090 mb
In a typical tornado the winds are usually not much more than ____ miles per hour.
110
Which of the following environmental lapse rates would represent the most unstable atmosphere in a layer of unsaturated air?
11o C per 1000 m
After a snowstorm, the newspaper reports that Buffalo, New York, received 1.5 inches of precipitation. If we assume an average water equivalent ratio for this snowstorm, then Buffalo received about ____ inches of snow.
15 inches of snow
If the outside air temperature is 27°C and the air density is .2 kg/m3, the outside air pressure would be:
172.28 mb
Suppose the wind speed increased from 5 mph to 10 mph. We can conclude that the force exerted by the wind increased by a factor of ____.
2
pedaling a bicycle into a 20 knot wind will require about ___ as much effort as pedaling into a 10 knot wind
2 times
A typical diameter of a tornado would be:
250 meters
If you see a lightning stroke and then, 5 seconds later, hear the thunder, the lightning is about ____ miles away.
3
Which latitude belt best describes the middle latitudes?
30 to 50 degrees.
In terms of the three-cell general circulation model, the driest regions of the earth should be near:
30degree latitudes and the polar regions
If the wind speed doubles, the force exerted by the wind increases by a factor of ____.
4
the temperature at which you would expect a cloud to become completely glaciated is
40 degrees C
On the Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale, a hurricane with winds in excess of 55 mi/hr (35 knots) and a central pressure of 90 mb (26.87 in.) would be classified as a category ____ hurricane.
5
Suppose the wind speed increased from 5 mph to 25 mph. We can conclude that the force exerted by the wind increased by a factor of ____.
5
If you were to take a breath of pure oxygen, from a tank, you'd be getting about ____ the amount of oxygen you'd get by taking a normal breath of our atmosphere.
5 times
Much of Tibet lies at altitudes over 18,000 feet where the pressure is about 500 mb. At such altitudes, the Tibetans are above roughly:
50 percent of the earth's atmosphere
On the average, about what percentage of the solar energy that strikes the outer atmosphere eventually reaches the earth's surface?
50%
If a pilot balloon rises at a rate of 00 m per minute, and if it disappears into a deck of stratus clouds 1,500 m (5,000 ft) thick in 5 minutes, what is the ceiling of the cloud layer?
500m
at middle latitudes, the base of an altostratus or altocumulus cloud would generally be found between
6,500 and 23,000 ft
Which latitude below would experience the fewest hours of daylight on Dec. 22?
60°N (high latitudes)
Which of the following latitudes is closer to the earth's axis?
90⁰
The signal detected by a Doppler radar is:
A radiowave reflected by precipitation
On a Doppler radar screen, a tornado vortex signature (TVS) appears as:
A region of rapidly changing wind speeds
The cloud that forms along the leading edge of a gust front is called:
A roll cloud
In a region where severe thunderstorms with tornadoes are forming, one would not expect to observe:
A strong ridge with high pressure over the region
An analysis is:
A surface or upper-level chart that interprets the present weather patterns
If you wanted to make a persistence forecast of minimum and maximum temperatures for a particular city, which type of chart would be most helpful?
A surface weather map
After a tornado is spotted,
A tornado warning is issued
On the Saffir-Simpson scale, a category 5 storm would indicate:
A very strong hurricane
Which below is the best indication that a severe thunderstorm is about to produce a tornado?
A wall cloud
In a hurricane, the eye wall represents:
A zone of intense thunderstorms around the center
The most likely time for an ordinary thunderstorm to form is:
Afternoon
The largest and most severe type of squall line forms:
Ahead of a cold front
Tornadoes are usually observed:
Ahead of a cold front
Air molecules selectively scatter visible light because:
Air molecules are smaller than the wavelength of visible light
By examining a surface map, the movement of a surface low pressure area can be predicted based upon the:
All of the above
The electrification of a cumulonimbus cloud appears to involve:
All of the above
Which of the following is presently a problem with modern-day weather predictions?
All of the above
Damage to structures inflicted by tornadoes can be caused by:
All of these
During baroclinic instability,
All of these; wave cyclones can intensify into large storm systems, strong wind speed shear exists from the surface up to at least the 500mb level, rising and descending air motions exist, temperature advection is occurring
Hurricanes dissipate when:
All the above
In a severe thunderstorm, hail may:
All the above
Lightning may occur:
All the above
Severe thunderstorms are capable of producing:
All the above
When making a forecast, a meteorologist typically examines:
All the above
Hurricanes do NOT form:
Along the equator
A weak trough of low pressure found in the tropics, along which hurricanes occasionally form, is called:
An easterly wave
A supercell storm is:
An enormous thunderstorm that last for several hours
Predicting the weather by weather types employs which forecasting method?
Analogue
Strong vertical wind shear:
Appear to be responsible for several airline crashes
Electrons:
Are negatively charged
According to the National Weather Service definition, a severe thunderstorm is a storm having:
At least one of the conditions described in A (hail), B (Winds), C (Tornado)
St. Elmo's fire is most likely to occur:
At the top of a tall dead tree
Ordinary thunderstorms typically develop in warm, humid air masses ____ significant weather fronts.
Away from
Two objects, A and B, have the same mass but the specific heat of A is larger than B. If both objects absorb equal amounts of energy,
B's temperature will rise faster than A's.
Suppose there are two cloud layers above you. The lower cloud layer is moving from a westerly direction, while the higher cloud layer is moving from a northwesterly direction. From this observation you conclude that the wind is ____ with height and ____ advection is occurring between the cloud layers.
Back; cold
A wind that changes direction in a counterclockwise sense with increasing height is called a(n):
Backing wind
For a forecast to show skill it must:
Be better than a persistence forecast or a climatological forecast
The appearance of a downdraft marks the ____ of the mature stage of a thunderstorm.
Beginning
Squall lines generally do not form:
Behind a cold front
Suppose that five of this year's tropical storms develop into hurricanes over the North Atlantic Ocean. The name of the third hurricane would start with the letter ____.
C
Which of the scientists below was not one of the meteorologists who helped develop the polar front theory of a developing wave cyclone?
