WSI Manual 1A-4A
The city that records more heating degree-days annually is ______.
20
On Figure 2B-3, note the finer details of the temperature pattern. Compare the temperature profile you constructed with the temperature sounding of Figure 2B-3. The atmospheric interval or "layer," from the tropopause (identified in #18) to about 145 mb, was an example of ______ temperature conditions with height. This was followed from about 145 to 100 mb by a small decrease in temperature.
increasing (i.e., inversion)
Latitude, elevation, and proximity to large bodies of water influence the annual heating degree day pattern on your map. Of these three factors, ______ is generally the most important for the majority of the coterminous U.S.
latitude
Examine the Northern Hemisphere latitude lines in the 21 December satellite image and compare how much of each line is in sunlight with the amount that is in darkness. At all latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere, the daily period of daylight is ______ the daily period of darkness.
less than
The Green Bay tropopause was at ______ altitude compared to the altitude of the tropopause of the Standard Atmosphere. (The Standard Atmosphere tropopause occurs at 11 km or 11,000 m.)
lower
In the Standard Atmosphere, a pressure of 500 mb occurs at an altitude of 5574 m (18,289 ft.). The altitude of the 500-mb level over Green Bay at the time of this sounding was ______ the 500-mb level of the Standard Atmosphere. This relatively cold atmospheric column reflected the conditions that generally exist throughout the troposphere during late summer and early fall in mid-latitudes.
lower than
According to the map, people living in South Carolina can expect ______ weather after the front passes.
colder
On 6 February at 12Z, from the surface (1001 mb) up to about the 200-mb pressure level, the atmosphere over Green Bay, WI was ______ Standard Atmosphere conditions.
colder than
This wind flow pattern with respect to the High center is generally ______ the hand-twist model of a High.
consistent with
Wind directions at the stations in the states about the center of Tropical Depression Harvey (the major Low) were ______ as seen from above. This may be confirmed by locating the L on Figure 2B-2 within two closed, circular isobars. Station models in Figure 2B-1 also display this circulation pattern
counterclockwise and inward
Several buoys in the Gulf of Mexico northeast of Brownsville showed the current weather condition of an "8" on its side, or an infinity symbol. These symbolized ______.
haze
Current weather is plotted to the left of the station circle, at the "9 o'clock" position, with a variety of symbols representing the current weather conditions. The two dots are the symbol of ______.
rain
The wind speed, rounded to the nearest 5 knots, is shown by a combination of feathers along the direction shaft, where a long feather denotes 10 knots and a short feather is 5 knots. A single long feather on the tail end of the arrow shaft signifies Dallas' wind speed was about ______ knots.
10
According to the Windchill Chart, when the temperature is ‒10°F and the wind speed is 10 mph the WET is ______°F.
-28
Now look at Figure 3A-5, the 21 December satellite image. On the Northern Hemisphere's winter solstice, the Earth's North Pole reaches its maximum tilt away from the Sun for the year. Consequently, poleward from the Arctic circle, the daily period of daylight is ______ hrs.
0
Poleward from the Antarctic Circle on 21 June, the period of daylight is ______ hrs.
0
From the Windchill Chart, changes in wind speed have little effect on WET above 35 mph. At 0°F, an increase in wind speed from 5 to 10 mph causes a 5°F drop. At the same temperature, an increase in wind speed from 40 to 45 mph reduces the WET by ______ °F.
1
The Stuve diagram is scaled to allow plotting of atmospheric data up to a pressure of 100 mb (about 16 km). At a level where the atmospheric pressure is 100 mb, about _________ percent of the atmosphere's mass remains above.
10
The tropopause over Green Bay at this time occurred at an altitude near ______ km above sea level according to the altitude scale on the Stüve diagram. This can be confirmed from the table values.
10
Other pressure levels can be found similarly. For example, 10% of the atmosphere is located above the altitude where the pressure is ______ mb.
100
The lowest reported pressures were ______ mb in Montana.
1005
Which of the following numbers would not fit such a sequence of isobar values?
1006
The isobars to complete the pressure analysis between the lowest and highest values on this map are ______ mb.
1008, 1012, 1016, 1020, 1024, 1028
The coded pressure value at Dallas was plotted as "126," meaning the actual atmospheric pressure corrected to sea level was ______ mb.
1012.6
Air pressure (adjusted to sea level) is reported in the station model as a coded number to the nearest tenth of a millibar (mb). To decipher the plotted pressure value, first place a decimal point between the second and third numbers from the left. Then add either a "9" or "10" to the left so that the resulting number falls within the range of air pressures that could occur at sea level (almost always between 950 mb and 1049 mb). For example, a plotted value of 126 represents 1012.6 mb and 863 denotes 986.3 mb. The air pressure reported at Brownsville was ______ mb.
