Meterology

Cold fronts that move in from the east or northeast are called _____.

"back door" cold fronts

Drawn above is a vertical cross-section through cold and warm front. Over which point would you expect shallow, stable clouds and widespread precipitation?

A

The picture depicts a cross-section through a hurricane. Which location would have the highest windspeeds?

B

_____ is a greenhouse gas that absorbs infrared radiation and plays a major role in the warming of the lower atmosphere.

Carbon dioxide

Which stage of thunderstorm development is dominated by downdrafts?

Dissipating

A tornado that destroys entire homes as it moves over them, leaving nothing but the cement slabs, would likely be:

E5

If sea levels were to rise 10 ft, what would be the likely consequence in the U.S.?

Flat areas near the coast, between 20-100 miles inland would be under water

Which Hurricane moved through Charlotte in 1989 causing widespread wind damage (>80mph)?

Hugo

The heat generation from the rising air and clouds within a hurricane is referred to as:

Latent Heating

_____ refers to the climate of a small area of the Earth's surface such as a forests, valley, or town.

Mesoclimate

The natural "external" cause of climate change that changes the amount of solar radiation reaches the Earth is _____.

Milankovitch theory

When Earth's axis flips to the other side (from (b) to (c) in about 11,000 years), which statement about Charlotte would be correct?

Our summer would be hotter

The _____ was the most recent of the major glacial periods.

Pleistocene epoch

The highest precipitation intensity appears as what color on a Doppler radar map?

Purple

Using the graphic above and what was discussed in lecture: When is the peak in Atlantic Hurricane season and why?

September, Ocean water is the warmest

If a large volcano were to erupt somewhere on Earth tomorrow, what would be the most likely response to the Earth's weather system?

The earth would become cooler for the next 2-5 years as volcanic ash blocks out the sun

When a line of thunderstorms starts to bow outward as seen in this picture, what can you imply?

The winds are strongest where the storm is bowing outward

Overgrazing and the excessive cultivation of grasslands may cause __________by changing the albedo of the Earth's surface.

desertification

A change in the amount of solar radiation that reaches Earth due to changes in the shape of Earth's orbit about the sun is called _____.

eccentricity

During the overnight hours, winds along the beach tend to blow:

offshore

The trade winds blow from the _____ to the _____.

subtropical high; equator

Within the main tornado, there are often 'mini tornadoes', that have much higher rotational speeds and can cause extra damage. These are known as:

suction vortices

The coldest areas in the Northern Hemisphere are found in _____.

the interior of Siberia and Greenland

The picture above shows ocean temperatures and the Gulf Stream Currents path (red arrow). Which statement is correct?

the left picture shows the last ice age with north Atlantic temperatures very cold

The most important factor in determining hail size is:

the speed of the updrafts

Which statement best describes what is happening in this image?

A cold outflow is lifting warm air up and producing these low clouds

Rising air creates what type of pressure system at the surface?

Low

If you are creating a forecast for the next 3 hours, you would be

Nowcasting

An airmass that is over central Canada would most likely be:

cP

If eddies form in clear air, this form of turbulence is called _____.

clear air turbulence

In the polar tundra, the average temperature of the warmest month is below _____.

10 °C (50 °F), but above freezing

Approximately how much of Earth's history has their been ice on the planet?

18%

Pictured above is an ensemble forecast for snowfall for Boston, MA. What statement below best describes the ensemble forecast?

All models agree that Boston will see snow, but the totals widely vary and are uncertain

Cold front 'A' would likely be:

An arctic front

Which statement best describes a Tundra climate?

An area that only rises above freezing for a couple months a year with moss as the primary vegetation type

Which statement best describes a arid (desert) region on Earth?

An area that sees more evaporation and precipitation

The diagram depicts a representation of the Hadley cell circulation. Over which location(s) would you expect surface Low pressure to develop?

B

Which statement best describes climate change?

Earth's weather changes over time from both naturally occurring and human contributions

During an _____ event, surface water near the equator becomes warmer over the central and eastern Pacific.

El Niño

A warm front represents an area where cold air is replacing warm air.

False

July is the peak month for Atlantic Hurricane formation.

False

_____ climates often show a great deal of variation in temperature, precipitation, and vegetation over a relatively short vertical change in elevation.

Highland

Based on this Climagraph from Columbia, SC - how would you describe the climate in Columbia?

Hot Summers, Mild Winters, Precipitation all year long

Using the diagram and what we discussed in lecture, which statement best describes worldwide tropical cyclone formation?

Hurricanes do not form right along the equator or in colder oceans

What has accuracy for the three day temperature forecast done over the last 30 years?