C.G. Rossby
Which region is not considered to be a region where cyclogenesis often occurs?
California
Supercell thunderstorms ____ become severe.
Can
Which of the following factors is most important in determining the strength of a tornado?
Central pressure
Suppose that where you live, the middle of January is typically several degrees warmer than the rest of the month. If you forecast this "January thaw" for the middle of next January, you would have made a:
Climatological forecast
A funnel cloud is composed primarily of:
Cloud droplets
In cloud-to-ground lightning, the stepped leader travels ____ and the return stroke travels ____.
Downward; upward
The warm temperatures of a heat burst (a very warm thunderstorm downdraft) are caused by:
Compressional heating
The funnel cloud characteristic of a tornado is principally formed by:
Condensation of water vapor in air drawn into the low pressure core of the tornado
The favorable stability condition for hurricane development is:
Conditionally unstable
The instrument that measures the speed at which precipitation is moving toward or away from an observer is:
Doppler Radar
When caught in a thunderstorm in an open field, the best thing to do is to:
Crouch down as low as possible while minimizing contact with the ground
Which cloud type below would most likely form in an unstable atmosphere?
Cumulonimbus
The initial stage of an ordinary thunderstorm is the:
Cumulus stage
Thunderstorms that move to the right of the winds aloft tend to:
Cut off the supply of humid air to thunderstorms to the north of them
A second surge of electrons that proceeds from the base of a cloud toward the ground during cloud-to-ground lightning is called a:
Dart Leader
Downdrafts spread throughout a thunderstorm during the ____ stage.
Dissipating
The forecasting technique that produces several versions of a forecast model, each beginning with slightly different weather information to reflect errors in the measurements, is called:
Ensemble forecasting
Surface winds in hurricanes typically reach a maximum in the:
Eye wall
The process by which a hurricane's innermost ring of clouds dissipates and then strengthens is called:
Eye wall replacement
Computer models of hurricanes almost always agree on their predictions of a hurricane's movement and evolution.
False
In a multicell storm, each of the cells is always in the same stage of development.
False
In order for a hurricane to form, the layer of warm water must extend from the ocean surface to a depth of at least 400 meters.
False
Jet streaks are thought to have little to do with the development of severe thunderstorms.
False
Most hurricanes have fronts.
False
The National Weather Service system of watches, warnings, and advisories generally don't address weather conditions which limit visibility.
False
Most of the destruction caused by a hurricane is due to:
Flooding
The greatest annual number of thunderstorms in the United States occurs in:
Florida
Warm advection is most likely to occur:
From the surface up to the 500mb level ahead of an advancing warm front
The ____ is a measure of hurricane strength based on hurricane winds and central pressure.
Fujita scale
A tornado vortex that does not touch the ground is called a:
Funnel cloud
Which is NOT a characteristic of a "fair weather" waterspout?
Generally indicate stable atmospheric conditions
____ holds a planet's atmosphere close to its surface.
Gravity
The leading edge of a thunderstorm's cold downdraft is known as a:
Gust Front
Which of the following is NOT considered to be a katabatic wind?
Haboob
The large thermally driven convection cell that is driven by convective "hot" towers along the equator is the ____.
Hadley cell
Which of the following is NOT true concerning an easterly wave?
Has converging winds on its western side
Severe thunderstorms are different from ordinary thunderstorms in that severe thunderstorms:
Have a tilted updraft in the mature stage
Thunderstorms which produce tornadoes:
Have rotating updrafts
Most waterspouts:
Have rotating winds of less than 45 knots
In the Northern Hemisphere, hurricanes and middle latitude cyclones are similar in that both:
Have winds that blow counterclockwise around their centers
Which of the following is MOST likely associated with fair weather?
High atmospheric pressure.
As latent heat is released inside the clouds of a hurricane, the warming of the air aloft creates an area of ____ aloft.
High pressure
Which would you NOT expect to observe as the eye of a hurricane passes directly over your area?
High winds
There is a lot of mixing and overturning of air in which of the following atmospheric layers?
Homosphere
An intense storm of tropical origin that forms over the Pacific Ocean adjacent to the west coast of Mexico would be called a:
Hurricane
The most costly hurricane ever to hit the United States was:
Hurricane Katrina
Which below only forms over water?
Hurricanes
Which of the following is TRUE?
Hurricanes tend to move from east to west in the tropics
The cells that compose a multicell thunderstorm can be:
In a different stage of development
Most squall line thunderstorms form:
In advance of a cold front
Different tornadoes spawned by the same thunderstorm are said to occur:
In families
The so-called "Tornado Belt" of the United States is located:
In the Central Plains
The strongest winds in a hurricane are found:
In the eye wall
Hurricane winds rotate in a clockwise direction:
In the southern hemisphere only
Which of the following would you NOT expect to observe during the passage of a gust front?
Increase air temperature
As the air temperature increases, the air's capacity for water vapor:
Increases
Because of the conservation of angular momentum, air spiraling inward toward the center of a hurricane ____ in speed.
Increases
A Mesoscale Convective Complex is actually:
Individual thunderstorms that grow into a large, long - lasting weather system
A sonic boom:
Is a loud explosive like sound caused by a shock wave emanating from an aircraft (or any object) traveling at or above the speed of sound
A strong trade wind inversion ____ to the development of a hurricane.
Is not conductive
Lines connecting points of equal pressure change are called:
Isobars
The low-level jet stream reaches its maximum strength:
Late at night or in the early morning
Typically, water vapor occupies about what percentage of the air's volume near the earth's surface?
Less than 4 percent.
A discharge of electricity from or within a thunderstorm is called:
Lightning
Pressure at the center of a hurricane is ____ than the surroundings at the surface and ____ than the surroundings aloft.
Lower; higher
An ordinary thunderstorm is most intense during the ____ stage.