1021.7
On the Figure 1A-1 map, the lowest plotted pressure is 1006 mb and the highest plotted value is ______ mb.
1035
Look at Figure 3A-4, the 23 September image. The Earth's axis is perpendicular to the Sun's rays, so the sunset line and Earth's axis line up together in this perspective. Each latitude line, including the equator, is half in sunlight and half in darkness. Because the Earth rotates once in 24 hrs, the period of daylight is ______ hrs everywhere except right at the poles.
12
On Figure 2A-5 at an altitude of ______ km above sea level, 10% of the atmosphere by weight is above and 90% is below.
16.0
Wind speed is rounded off to the nearest 5 knots (1 knot equals 1.2 mph) and is symbolized by the combination of "feathers" drawn on the clockwise side of the wind-direction shaft. A full feather represents 10 knots and a half feather indicates 5 knots. A pennant flag indicates 50 knots. A wind-direction shaft without feathers depicts a 1-to-2 knot wind and a circle drawn around the station circle signifies calm conditions (0 wind speed). In this case, the reported wind speed was ______ kt.
20
Now look at Figure 3A-6, the 21 June satellite image. On the Northern Hemisphere's summer solstice, Earth's North Pole attains its maximum tilt towards the Sun. Consequently, poleward from the Arctic Circle, the period of daylight is
24
Poleward from the Antarctic Circle on 21 December, the daily period of daylight is ______ hrs. This is the time of the South Pole's maximum tilt toward the Sun for the year.
24
Based on the temperature pattern determined by the Green Bay data you plotted, the tropopause above Green Bay at 12Z on 6 February 2018 was located at a pressure level of about ______ mb.
250
Infer the seasonal weather contrasts at the middle and higher latitudes by comparing insolation values during the months centering on the summer and winter solstices. As seen from the midlatitude curve in Figure 3A-1, the June-July average top of the atmosphere insolation is about 11.4 kWh/m2/day while the December-January average is about 3.1 kWh/m2/day. This indicates that during the June-July period the midlatitude location receives about ______ the amount of top-of-the atmosphere solar energy received during December-January.
3.7 times
A day with a maximum temperature of 60°F and a minimum of 40°F has a mean temperature of 50°F. Subtracting 50 from 65 yields 15 heating degree day units for that day. Hence, a day with a high temperature of 45°F and a low of 25°F produces ______ HDDs.
30
By U.S. convention, isobars on surface weather maps are drawn with the same interval as that described for the Figure 1A-1 map. This isobar interval is ______ mb. The isobar interval is selected to provide the most useful resolution of the field of data; too small an interval (for example, 1 mb) would clutter the map and too great an interval (for example, 10 mb) would not adequately define the pattern
4
From the same NASA data set for Figure 3A-1, the average daily insolation averaged over a year in kWh/m2/day is 10.02 at the equator, 7.34 at 45ºN, and 4.13 at the North Pole. The midlatitude location receives about 73% as much solar energy as the equator and the North Pole receives ______ as much solar energy as the equator. This nonuniform receipt of energy sets the stage for Earth's weather and climate.
41%
Dewpoint: ______ °F
45
Temperature: ______°F
47
Air pressure is plotted along the left vertical axis of Stüve diagrams in millibars (mb) with pressure decreasing upward, just as it does in the real atmosphere. Air pressure, which is very close to 1000 mb at sea level in the Standard Atmosphere, decreases most rapidly with altitude in the lowest part of the atmosphere. The Figure 2A-5 diagram shows air pressure of 500 mb (about half that at sea level) occurs at an altitude of ______ km above sea level.
5.5
Because air pressure is determined by the weight of the overlying air, half of the atmosphere by weight or mass is above the altitude where the air pressure is 500 mb and half of it is below that altitude. In other words, half of the atmosphere by weight or mass is within ______ km of sea level.
5.5
Figure 4A-1 displays a surface weather map of contiguous U.S. with a simplified view of a storm system in the eastern part of the country. Local wind data are displayed for several stations and three isotherms are drawn on the map. The isotherm values (from lowest to highest) are __________ degrees F.
50, 60, 70
From the Green Bay radiosonde data in Table 1, at 12Z on 6 February 2018, the pressure of 500 mb occurred at an altitude of ______ m. Five hundred millibars is about half of the atmospheric pressure at sea level. Since air pressure is determined by the weight of the overlying air, this means about half of the mass of the Green Bay atmosphere was above this altitude and half below.
5340
The troposphere is generally characterized by decreasing temperature with altitude, significant vertical motion, appreciable water vapor, and weather. According to the Standard Atmosphere data you plotted on Figure 2A-5, the temperature within the troposphere (up to 11 km) decreases with altitude at the rate of ______ °C per km.
