Weather Elements
The condition of Earth's atmosphere in a certain time and place.
What is weather?
Winds are caused by the flow of air from an area of ______________ pressure to an area of ______________ pressure.
from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
It's daytime and the air is relatively warm with lots of moisture in it. After the temperatures drop over night, what might you expect to see the following morning?
fog (dew)
The global winds that blow from west to east in the mid-latitudes.
What are the Westerlies?
In what direction does air flow around a high-pressure center?
What is clockwise?
A wet, warm air mass would be called
maritime tropical (mT)
Instrument that measures wind speed.
What is an anemometer?
an instrument that measures air pressure
What is a barometer?
What is cirrus?
A line on an atmospheric pressure map that connects equal points of pressure at a given time.
What is an isobar?
From what direction does the jet stream flow?
From the west (to the east)
what forms when two air masses meet and create weather
What is a front?
This forms on grass when the air temperature drops below the dew point.
What is dew?
an instrument used to measure relative humidity
What is a psychrometer?
What two (2) factors are used to classify clouds?
shape and altitude
What is the symbolic rule to convert oF to oC?
oC x 1.8 +32 = oF
OR
oC x 9/5 +32
When the barometer reading (either in inches or millibars) is decreasing, what does it mean?
means that low pressure is moving in (or clouds, possibility precipitation)
front that is formed when an warm air mass stretches over a cold air mass
The amount of water vapor in the air compared to the amount of water vapor needed to reach saturation. (Represented by a percent)
What is relative humidity?
The four main forms of precipitation
Rain, snow, hail, and sleet
What are the meanings of these prefixes that help identify cloud features:
1. alto-
2. nimbus-
1. high, tall
2. rain
How does a warm ocean current affect the temperature and the amount of moisture in the air mass above it and along nearby coastlines?
The warm current transfers energy to the atmosphere making it warm and water can evaporate, increasing the humidity of the air.
A large body of air with the same temperature and moisture content
What is an air mass?
When a warm air mass meets a cold air mass, but they push at each other and neither one of them can move, it is called a. . .
What is a stationary front?
List 5 of the 6 elements of weather.
~ temperature
~ humidity
~ precipitation
~ air pressure
~ wind
~ visibility
Name an example of each:
1. stationary weather data collection
2. moving weather data collection
1. ground station, anchored buoy
2. satellite, airplane, ships
The meaning of these three (3) cloud shapes:
1. stratus
2. cumulus
3. cirrus
1. layer, spread out
2. heap, puffy, pile
3. curl of hair, wispy
What type of weather can you expect from a cumulonimbus cloud?
You can expect heavy rain, snow, thunderstorms, hail, lightning or even tornadoes.
On a map of barometric pressure, how can you tell where the winds are strongest?
wherever the isobars are most closely packed together.
The can bring continuously falling rain or snow. The often produce precipitation that is usually light to moderate.