Mature
An accurate forecast:
May or may not show skill
A single Doppler radar is NOT able to:
Measure the speed at which precipitation is moving parallel to the radar antenna
The rotating updraft inside a severe thunderstorm is called a:
Mesocyclone
The small area of high pressure created by the cold, heavy air of a thunderstorm downdraft is called:
Mesohigh
A relatively narrow downburst, less than 4 kilometers wide, is called a:
Microburst
The wind shear associated with several major airline crashes is believed to have been caused by:
Microburst
Lightning discharges within a cloud occur ____ cloud-to-ground lightning.
More frequently than
Many flash floods, including those that occurred in Rapid City, South Dakota, and in Colorado's Big Thompson Canyon, are the result of thunderstorms that:
Move slowly
Modern computer forecasting models have increasingly smaller grid spacing. This presents which of the following problems?
Much more computations are needed
As a northward-moving hurricane passes to the east of an area, surface winds should change from:
Northeast to North to Northwest
The strongest winds in a hurricane heading westward toward Florida would most likely be found on the ____ side.
Northern
The polar front theory of a developing wave cyclone was conceived in:
Norway
A weather forecast for the immediate future that employs the trend method is called:
Nowcasting
The forecasting of weather by a computer is known as:
Numerical weather prediction
Supercell thunderstorms are much larger than ordinary thunderstorms and have ____.
One large cell
If the setting sun appears red, you may conclude that:
Only the longest waves of visible light are striking your eye
Which of the following can be used as a method of protecting an orchard from damaging low temperatures during a radiation inversion?
Orchard heaters, wind machines, and irrigation (all of the above).
The vertical structure of the hurricane shows an upper-level ____ of air, and a surface ____ of air.
Outflow; inflow
The least accurate forecast method of predicting the weather two days into the future during changeable weather conditions is usually the:
Persistence forecast
Weather forecast that predicts that the future weather will be the same as the present weather is called:
Persistence forecasting
Which of the following processes remove CO2 from the atmosphere?
Photosynthesis.
The upper part of a thunderstorm cloud is normally ____ charged, and the middle and lower parts are ____ charged.
Positively; negatively
A HP supercell differs from a LP supercell based on the storm's:
Precipitation amount
Which of the following weather elements ALWAYS decreases as we climb upward in the atmosphere?
Pressure.
Another name for diffuse light is:
Scattered light
An ordinary thunderstorm is a:
Scattered or isolated storm that is not severe
At home, when confronted with an approaching tornado, you should:
Seek shelter immediately
The Enhanced Fujita Scale for classifying tornado strength is based on:
Seek shelter immediately
The greatest improvement in forecasting skill during the past 30 years has been made in forecasting:
Sever storm warnings for hurricanes and tornadoes
The radio waves produced by lightning are called:
Sferics
At the periphery of a hurricane, the air is ____, and several kilometers above the surface, in the eye, the air is ____.
Sinking; sinking
The main difference between a downburst and a microburst is:
Size
If a tornado is rotating in a counterclockwise direction and moving toward the northeast, the strongest winds will be on its ____ side.
Southeastern side
Which of the following regions would you expect to have the most tornadoes in the winter?
Southern Gulf States
In an eastward moving thunderstorm, the most likely place for a tornado to develop is in the ____ part of the storm.
Southwest
Suppose the eye of a hurricane passed directly over you, and you survived the experience. If winds were from the northeast as the eyewall first approached you, from what direction did the winds blow when the eyewall reached you the second time?
Southwest
Most tornadoes move from:
Southwest to northeast
In the United States, tornadoes are most frequent during the ____, and least frequent during the ____.
Spring; Winter
Light flashes darting upward from the tops of thunderstorms are called:
Sprites and blue jets
A line of thunderstorms that forms ahead of an advancing cold front is called a
Squall line
The bluish halo that may appear above pointed objects underneath a thunderstorm is called:
St. Elmo's fire
Which forecasting method assumes that weather systems will move in the same direction and at the same speed as they have been moving?
Steady state (trend) forecast
What would be the proper sequence of events in a lightning flash?
Stepped latter, return stroke, dart leader, return strokes
Which below is NOT an atmospheric condition conducive to the formation of hurricanes?
Strong upper - level winds
Very short-range forecasts often utilize which of the following forecast methods?
Subjective interpretations of surface observations, satellite imagery and Doppler radar information
The small, rapidly rotating whirls that sometimes occur within a large tornado are called:
Suction vortices
Which of the following areas in the United States would most likely experience thunderstorms, hurricanes, and tornadoes during the course of one year?
The gulf coast states
The region in the United States with the greatest annual frequency of hailstones is:
The Midwest
Which of the following statements about tornadoes is correct?
The United States has more tornadoes than any other country in the world
The most frequent time of day for tornadoes to form is in the:
The late afternoon 4-9 pm
A forecast method that compares past weather maps and weather patterns to those of the present is:
The analogue method
A mirage is caused by:
The bending of light by air of different densities
Hurricanes can't form along the equator because:
The coriolis force is too small along the equator
Which of the following would be TRUE if the earth did not have an atmosphere?
The days would be shorter. The sky would be black. The stars would always be visible.
Ordinary thunderstorms only last about one hour and begin to dissipate when:
The downdraft spreads throughout the cloud and cuts off the updraft
Where are the days and nights of equal length all year long?
The equator.
A prog is:
The final forecast chart representing the atmosphere at a specified future time
In the United States, dryline thunderstorms are most common in:
The great plains
Which of the following is the most accurate description of the principle of a lightning rod?
The lightning rod intercepts the lightning and safely carries the lightning current around the object it protects
You a generally safe inside an automobile during a lighting storm because:
The metal car body will carry lightning currents around the passengers inside
A hook-shaped echo on a radar screen often indicates:
The possible presence of a tornado-producing thunderstorm
Thunder is caused by:
The rapid heating of air surrounding a lightning channel
The Fujita scale pertains to:
The strength of the tornado
Stars are not visible during the day because:
The sunlight is so bright
The main reason hurricanes don't develop over the South Atlantic Ocean adjacent to South America is because:
The surface water temperatures are too cold
An important principle in the electrification of a cumulonimbus cloud is that:
There is a transfer of positive ions from a warmer object to a colder object
As surface air rushes in toward the eye of a hurricane, the air expands and should cool. The main reason the surface air is not cooler around the eye is because:
The warm water heats the air
A probability forecast that calls for a "40 percent chance of rain" means that:
There is a 40% chance of rain that any random place in a forecasted area can receive measurable rain
A weather watch would probably be issued for which of the following conditions?