Improved from 75% to above 95% accuracy

Given the weather map above and the computer models forecast movement of the weather systems (the arrows), make the most accurate prediction:

It will start raining in Dallas and snowing in Chicago soon

Given the three models above (A, B and C) - they all show a different location for the area of low pressure that will impact the west coast. What do you do as a forecaster?

Look at current observations and pick the model that most resembles reality

North Carolina has averaged very hot and very humid during the month of July over the last 100 years. What scale of climate does this statement represent?

Macroclimate

Where are the wettest regions of the world?

Near the equator, where rising air and low pressure persist

Given this hurricane pictured (in the northern hemisphere). Assume the hurricane is moving toward the due west at 10 mph with sustained winds of 100 mph. When the eye is between points A and B, which statement is correct?

Point A will have winds of 110mph and point B will have winds of 90 mph

_____ air masses are responsible for the bitter cold winter weather that can cover wide sections of North America.

Polar and arctic

What do observations and computer models show about the current and future weather/climate on the planet?

Rapid warming has and will continue to occur, with the most dramatic rises over land

How can a conditionally unstable atmosphere become unstable?

Rising air becomes saturated.

What produces the rain shadow effect?

Sinking and warming air on the leeward side of a mountain

_____ refers to an increase in global surface air temperature that can cause snow and ice to melt in polar latitudes.

Snow-albedo feedback

Which region of the U.S. typically sees the most thunderstorms per year?

Southeast

At what stage does a tropical system receive a name?

Storm

Which feature from a hurricane typically causes the most damage and loss of life in non-U.S. hurricane landfalls?

Storm Surge

Which of the following best describes how we know that glaciers used to sit over the central United States about 20,000 years ago?

The glaciers carved into the ground and those landforms still remain

The map above depicts all of the hurricane tracks in the Atlantic over several decades, with red arrows showing the typical tracks. What causes this recurving along the Atlantic coast?

The position of the Bermuda High, steering winds clockwise

If the hurricane above is moving due westward (and in the northern hemisphere), when the eye is between locations A and B, which statement is correct:

The winds at A will be stronger

What is most characteristic of existing winds as a front passes?

They change direction.

Looking at the temperature component (purple line) of this climagraph, what can you conclude?

This location is in the southern hemisphere

Doppler radars rely on signals returning to the station after bouncing off of precipitation.

True

Thunder is caused by the superheating of the air by the lightning, forcing the air to expand and then rapidly compress.

True

_____ air is lifted at the cold frontal boundary.

Warm

The Maunder minimum refers to _____.

a period of very low sunspot activity

The main source of warmth for a chinook is _____.

compressional heating

Airborne particles near Earth's surface tend to _____.

cool the surface

The general characteristics of moist subtropical mid-latitude climates are _____.

humid with mild winters

At which location below would you most expect to find a year-round desert?

in the frigid polar regions

During much of the year, marine climates are characterized by_____.

low clouds, fog, and drizzle

The climagraph above is from a random location on Earth. Based on what you read off of this graphic, which climate zone best represents this climagraph?

monsoon

The hierarchy of motion from tiny gusts to giant storms is called the _____.

scales of motion

Where _____ the coast, upwelling of cold water helps keep the water itself and the air above it cool all summer long.

surface winds are parallel to

The majority of human-produced sulfate particles in the lower atmosphere come primarily from _____.

the combustion of sulfur-containing fossil fuels

A conditionally unstable atmosphere occurs when _____.

the environmental lapse rate falls between the dry and moist adiabatic rates

The _____ explains the mechanisms of the slow shifting of continents and ocean floors.

theory of plate tectonics

What weather term applies to the formation of a tornado?

tornadogenesis

Tropical wet regions, where the monthly precipitation totals drop below 6 cm for perhaps one or two months, are known as _____.

tropical monsoon climates

Within the _____ climate, seasonal temperature variations are small.

tropical wet

An elongated area of low pressure is known as a(n) _____.

trough

For a surface low to develop into a major storm system, _____.

upper-level divergence air must be greater than surface convergence of air

What air movements define thermal circulations?

warmer air rises and colder air sinks

Which situation would be the most vulnerable to storm surge?

A flat coast, that gently rises in elevation

If a hurricane is less than 12 hours away from hitting the NC coast, what should be issued?

A hurricane warning

Given the diagram above, depicting the 'Ice-albedo effect', Which situation would cause the Earth to be the warmest?

C

You are planning a trip to Seattle six months from now and want to know what the weather will be like. What type of forecast should you use?

Climatology

When a forecaster calls for an 80% chance of rain, what can you conclude?

Given this situation, 8 out of 10 times it will rain and 2 out of 10 times it will not

Which of the following situations would be best described as 'Climate'?