6.5
The Dallas dewpoint was ______ °F
66
Observe the station model for Dallas, in northeastern Texas. The station model showed a temperature of ______ °F.
72
Cold air advection occurred at Station ______.
B
Based on Figure 1A-4, which of the following best describes the surface wind circulation around the center of a high pressure system (as seen from above)?
Clockwise and outward spiral
Based on Figure 1A-2, which of the following best describes the surface wind circulation around the center of a low pressure system (as seen from above)?
Counterclockwise and inward spiral
Warm air advection occurred at Station ______.
D
Compare your map analysis to the map in Figure 4A-3, which is based on data from additional locations. According to the Figure 4A-3 map, Southern ______ has the lowest annual heating degree day totals among the 48 coterminous states.
Florida
From the isobar pattern you drew on Figure 1A-1, the horizontal pressure gradient is stronger across ______.
Iowa - Michigan
1.The highest plotted air pressures, 1020 mb, on the map were located in _____
North Dakota and Minnesota
Examine Figure 4A-4. Figure 4A-4 shows the annual temperature curves for (A) San Francisco, CA, a maritime station, and (B) St. Louis, MO, a continental location. They both have nearly the same annual mean temperature as represented by the dashed line. Although both locations are at about the same latitude, the city that accumulates heating degree days during more months of the year is ______.
San Francisco
On a day when the maximum temperature is 95°F and the minimum temperature is 75°F, the number of cooling degree days (CDD) produced is ______.
St. Louis
Multiple stations in Kentucky do not have a wind barb or feather present. Instead, these station model plots have a circle surrounding the station. This indicates that these stations were experiencing ______.
calm conditions
Three bold blue H's are marked on the map: one in central Canada, one off the coast of South Carolina, and the last west of Seattle, WA. Compare the hand-twist model (Link 1B-5) of a High to the wind directions at stations in the several-state area flanking the high-pressure centers (the South Carolina and Seattle Highs are better examples as they display less topographic influence). Wind directions at these stations suggest that, as seen from above, the air circulated ______ around these Northern Hemisphere high pressure center.
clockwise
The broad Canadian High, impacting most of the U.S. Northern High Plains and Great Lake states, had wind directions around its center that are ______, as seen from above.
clockwise and outward
Areas to the east of Highs would be expected to have ______ air advection
cold
At map time, a bold blue line with triangles was across the U.S. Midwest along the northern Nebraska border, across Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. These symbols indicated the position of a ______ front.
cold
Meanwhile, areas to the west and southwest of Lows can be expected to have ______ air advection.
cold
Not surprisingly, behind cold fronts you can expect ______ air advection.
cold
The front plotted in the Southeastern U.S. is a ______ front.
cold
In Figure 3A-1, for nearly four months both the midlatitude and polar locations receive more solar radiation on a daily basis than the equator. From Figure 3A-2, the major factor(s) that make(s) this happen at the North Pole is(are) the ______.
daily length of daylight
Examine the surface weather map presented in Figure 2A-1. The weather map symbols are those typically seen online, on television, and in newspapers. The Hs and Ls identify centers of high or low air pressure compared to their surroundings. Moving outward horizontally in any direction from the blue H positioned in Texas, air pressure ______.
decreases
The pattern of sunlight received at the equator over the course of a year indicates that tropical locations ______ experience warm and cold seasons as is characteristic of the higher latitudes.
do not
In the case of the High, vertical air motion is ____
downward
In a high pressure system, air flows ______.
downward and outward in a clockwise spiral
Knowing the direction from which the wind at Phoenix was blowing, it would be reported as a(n) ______ wind.
east
The wind direction at Phoenix, in south-central Arizona, was generally from the ______. [Keep in mind, because of the map projection used, north may not be precisely at the top of the map. In the Arizona area, a north-south line would be nearly parallel to the Arizona-New Mexico straight-line border segment.]
east
Figure 3A-1 shows average daily solar radiation at the top of the atmosphere varies the least over the period of a year at the ______. At that location, the period of daylight is 12 hrs in length throughout the year.
equatorial
Of the three latitudes, the location that annually experiences two maxima and two minima periods of incoming solar radiation at the top of the atmosphere is the ______ location.
equatorial
In the case of the High, the palm of your hand ______ during the rotating motion.
falls
Two or three, whole or broken horizontal lines symbolize ______.
fog
In South Dakota, the 1016-mb isobar bisects the state near the capital, Pierre, with a line generally running north-south. Given the 4-millibar interval convention, this line separates lower and higher values. The pressure values of locations east of Pierre are ______ 1016 mb.
greater than
Based on how solar radiation received varies with latitude, it can be inferred that seasonal temperature contrasts would ______ as latitude increase
increase
Comparing the three annual radiation curves indicates the annual range (the difference between the curves' maximum and minimum) of solar radiation received daily ______ as latitude increases.