There is a chance for tornadoes tomorrow
Which of the following is TRUE about rainbows?
To see a rainbow, you should look towards the west
Hurricanes that move into India and Australia are usually called ____ in this part of the world.
Tropical cyclones
The first three stages of a developing hurricane are (from first stage to third stage):
Tropical disturbance, tropical depression and tropical storm
Just before a storm becomes a fully developed hurricane, it is in the ____ stage.
Tropical storm
A supercell storm consists of a single rotating updraft.
True
Although much is not yet understood about hurricanes, meteorologists have a reasonably complete understanding of how hurricanes form.
True
Conditional instability is a favorable condition for thunderstorm formation.
True
Hurricanes have strong divergence at their tops.
True
Severe thunderstorms often occur where the dryline intersects a front or an outflow boundary.
True
The atmospheric conditions that promote the formation of severe thunderstorms tend to prevent many smaller ones from forming.
True
There is a limit to the intensity of hurricanes.
True
Secondary rainbows occur when:
Two internal reflections or light occur in raindrops
A storm of tropical origin whose high winds and water cause a great deal of destruction to islands in the western North Pacific is (in this part of the world) known as a:
Typhoon
A Doppler radar determines precipitation ____ by measuring changes in the____ of the reflected radiowave.
Velocity; frequency
A funnel cloud or tornado may develop from this rotating cloud that extends beneath a severe thunderstorm.
Wall cloud
Suppose it is warm and raining, and a cold front is moving toward your location. Directly behind the cold front, it is cold and snowing. Still further behind the front, the weather is cold and clearing. If the front is scheduled to pass your area in 6 hours, a persistence forecast for your area for 2 hours from now would be:
Warm and raining
The main source of energy for a hurricane is the:
Warm ocean water and release of latent heat energy by condensation
Which of the following is considered a variable gas in the earth's atmosphere?
Water vapor.
A tornado-like event that forms over water is a:
Waterspout
Which of the following equations is correct?
Weight= mass X gravity
Streamlines on a weather map depict:
Wind flow
The main difference between a hurricane and a tropical storm is that:
Wind speeds are greater in a hurricane
Automated Surface Observing Systems (ASOS) measure:
Wind, temperature, pressure, cloud - base height, and runway visibility at various airports
In the Northern Hemisphere, which of the following days has the fewest hours of daylight?
Winter solstice (December 21).
Thunder will not occur:
Without lightning
A cloud-to-ground lightning discharge will sometimes appear to flicker. This is because:
You are able to distinguish separate return strokes
A persistence forecast could be quite accurate when:
You are positioned in the middle of a large, stationary air mass
which of the following conditions would be most suitable for natural cloud seeding by ice crystals
a cirriform cloud lying directly above a lower cloud deck
Occluded fronts may form as:
a cold front overtakes a warm lake
The latitude at which there is a yearly balance between incoming and outgoing radiation is about ____.
about 37 degrees.
At the 500 mb level, the amount of oxygen inhaled in a single breath is ____ of that inhaled at sea-level.
about half
On the summer solstice, the altitude of the noonday sun is highest:
above the middle latitudes
If the environmental lapse rate is less than the moist adiabatic rate, the atmosphere is:
absolutely stable
When the environmental lapse rate decreases more rapidly with height than the dry adiabatic rate, the atmosphere is:
absolutely unstable
Clouds ____ infrared radiation and ____ visible radiation.
absorb, reflect
Ozone in the stratosphere:
absorbs ultraviolet radiation and in turn warms the stratosphere causing a temperature inversion
The atmospheric greenhouse effect is produced mainly by the:
absorption and re-emission of infrared radiation by the atmosphere
Areas of rising air tend to be associated with ____ precipitation.
abundant
The growth of a precipitation particle by the collision of an ice crystal (or snowflake) with a supercooled liquid droplet is called:
accretion
on a cold winter morning, the air near the surface is full of smoke particles. If fog should form in this air, it will probably be ___ fog that forms in clearer air
acid
A rising parcel of air that does not exchange heat with its surroundings is an example of:
adiabatic process
Suppose two ocean currents with different temperatures are flowing next to one another. If the wind blows perpendicular to the currents, we would expect to find:
advection fog
fog that forms off the coast of Newfoundland is mainly a form of
advection fog
the fog that forms along the pacific coastline of north america is mainly which type
advection fog
In the atmosphere, tiny solid or liquid suspended particles of various composition are called:
aerosols
Which of the instruments below indicates both wind speed and wind direction?
aerovane
according to the gas law, when temperature remains constant, which of the following is true
at the same temperature, air at a higher pressure is more dense than air at a lower pressure
thermal turbulence above the surface is usually most severe
at the time of maximum surface heating
The time of day when the relative humidity reaches a maximum value is usually:
at the time when the air temperature is the lowest
More solar radiation is received at the:
at the top of the atmosphere
At night, when the weather is extremely cold and dry,
atmospheric pressure decreases with increasing height.
on a humid day, the ___ causes salty potato chips left outside in an uncovered bowl to turn soggy
attraction of water by hygroscopic condensation nuclei
In the earth's upper atmosphere, visible light given off by excited atoms and molecules produces:
aurora
in the vertical, the pressure gradient force points ___ and gravity points ___
away from the earth, toward the earth
A chinook wall cloud is a:
bank of clouds forming over the mountains
On an upper-level chart where the isotherms cross the isobars (or contours) and temperature advection occurs, the atmosphere is called:
baroclinic
which of the following instruments measures pressure
barometer
at which city might you be able to observe cirrus clouds at an altitude of 3,000m (10,000 feet) above the surface
barrow alaska
Which is NOT a characteristic of a thermal low?