Over the last 30 years, we averaged 65 degrees on this date

A cold front, stretching across several states, would be an example of what scale of atmospheric motion?

Synoptic Scale

A front is the transition zone between two air masses of different _____.

densities

Wind that flows up a mountainside would ______________ leading to very _________________ conditions.

expand, cold and moist

Tornadoes that form along a gust front are commonly called _____.

gustnadoes

Air _____ a low pressure at the surface

rises above

When the ocean air is highly concentrated with pollutants, the sea breeze front may meet relatively clean air and thus appear as a _____.

smog front

Volcanic eruptions rich in _____ tend to cool the air at Earth's surface.

sulfur gases

Variations in _____ between summer and winter will be far greater over continental interiors than along the west coastal margins of continents.

temperature

Dendrochronology is the study of _____ that can be used to deduce past climate changes.

the annual growth rings of trees

Which of the following techniques are used to determine past climates?

Ice core extraction Tree ring analysis Lake bottom sediment

What is the primary controller of worldwide climate and climate zones?

Latitude

Which statement best describes the structure of a hailstone? Group of answer choices

Layered ice, similar to that of an onion

Where is the ITCZ usually located in January and February?

Over the southern hemisphere

The Koppen Climate Classification system would be best described as:

Determining climate zones by what vegetation grows in a region

An air mass that controls the weather in a region for a prolonged period is sometimes referred to as _____ weather.

airmass

Humid subtropical climates are found principally _____ of continents, roughly between 25° and 40° latitude.

along the east coasts

Because of the dry summers of Mediterranean climates, the land only supports growing _____.

chaparral

When cloud-to-ground lightning occurs with thunderstorms that do not produce rain, the lightning is often called _____.

dry lightning

The warmer periods between glacial advances are called _____.

interglacial periods

Moist continental climates are controlled by _____.

large landmasses

Extremely damaging straight-line surface winds that some thunderstorms produce, are more commonly referred to as:

microbursts

Thunderstorms that contain a number of cells, each in a different stage of development, are called _____ thunderstorms.

multicell

Most of the "rainiest" places in the world are located _____.

on the windward side of mountains

Scattered thunderstorms that typically form on warm, humid days are often referred to as _____.

ordinary cell thunderstorms

Increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases capable of disturbing the radiative equilibrium are referred to as _____.

radiative forcing agents

Multicell thunderstorms may form as a line of thunderstorms, called a _____.

squall line

An absolutely stable atmosphere occurs when _____.

the environmental lapse rate falls below both the dry and moist adiabatic rates

The rise in sea level will depend on how much the temperature rises and on how quickly the ice in _____ melts.

Greenland and Antarctica

The windshear given by the picture above would produce:

clockwise rotation

Given that there are so many observational data gaps, where do we mostly supplement that information from (especially over the oceans and in high altitudes)?

use satellite data

Which statement best describes a meteogram?

A graph that shows recently observed weather data

What causes charges to separate in a thunderstorm and ultimately creates lightning?

Friction from larger precipitation sinking, while smaller precipitation is lifted

The general circulation of the atmosphere on the side of the earth facing the sun is known as the _____.

Hadley cell

_____ winds can rush down elevated slopes at hurricane speeds, but most are not that intense and many are on the order of 10 knots or less.

Katabatic

Of the groups of states listed below, which group sees the most average annual tornadoes?

Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana

The Rockies, Sierra Nevada, and Cascades normally protect the _____ from the onslaught of arctic air.

Pacific Northwest

What is the name of this organized group of thunderstorms?

Squall Line

The ITCZ is located at _____.

The equator

Using the velocity mode on the radar, you see the above image. What can you conclude?

The red and green couplet signifies opposite wind directions, with a tornado likely

The picture depicts one of the most common lightning strikes. Which statement is true about this image?

This is a negative strike, and negative strikes are usually weaker than positive strikes

Which statement best describes the formation of thunder? Group of answer choices

Thunder is produced when lightning superheats the air and causes it to expand rapidly

Typically, a lightning flash will have _____.

a stepped leader followed by at least one return stroke

The jet streams generally occur at the _____.

boundaries of the major circulation cells

If the atmosphere is absolutely stable, a parcel of air forced to rise will _____.

fall back to the surface

The summer _____ of southeastern Asia, which lasts from about June through September, means wet, rainy weather (wet season) with surface winds that blow from sea to land.

monsoon

When Doppler radar displays _________, a signature of a rotating mesocyclone (or tornado) may appear on the radar screen as _____.

radial velocity; bright green direction next to bright red

A _____ blows air at the surface from the sea toward the land.

sea breeze

Ocean-atmosphere interactions, where a warmer or colder ocean surface can influence weather patterns in distant parts of the world, are called _____.

teleconnections

The cold air aloft may cause sufficient instability to generate thunderstorms in wintertime snowstorms, producing _____.

thundersnow

Air flows ____ a surface low pressure

across the surface into

Sinking air creates what type of pressure system at the surface? low

high

When is the peak in tornado formation across the US?

