Describing Weather and Weather Forecasts
The atmospheric conditions, along with short-term changes, of a certain place at a certain time.
What is weather?
Where does a polar maritime air mass originate?
Over the Ocean near the Equator (somewhere warm)
Define Severe Weather
Extreme weather events that can cause damage, injury and death.
Will a higher altitude cause warmer or cooler temperatures?
Cooler temperatures.
The current atmospheric conditions at any given moment
The water as a liquid or a solid that falls to Earth
What is precipitation?
What happens when a cold air mass and a warm air mass meets?
The warm air will rise (less dense), cool, and condense into clouds.
A period with below-average precipitation - can lead to dust storms, death of vegetation, etc.
What is a Drought?
A localized climate that is different than the climate of the surrounding areas.
What is a microclimate?
A series of natural processes by which water continually moves among oceans, land, and the atmosphere
the Water Cycle
Name 3 variables of weather.
Air-pressure, wind speed and direction, humidity, cloud coverage, and precipitation
What type of weather can you expect in a Low-Pressure weather system?
Rising air, cooling and condensing, clouds and precipitation.
What is the difference between a Hurricane and a Tornado?
A hurricane is larger, generally originates over the ocean in a tropical environment
Name 4 things that can affect climate
Latitude
Altitude
Large Bodies of Water
Precipitation
Temperature
How would an air mass that originates over Northern Canada be labeled?
A Continental Polar air mass
A diagram used to display data from many of the different weather variables.
What is a Station Model?
The dew point is 43 degrees. If the temperature drops to 41 degrees at night, will there be dew the next morning?
Yes! The air will get too cold, unable to hold onto all the moisture, so some will have to be dropped onto the ground.
What is the difference between Severe Weather and regular, everyday weather?
Severe weather is weather that can cause harm to people, animals, or the Earth. Everyday weather is the atmospheric conditions at that moment in time.
How does the high specific heat of water affect coastal areas?
Coastal areas are generally more MODERATE (warmer in the winter, cooler in the summer)
A report that describes wind, temperature, and humidity conditions up above Earth's surface
Upper-air report
What are the 2 types of weather reports?
Surface Report
Upper-Air Report
The amount of water vapor present in the air compared to the maximum amount of water vapor the air could contain at that temperature.
What is relative humidity?
Name 4 of the 6 types of severe weather that we've discussed.
Tornados, thunderstorms, hurricanes and blizzards, floods, droughts.
Why would a large city have a warmer microclimate than the surrounding towns and fields?
People, pollution, concrete/tar absorbing heat
The amount of thermal energy needed to raise the temperature of 1kg of material 1 degree C
What is Specific Heat?