becomes stronger with increasing height
Since the turn of this century, CO2 in the atmosphere has:
been increasing in concentration
On a weather map of the Northern Hemisphere, one would observe the westerlies:
between the subpolar lows and the subtropical highs
an offshore wind
blows from land to water, also known as a land breeze
A south wind
blows from the south
Another term for explosive cyclogenesis used by meteorologists is:
bomb
The processes of condensation and freezing:
both release sensible heat into the environment
Strong winds blowing over vegetation results in:
brush fire
The coldest of all air masses is ____.
cA
A Texas norther (or blue norther) is most often associated with which air mass?
cP
Clear sunny days with very cold nights would be associated with what type of air mass?
cP
Record breaking low temperatures are associated with which air mass?
cP
What type of air mass would be responsible for refreshing cool, dry breezes after a long summer hot spell in the Central Plains?
cP
What type of weather front would be responsible for the following weather forecast? "Increasing cloudiness and warm today with the possibility of showers by this evening. Turning much colder tonight. Winds southwesterly becoming gusty and shifting to northwesterly by tonight."
cold front
In winter, thunderstorms are most likely to form along:
cold fronts
In the Northern Hemisphere, air found to the north of the polar front is ____, while air further south is ____.
cold, warm
On a weather map where cold air is replacing cool air, what type of front is drawn?
cold-type occluded front
What type of weather front would be responsible for the following weather forecast? "Light rain and cold today with temperatures just above freezing. Southeasterly winds shifting to westerly tonight. Turning colder with rain becoming mixed with snow, then changing to snow."
cold-type occluded front
Santa Ana winds warm by ____ as the flow down an elevated desert plateau.
compression
Sinking air warms by the process of:
compression
The heat from a chinook wind is generated mainly by:
compressional heating
particles that serve as surfaces on which water vapor may condense are called
condensation nuclei
under what circumstances could the relative humidity exceed 100% without producing fog
condensation nuclei is not present
Often before sunrise on a clear, calm, cold morning, ice (frost) can be seen on the tops of parked cars, even when the air temperature is above freezing. This condition happens because the tops of the cars are cooling by ____.
conduction
The transfer of heat by molecule-to-molecule contact is:
conduction
Which air mass would show the most dramatic change in both temperature and moisture content as it moves over a large body of very warm water?
continental polar (cP) in winter
On a 500 millibar chart, ____ are drawn to represent horizontal changes in altitude which correspond to horizontal changes in pressure.
contour lines
The major process that warms the lower atmosphere is:
convection
The piling up of air above a region is called:
convergence
Which of the following is NOT associated with rising air motions?
convergence of air aloft
the surface air around a strengthening low pressure area normal ___, while aloft, above the system, the air normally ___
converges, diverges
Clouds and precipitation are frequently found on the downwind side of a large lake. This would indicate that the air on the downwind side is:
converging and rising
As Apollo 2 ascended into the atmosphere, the height of the surrounding clouds was noted to be 42,000 feet. A lightning stroke was seen within these clouds, indicating that they must have been:
cumulonimbus
an anvil-shaped top is most often associated with
cumulonimbus
hail is usually associated with what cloud
cumulonimbus
the could with the greatest vertical growth is
cumulonimbus
which two clouds can produce precipitation
cumulonimbus and nimbostratus
if rain falls on one side of a street and not not he other side, the rain most likely fell from a
cumulonimbus cloud
the name given to a towering cloud that has NOT fully developed into a thunderstorm is
cumulus congestus
which association below is NOT correct
cumulus congestus - anvil top altostratus - high cloud altocumulus castellanus - resemble little castles
A wind instrument that usually consists of three or more cups:
cup anemometer
The development or strengthening of a middle latitude storm system is called:
cyclogenesis
on an infrared satellite image, low, warm clouds appear ___ and high, cold clouds appear ___
dark, light
As the air temperature increases, with no addition of water vapor to the air, the relative humidity will:
decrease
if surface air pressure decreases, the heigh of the column in a mercury barometer would
decrease
Suppose it is a winter night and at about 10 p.m., the air cools to the dew-point temperature and a thick radiation fog develops. If the air continues to cool during the night, in 5 hours the dew point temperature will probably:
decrease as the air becomes drier
When upper-level divergence of air above a surface low pressure area is stronger than the convergence of surface air, the surface pressure will ____ and the storm itself will ____.
decrease, intensify
The surface pressures at the bases of warm and cold columns of air are equal. Air pressure in the warm column of air will ____ with increasing height ____ than in the cold column.
decrease, more slowly
As the difference between the air temperature and the dew point increases, the relative humidity:
decreases
the most common ice crystal shape
dendrite
The number or mass of air molecules in a given space or volume is called:
density
when temperatures are below freezing, the temperature to which air must be cooled in order for a phase change to occur is called the
dew point
The temperature to which air must be cooled in order to become saturated is the:
dew point temperature
A sea or land breeze is caused by:
differences in temperature
For cyclogenesis to occur along a frontal wave, the winds aloft directly above the wave should be:
diverging
The Pacific Decadal Oscillation is similar to the El Niño/Southern Oscillation, except that it:
doesn't affect fish population
the lightest form of rain is
drizzle
The winter monsoon in eastern and southern Asia is characterized by:
dry weather and winds blowing from land to sea
which below is not a way in which a contrail may form
due to heating of the air by the engine exhaust
Another name for a small, rotating whirlwind observed at the surface is:
dust devil
At sunset in the middle latitudes, look for a rainbow toward the:
east
If, at your home in the Northern Hemisphere, the surface wind is blowing from the northwest, then the region of lowest pressure will be to the ____ of your home.
east
suppose that the winds aloft are geostrophic and blowing form the north. Low pressure is located to the
east
A katabatic wind on the Oregon coast would most likely blow from the:
east to west downslope
A "back door" cold front moving through New England would most likely have winds shifting from ____ to ____.
east, weast
In south Florida the prevailing winds are northeasterly. Because of this, the strongest sea breeze is usually observed on Florida's ____ coast, and the strongest land breeze on Florida's ____ coast.