May

Where are the largest gaps of data for weather forecasting models?

Over the oceans and in the upper atmosphere

The huge thermal anticyclone that forms over Asia because of the intense cooling of the land is called the _____.

Siberian high

Several thunderstorms that continue to move across the same area and cause flash flooding would be called:

Training storms

Lifted air that is colder and denser than the surrounding air will always sink back to the surface.

True

Rising warm air along a cold frontal boundary often condenses into thunderstorms.

True

At the surface in the Northern Hemisphere, air flows _____ a low pressure system.

counterclockwise and into

The first stage in the cycle of development of a thunderstorm is known as the _____ stage, or growth stage.

cumulus

Any development or strengthening of a mid-latitude cyclone is called _____.

cyclogenesis

If straight-line winds, gusting to more than 58 mi/hr persist along a path at least 250 mi long, the windstorm is called a _____, after the Spanish word for "straight ahead."

derecho

The _____ stage of a thunderstorm occurs when the updrafts weaken as the gust front moves away from the storm and no longer enhances the updrafts.

dissipating

In the southern Great Plains, warm, humid air may be separated from warm, dry air along a boundary called a(n) _____.

dryline

Tornadoes usually evolve beginning with the _____, where swirling dust moves upward from the surface marking the tornado's circulation on the ground and a short funnel often extends downward from the thunderstorm's base.

dust-whirl stage

When the wind encounters a solid object, a whirl of air known as a(n) _____ forms on the object's downwind side.

eddy

Near a warm front, clouds often occur _____.

far out ahead of the surface frontal boundary

If a cold front catches up to and overtakes a warm front, the frontal boundary created between the two air masses is called a(n) _____.

occlusion

The release of latent heat from a cloud causes the air at the top of a mountain to be _____.

warmer than it would otherwise

Sheet lightning typically occurs _____.

when a lightning flash occurs within a cloud or is obscured by intervening clouds

If a stationary front butts up against a mountain range, _____.

winds blow upslope and generate light rain or snow

As cold air rushes out beneath a thunderstorm, what usually happens?

A gust front and shelf clouds are produced

In the three stage thunderstorm formation image above, which stage would produce the most hail?

B

The belt of tornadoes that occur over Mississippi and Alabama is sometimes called _____ Alley.

Dixie

Air behind a cold front is usually _____.

Drier

The _____ Scale attempts to provide a wide range of criteria in estimating a tornado's winds by using a set of 28 damage indicators include small barns, mobile homes, schools, and trees.

Enhanced Fujita

Cold, dry downslope winds force cold air out of low-lying regions.

False

Latent heat released by cloud formation causes an air parcel to cool.

False

Negative lightning has the potential to cause more damage than positive lightning because it generates a much higher current level and its flash lasts for a longer duration.

False

Polar jet streams travel from west to east while subtropical jet streams travel from east to west.

False

Rain often occurs at areas of high surface pressure.

False

If you are a weather forecaster and believe that conditions will be favorable for a large tornado outbreak to occur in your area later in the afternoon, what would you do?

Issue a tornado watch

The network of more than 150 Doppler radar units deployed at selected weather stations within the continental United States is referred to as _____.

NEXRAD

The picture above is how a computer model sees the Earth. Which statement best describes the evolution of computer modeling over the last few decades?

Resolution is higher, allowing you to see more detail

When the cold downdraft reaches the Earth's surface, it pushes outward in all directions, producing a strong _____ that represents the leading edge of the cold outflowing air.

gust front

A _____ forms as cold downdrafts along the leading edge of a thunderstorm lift dust or sand into a huge, tumbling dark cloud that may extend horizontally for over a hundred kilometers and rise vertically to the base of the thunderstorm.

haboob

When the polar jet stream flows in a wavy west-to-east pattern, deep troughs and ridges exist in the flow aloft with a strong core of winds called the _____.

jet streak

What weather phenomena most likely created this damage pattern?

microburst

Where does the humid, subtropical air that affects much of the weather east of the Rockies originate?

over the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea

Air masses are usually classified according to their _____.

temperature and humidity

Because the mid-latitude cyclone forms and moves along the polar front in a wavelike manner, the developing storm is referred to as a(n) _____.

wave cyclone