General Weather Concepts
This measures the weight of the air pressing down on Earth's surface.
(What is barometric pressure?)
A large body of air with similar temperature and moisture characteristics.
What is an air mass
Winds circulate this way around a high-pressure system in the Northern Hemisphere
What is clockwise and outward
Weather in the U.S. typically moves in this direction
What is west to east
During the day, wind blows from the sea to the land because of this
What is the land heating up faster than the water
As altitude increases, air pressure does this
(What is decreases?)
The type of air mass that forms over the Gulf of Mexico and brings warm, humid weather.
What is a maritime tropical air mass?)
Winds circulate this way around a low-pressure system in the Northern Hemisphere.
What is counterclockwise and inward
The movement of a cold front is powered by this
What is dense, cold air pushing underneath warm air
At night, the wind direction reverses and blows from the land to the sea because of this.
What is land cooling down faster than water
The movement of air from high to low pressure causes this
(What is wind?)
The four main types of air masses
What are maritime tropical, maritime polar, continental tropical, and continental polar?
Maritime air masses are more unstable than continental air masses because of this
What is the presence of more moisture
The type of front most associated with heavy rain and storms.
What is a cold front
Water takes longer to heat up and cool down than land because of this
What is water’s high specific heat?
This fast-moving river of air influences weather patterns in the U.S.
(What is the jet stream?)
This type of front brings quick-moving storms, followed by cooler temperature
What is a cold front?
This type of air mass is responsible for hurricanes and thunderstorms.
What is a maritime tropical air mass
Low-pressure systems often bring strong storms because of this.
What is rising air causing cloud formation and precipitation?)
The wind that blows at night from land to sea is called this.
What is a land breeze?
A low-pressure system generally brings this type of weather
(What is stormy, cloudy, or rainy weather?)
An occluded front occurs when this happens
What is when a cold front overtakes a warm front
Barometric pressure does this as you move up a mountain
What is decreases
Mountains can create this effect, leading to dry conditions on one side and wet conditions on the other.
(What is a rain shadow?)
The wind that blows during the day from sea to land is called this.
What is a sea breeze?)