east, west
Because clouds often block their view, instruments onboard satellite cannot regularly make observations of surface winds.
false
At Barrow, Alaska (latitude 70°N), you would expect the prevailing wind to be:
easterly
Generally, the greatest lake effect snow fall will be on the ____ shore of the Great Lakes.
eastern
the howling of wind on a buster night is believed to be caused by
eddies
The name given to the current of warm water that replaces cold surface water along the coast of Peru and Ecuador during December is:
el nino
on a weather map, ridges are
elongated high pressure areas
On a clear night, the minimum temperature drops to 34°F. The following night, fog forms early in the evening. It is a good bet the minimum temperature will not be as low because of the:
enhancement of the greenhouse effect by the fog cloud
A northeaster along the east coast of the United States is best developed when a low pressure area:
enhances the surrounding pressure gradient
The rate at which the actual air temperature changes with increasing height above the surface is referred to as the:
environmental lapse rate
a rotating-beam ceilometer is useful for
estimating the altitude of the tops of vertical development clouds
the mercury barometer was invented by
evangelista torricelli
when fog "burns off," it
evaporates
When water changes from a liquid to a vapor, we call this process:
evaporation
which fog does not necessarily form in air that is cooling
evaporation fog
which statement below best describes the curvature effect
even if a cloud is at 100% relative humidity, small droplets can evaporate
Rising air cools by the process of ____.
expanding
During a major El Niño event,
extensive ocean warming occurs over the tropical pacific
Before the passage of a cold front the pressure normally ____, and after the passage of a cold front the pressure normally ____.
falls, rises
At any given time, only one jet stream can be found in the atmosphere.
false
During a reversible adiabatic process, the pressure gradient force is parallel to the isobars.
false
On an upper-level chart, normally we find warm air associated with ____ pressure, and cold air associated with ____ pressure.
high, low
Strong Santa Ana winds develop in Los Angeles during the fall when a ____ pressure center forms to the ____.
high,northeast of los angeles over the great basin
A ridge on an upper-level isobaric chart indicates:
higher than average heights
Suppose the dew point of cold outside air is the same as the dew point of the air indoors. If the door is opened and cold air replaces some of the warm air, then the new relative humidity indoors would be:
higher than before
The Gulf Coast states are more humid in summer than the coastal areas of Southern California mainly because of the:
higher water temperature in the Gulf of Mexico
Warm air aloft is associated with constant pressure surfaces that are found at ____ altitude than normal and ____ than normal atmospheric pressure aloft.
higher, higher
Areas of high atmospheric pressure are also known as:
highs, or anticyclones
Heat is energy in the process of being transferred from:
hot objects to cold objects
Which of the following conditions favor the development of dust devils?
hot, dry days
The earth is tilted at an angle of 23.5° with respect to the plane of its orbit around the sun. If the amount of tilt were increased to 40°, we would expect in middle latitudes:
hotter summer and colder winter
when the upward-directed pressure gradient force is in balance with the downward pull of gravity, the atmosphere is in
hydrostatic equilibrium
on humid days, salt in saltshakers sometimes becomes moist and no longer pours out easily. the salt can be described as
hygroscopic
cirrus clouds are composed primarily of
ice crystals
during the ice crystal process of rain formation
ice crystals grow larger at the expense of the surrounding liquid cloud droplets
ice nuclei may be
ice crystals, certain clay minerals, bacteria in decaying plant leaf material
which of the following statements is NOT correct
ice nuclei are more plentiful in the atmosphere than condensation nuclei
after a rainstorm, visibility typically
improves
The jet stream flows:
in a wavy pattern west to east
During the winter in the Northern Hemisphere, the "land of the midnight sun" would be found:
in high altitudes
The deepest radiation inversion would be observed:
in polar regions in winter
During the summer along the coast, a sea breeze is usually strongest and best developed:
in the afternoon
surface winds are generally strongest and most gusty
in the afternoon
If the earth's average surface temperature were to increase, the amount of radiation emitted from the earth's surface would ____, and the wavelength of peak emission would shift toward ____ wavelengths.
increase, shorter
Subsidence ____ stability.
increases
saturation vapor pressure ___ as temperature increases
increases
In the stratosphere, the air temperature normally:
increases with height
If you were to take a trip during the summer from Ohio to Nevada, you would most likely observe that afternoon cumulus clouds ____ as you travel west
increasing
Most of the radiation emitted by a human body is in the form of:
infrared radiation
The primary cause of a radiation inversion is:
infrared radiation emitted by the earth's surface.
The earth emits radiation with greatest intensity at:
infrared wavelengths
contact nucleation is
involved in contact freezing, can just be about any substance
The electrified region of the upper atmosphere is called the:
ionosphere
The annual variation of earth-sun distance is ____ seasonal weather changes.
irrelevant
A thermally direct cell is one that:
is driven by the energy of the sun
According to Wein's displacement law, the wavelength at which maximum radiation occurs:
is inversely proportional to the temperature
A westerly wind means that the atmosphere:
is moving faster than the earth spins
Which below does NOT describe the polar front jet stream?
is normally found at a higher elevation than the subtropical jet
lines connecting points of equal pressure are called
isobars
Lines connecting points of equal temperature are called:
isotherms
A knowledge of air stability is important because:
it determines the vertical movement of air
If directly above you at 10,000 feet the wind is blowing from the south, then it is a good bet that at 0,000 feet, the center of lowest pressure is ____ of you, while the center of highest pressure is ____ of you.
left, right
Which of the following cloud types would commonly be found downwind of a mountain?
lenticular clouds
clouds that have a characteristic lens-shaped appearance are referred to as (a)
lenticular clouds
A warm, dry gusty wind that blows across North Africa is the:
leste
The instrument that uses infrared or visible light in the form of a laser beam to determine wind direction is the:
lidar
supercooled cloud droplets are
liquid droplets observed at temperatures below 0 degree C
The land/sea breeze, lake breeze, and mountain/valley breeze are examples of:
local winds
The earth's radiation is often referred to as ____ radiation, while the sun's radiation is often referred to as ____ radiation.
