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Weather Factors

100

What is the major source of energy for all weather?

The sun

200

Weather describes the current conditions of the ___.

Atmosphere

300

The study of weather is also called ______.

Meteorology

400

List the four major factors that affect weather.

Temperature, pressure, wind, water

500

Explain the difference between relative humidity and total humidity.

Relative humidity = the amount of water vapor currently in the air

Total humidity = the total possible amount of water vapor that could be held in the air

Wind

100

Wind can be defined as a ________ movement of air. (HINT: direction)

Horizontal

200

Wind tends to move from ____ pressure to ____ pressure.

High pressure to low pressure

300

Describe what convection means.

Warm air rises, creating low pressure, and cool air sinks, creating high pressure.

400

Describe the direction that winds bend to in the northern hemisphere AND explain why this occurs.

Bend to the right due to the Coriolis Effect; rotation of the earth

500

List the three global wind patterns AND where they occur.

Trade winds: 0-30 N/S

Prevailing Westerlies: 30-60 N/S

Polar Easterlies: 60-90 N/S

Water in the Atmosphere

100

What is the term for water found in the gas state in the atmosphere?

Water vapor

200

What are the two major categories of clouds?

Cumuliform and stratiform

300

List the four major types of precipitation.

Rain

Snow/sleet

Dew/frost

Fog

400

How does temperature affect the rate of evaporation?

Higher temperature = higher rate of evaporation

500

Explain what dew point means.

The temperature at which there is more condensation occurring than evaporation; usually used to measure humidity. 

Fronts and Pressure

100

What do isobars identify on a weather map?

Atmospheric pressure

200

What is a front?

The border between two air masses; where two air masses collide

300

What are the two major air masses that affect the United States?

Continental polar and maritime tropical

400

Which of the following is associated with a low pressure center?

A. Rising warm air

B. Sinking cold air

C. Fair weather and blue skies

D. Winds rotating clockwise

A. Rising warm air. 

The rest are associated with high pressure centers.

500

List two differences between a warm front and a cold front.

Warm front: temp increases, humidity increases, warm air moves in and cool air moves out, long bands of precipitation come before it

Cold front: temp decreases, humidity decreases, cool air moves in and warm air moves out, brings rain or snow showers

Storms

200

Thunderstorms form as a the result of ______.

Convection

300

Where in the United States are tornadoes most likely to occur?

Tornado Alley - Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, Iowa, South Dakota

400

Explain what causes thunder (be specific).

Rapid heating and expansion of the air due to lightning.