increases
Moving outward horizontally in any direction from the red L located in Lower Michigan, air pressure __________.
increases
Lafayette, the station in south-central Louisiana, showed a weather symbol denoting the intensity of a type of precipitation. The triplet symbol indicated that the precipitation intensity at that station was ______.
moderate
Irregular light blue, green, yellow and red shadings scattered across the map in the West and concentrated in the Southeast indicated where the national network of weather radars detected precipitation. The radar shadings with the most intense precipitation at map time was located ______.
near the center of the major low pressure and frontal boundaries
Where the horizontal wind blows more parallel to isotherms, there is ______ air advection.
neither cold nor warm
Wind direction is shown by the arrow shaft drawn into the station circle. North is to the top on the map and east is to the right. Wind is always named for the direction it blows from. In the above depiction, the wind direction was generally from the ______.
northwest
Winds at stations are symbolized by the direction from which they blow. The wind at Dallas was generally from the ______.
northwest
The winds at stations in the several-state area around the high pressure center indicated the air also was spiraling generally ______ the high pressure center.
outward from
Sky cover is reported inside the station circle and expressed as a percentage or descriptors (scattered, broken, overcast, obscured). As examples, an empty circle indicates no clouds, and a half-shaded circle means 50% of the sky is cloud-covered. The reported cloud cover at Brownsville was ____
overcast (100%)
Figure 3A-2 shows the variation in average daily solar radiation over the year, as reported in Figure 3A-1, must be due to changes in the daily ____________.
path of the Sun across the sky
Figure 3A-1 shows a six-month period during which no sunlight is received at the ______. At this location there is only one period of daylight per year, but it is six months long!
polar
Weather conditions reported at map time at a station are plotted to the left of station circle. Several stations from eastern Texas into Louisiana, as well as northern Alabama and Georgia had combinations of two and three dots plotted. These dots showed that different intensities of ___________ were occurring.
rain
On your surface maps, repeat the hand twists for the low and high pressure system models. Note the vertical motions of the palm of your hand. For the Low, the palm of your hand ______ during the rotating motion.
rises
12.The sky cover (designated by the amount of coverage inside the station circle) at Dallas indicated ______ conditions.
scattered clouds
The overall isobar patterns on the two figures, particularly for the northeastern U.S. Low and the southeastern U.S. High, are generally ______. Also included are shadings for precipitation based on radar report
similar
Other stations on the map segment show additional wind, sky cover, and current weather conditions. Marfa, TX in the western "Big Bend" of the Rio Grande River, has a temperature of 28°F and the current weather conditions (stars or asterisks) is ______.
snow
Precipitation is often depicted on weather maps by a variety of symbols as shown in Figure 2A-1, including stars or asterisks (*) that represent ______.
snow
The frontal boundary extending east from northern Mississippi through Alabama and Florida into the Atlantic Ocean has alternating red semicircles and blue triangles on opposite sides of the boundary marking the front as a ______ front.
stationary
The lower portion of the ______ is evident immediately above 11 km in Figure 2A-4 where temperature remain steady with increasing altitude through several kilometers
stratosphere
Air temperatures are governed by a combination of warm or cold air advection and radiational controls. With no advection, the lowest temperature of the day is likely to occur around ______.
sunrise
When the air is calm and there is no additional heat loss from wind, the WET should be ______ the existing air temperature.
the same as
Several locations across the map show dashed, orange lines. This symbol indicated those boundaries were ______.
throughs
Along the Gulf Coast, Tallahassee (in Florida's panhandle) had a version of the symbol [] to the left of the station circle. This symbol shows that ______.
thunder with rain
You have drawn the temperature profile of the lower portion of the U.S. Standard Atmosphere. The Standard Atmosphere describes representative or average conditions of the atmosphere in the vertical. As seen in Figure 2A-4, the temperature profile from the surface to 11 km depicts the lowest layer of the atmosphere, called the ______.
troposphere
Imagine the motions of your palms during these rotations represent the directions of vertical air motions in Highs and Lows. Vertical air motion in a Low is therefore ______.
upward
Considering the complete air motions of the low pressure system, air flows ______.
upward and inward in a counterclockwise spiral
And behind warm fronts you can expect ______ air advection.
warm
And while not shown here but relying on the hand-twist model of a High, areas to the west of Highs should have ______ air advection.
warm
Generalizing from the Figure 4A-1 wind and temperature patterns associated with weather systems, areas southeast of Lows can be expected to have ______ air advection.
warm
If a day's highest temperature actually occurs just before midnight, then ______ air advection likely occurred sometime from late afternoon until the time of highest temperature.
warm
6.The wind flow patterns about both of these major pressure systems ______, consistent with their respective hand-twist model
were