longwave, shortwave
Rossby waves are also known as:
longwaves
if a cloud appears white on a visible satellite image and gray on an infrared image, then the cloud could be
low cloud
Fronts are associated with:
low pressure
monsoon depressions are
low pressure areas that enhance rainfall during the summer monsoon
a true blizzard is characterized by
low temp, strong winds, reduced visibility, blowing snow
A radiation inversion is most commonly observed:
lower than at present
If an airplane flies from standard temperature air into warmer than standard temperature air, without making any correction, the altimeter in the warmer air would indicate an altitude:
lower than the aircrafts actual altitude
Suppose you are a pilot who is flying from warm air into colder air. In the cold air, even though your altimeter is still indicating the same altitude as it did in the warm air, you would be flying:
lower than your altimeter indicated
During the winter, an air mass that moves into coastal sections of Oregon and Washington from the northwest would most likely be ____.
mP
The designation for a cool, moist air mass is ____.
mP
The temperature an air parcel would have if it were moved to a pressure of 1,000 mb at the dry adiabatic rate is called the:
potential temperature
The temperature that unsaturated air would have if it moved from its original altitude to a pressure of 1,000 mb is the:
potential temperature
The amount of force exerted over an area of surface is called:
pressure
the scale on an altimeter indicates altitude, but an altimeter actually measure
pressure
which of the following expresses the gas law
pressure = temperature x density x constant
The amount of pressure change that occurs over a given horizontal distance is called the:
pressure gradient
The surface pressures at the bases of warm and cold columns of air are equal. Which of the following statements is NOT correct?
pressure will decrease with increasing height at the same rate in both columns
Which of the following instruments use wet-bulb and dry-bulb temperature to obtain relative humidity?
psychrometer
satellites measure rainfall from space using which instrument
radar
On a clear, calm night, the ground and air above cool mainly by which process?
radiation
When a plate of hot food is left on the table for awhile, it cools by:
radiation
the cooling of the ground to produce dew is mainly the result of
radiational cooling
winter fog in the central valley region of california is mainly due to
radiational cooling
satellite images taken of clouds at night use
radiometers
A sounding can be measured by:
radiosonde
The instrument that measures temperature, pressure, and humidity at various altitudes in the atmosphere is the:
radiosonde
What instrument would you use for a rawinsonde observation?
radiosonde balloon
The name commonly used to describe the drier region observed on the downwind (leeward) side of a mountain range is:
rain shower
in a typical advancing winter storm, which of the following sequences of precipitation types is most likely to occur
rain, freezing rain, sleet, snow
Which of the following can only be seen when the sun is to your back and it is raining in front of you?
rainbow
the TRMM (Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission) satellite provides information on tropical
rainfall, sea surface temperatures with a microwave scanner
homogenous nucleation occurs when
randomly moving atoms form clusters above a critical threshold
If the average temperature of the sun increased, the wavelength of peak solar emission would:
shift to a shorter wavelength
Which of the following is not considered a semi-permanent high or low pressure area?
siberian high
The primary method used in preventing the growth of large, destructive hailstones is to inject a thunderstorm with large quantities of:
silver iodide
what are two main substances used in cloud seeding
silver iodide and dry ice
Generally, along the polar front, one would not expect to observe:
sinking air aloft
The main reason Santa Ana winds are warm is because:
sinking air warms by compression
The fundamental laws of motion were formulated by:
sir isaac newton
the main difference between a cloud drop and a raindrop is its
size
A raindrop or partially melted snowflake that freezes into a pellet of ice in a deep subfreezing layer of air near the surface is called:
sleet
In order to be effective, fog lamps on cars should be directed:
slightly downward
In summer, humid regions typically have ____ daily temperature ranges and ____ maximum temperatures than drier regions.
smaller, lower
snowflakes or ice crystals falling from high cirriform clouds are called
snow
Which below best describes why a fluffy covering of snow is able to protect sensitive plants and their root systems from damaging low temperatures?
snow is a good insulator
During the winter as you travel toward a warm front, the most likely sequence of weather you would experience is:
snow, sleet, freezing rain, rain
Charged particles from the sun that travel through space at high speeds are called:
solar flares
condensation onto hygroscopic nuclei is possible at relative humidities less than 00 percent due to the
solute effect
On a weather map of the Northern Hemisphere, the trade winds would be observed:
south of the subtropical highs
Generally, on an upper-level (1000 mb) chart in the Northern Hemisphere during July, we would expect to find the tropical easterly jet stream:
south of the upper-level subtropical high
When a deep upper-level trough is located to the east of a surface anticyclone, the surface anticyclone will tend to move toward the:
southeast
Suppose a very cold parcel of air at 5.5 km (8,000 feet) is compared to a similar (but warm) parcel of air at sea level. Which of the following would be true?
the air parcel at sea level has higher pressure and a higher density
When cP air moves into western Washington, western Oregon, and California from the east, the air mass is warmer at the surface than it was originally because:
the air sinks, is compressed, and warms
Meteorology is the study of:
the atmosphere and its phenomena
If the amount of energy lost by the earth to space each year were not approximately equal to that received,
the atmospheres average temperature would change
on a isobaric surface
the atmospheric pressure is equal everywhere
As a radiosonde balloon ascends through the atmosphere, the balloon:
the balloon eventually bursts and the radiosonde returns to earth.
A building anticyclone means:
the central pressure is increasing
Although the polar regions radiate away more heat energy than they receive by insolation in the course of a year, they are prevented from becoming progressively colder each year by the:
the circulation of heat by the atmosphere and the oceans.
Suppose you are outside in very cold temperatures, wearing a winter coat that is quite effective at keeping you warm. Which of the following is true?
the coat is the source of the heat that keeps you warm, the coat prevents your body's heat from escaping to the surrounding
During the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere,
the day is less than 12 hours long and is increasing with each passing day.
In July, at middle latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere, the day is ____ long and is ____ with each passing day.
the day is more than 12 hours long and is decreasing with each passing day.
Which below has the least influence on determining how high a wind wave will grow over the open ocean?
the density of the water
The wind direction is:
the direction from which the wind is blowing.
