Describing Weather
The sphere of Earth in which weather occurs
What is the atmosphere
The long term average weather conditions for a certain region.
What is climate?
Which weather phenomenon is characterized by a rotating column of air extending from a thunderstorm to the ground?
Tornado
Which air mass brings clear skies and warm temperatures?
Continental tropical
The unit used to measure air pressure?
Inches of mercury or millibars
An area of little/ low rain fall due to the downslope of a mountain.
What is a rain shadow?
Which type of hurricane activity only affects coastal communities?
storm surge
Based on what you have learned about the formation of severe weather, in which part of the United States are thunderstorms least common?
The southwest
Which type of precipitation forms when water vapor crystallizes directly into ice?
Snow
Which air mass contains cold, humid air?
Maritime polar
Which of the following is an example of a microclimate?
climate of a continent
climate of a country
climate of a hemisphere
climate of a city park
The climate of a city park
Hurricanes require warm air and a lot of water vapor to form. Why don’t hurricanes form at latitudes farther north or south from the equator?
The water is too cold and there is not enough water vapor in the air.
In the Northern Hemisphere, which direction does air rotate in a high-pressure system?
Clockwise
Cold air cannot hold as much water vapor as warm air does. What term is used to describe the temperature at which air is saturated with water vapor and condensation occurs?
Relative humidity
Clouds form when water changes from a?
gas to liquid
What is the role of ocean currents in climate?
They affect temperature and rainfall
What is the main reason for the formation of thunderstorms?
Rapidly rising warm, moist air.
Describe how clouds and fog are similar and different
They both form when saturated air reaches its dew point and water vapor condenses, except that one forms near the ground, and one forms higher up in the atmosphere.
There are three types of severe atmospheric events that do not involve water. They are extreme heat, drought, and wildfires. All three tend to occur as a result of weather conditions in a particular region. Which of these options can be influenced by the development of large cities, paved roadways, and reduced green space?
heat wave
What type of front forms when a cold air mass overtakes a warm air mass?
Occluded front
List three factors that affect weather directly.
Temperature, atmospheric pressure, cloud formation, wind, humidity and precipitation.
List two effects of a drought
Reduced crop yields, water restriction, wildfires, and depleted water sources
The jet stream interacts with air masses as it blows from west to east. How does this affect the weather that occurs across North America?
It pushes air masses into different regions