Which below is NOT an assumption of the single-cell model of the general circulation of the atmosphere?
the earth rotates once in 24 hours
Which of the following statements is NOT correct about vorticity?
the earths vorticity is zero at the poles
The ultimate cause of jet streams is:
the energy imbalance between high and low latitudes
In terms of the three-cell model of the general circulation, areas of surface low pressure should be found at:
the equator and 60 degree latitudes
If huge waves pound against the beach communities of Southern California for several days during clear, calm weather, it is a good bet that:
the winds are strong somewhere over the pacific ocean
In a temperature inversion:
there is an increase in temperature with height
An important reason for the large daily temperature range over deserts is that:
there is little water vapor in the air to absorb and re-radiate infrared radiation.
In a blinding snowstorm in Vermont, the air temperature and dew-point temperature are both 30°F. Meanwhile, under clear skies in Arizona, the air temperature is 85°F and the dew point temperature is 38°F. From this information, you could conclude:
there is more water vapor in the air in Arizona
On a surface weather map during the month of July, one would expect to find what type of pressure system over the desert southwest of the United States?
thermal low
Most of the ionosphere is found in what atmospheric layer?
thermosphere
The hottest atmospheric layer is the:
thermosphere
Which below is usually NOT true concerning a sea breeze circulation?
they mainly occur at night
which below is NOT true concerning an "air pocket"
they often form in regions that exhibit strong vertical wind shear
if you observe large raindrops hitting the ground, you could probably say that the cloud overhead was ___ and had ___ updrafts
thick, strong
Longwaves in the middle and upper troposphere usually have lengths on the order of:
thousands of kilometers
A towering cloud, or cluster of clouds, accompanied by thunder, lightning, and strong, gusty winds is a:
thunderstorm
The lag in daily temperature refers to the time lag between the:
time of maximum solar radiation and the time of maximum temperature.
To see a sundog, you should look about 22 degrees:
to the right or left of the sun
Buys-Ballot's law states that, "In the Northern Hemisphere if you stand with your back to the surface wind, then turn clockwise about 30°, lower pressure will be ____."
to your left
an amount of precipitation measured to be less than one hundredth of an inch (0.25mm) is called
trace
An upper-air front involves downward motion of the:
tropopause
The difference in altitude (i.e., the thickness) is greatest in the layer bounded by:
tropopause
Almost all of the earth's weather occurs in the:
troposphere
The atmospheric layer in which we live is called the:
troposphere
Jet streams sometimes split into two branches.
true
Like hurricanes, polar lows have a clear area in their center.
true
On an isobaric weather chart, the spacing of the height contours indicates the magnitude of the pressure gradient force.
true
clear air turbulence often occurs near a boundary of high wind shear
true
fog is a major hazard to aviation
true
The sun is directly overhead at Mexico City (latitude 19°N):
twice a year
Which of the following is the poorest conductor of heat?
ultraviolet radiation
The proper order from shortest to longest wavelength is:
ultraviolet, visible, infrared
If an air parcel is given a small push upward and it continues to move upward on its own accord, the atmosphere is said to be:
unable
an altocumulus in the form of parallel waves would be described as an altocumulus ___
undulatus
In order for falling snowflakes to survive in air with temperatures much above freezing, the air must be ____ and the wet bulb temperature must be ____.
unsaturated, at or below freezing
____ are found beneath fair-weather cumulus (cumulus humilis) clouds, whereas ____ are found between the clouds.
updrafts, downdrafts
if fog is forming at denver, colorado, and the wind is blowing from the east, then the fog is most likely
upslope fog
During winter, easterly winds along the front range of the Rocky Mountains provide excellent conditions for:
upslope snow
the vertical pressure gradient force is directed
upward
The cold water observed along the northern California coast in summer is due mainly to:
upwelling
Cumulus clouds that appear above isolated mountain peaks are often the result of:
valley breeze
While fly fishing in a mountain stream, you notice that the wind is blowing upstream. From this you could deduce that the wind is a:
valley breeze
What type of weather front would be responsible for the following weather forecast? "Increasing high cloudiness and cold this morning. Clouds increasing and lowering this afternoon with a chance of snow or rain tonight. Precipitation ending tomorrow morning. Turning much warmer. Winds light easterly today becoming southeasterly tonight and southwesterly tomorrow."
warm front
frontal fog most commonly forms as ___ raindrops fall into a layer of ___ air
warm, cold
The Santa Ana wind is a ____, ____ wind that blows into southern California.
warm, dry
Chinook winds are:
warm, dry winds that descend the eastern slope of the rocky mountains
What type of weather front would be responsible for the following weather forecast? "Cool today with rain becoming heavy by this afternoon. Slightly warmer tomorrow. Winds southeasterly becoming westerly to northwesterly by tomorrow morning."
warm-type occluded front
Compared to an mP air mass, mT air is ____.
warmer and moist
Longer days are generally associated with:
warmer weather
The only substance near the earth's surface that is found naturally in the atmosphere as a solid, liquid, and a gas is:
water
The gas that shows the most variation from place to place and from time to time in the lower atmosphere is which of the following?
water vapor
The most abundant greenhouse gas in the earth's atmosphere is:
water vapor
An upper-level trough that shows retrograde motion would probably be moving toward the:
west
For a surface storm system to intensify, the upper-level low (or trough) should be located to the ____ of the surface low.
west
If in the Northern Hemisphere the upper level winds above you are blowing from the south, then it is a good bet that a trough of low pressure is to the ____ of you.
west
Atmospheric shortwaves usually move ____ at a speed that is ____ than longwaves.
west to east, faster
Generally, weather in the middle latitudes tends to move from ____ to ____.
west, east
Chicago, Illinois (latitude 42°N) is located in the ____.
westerlies
The majority of the United States lies within which wind belt?
westerlies
The lowest temperature that can be attained by evaporating water into the air is known as the:
wet bulb
The summer monsoon in eastern and southern Asia is characterized by:
wet weather and winds blowing from sea to land
