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43 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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analysis |
a surface or upper-level chart that interprets the present weather patterns |
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persistence forecast |
the least accurate forecast method of predicting the weather two days into the future during changeable weather conditions is usually the.. |
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40% chance of rain.. |
there is a 40% chance that any random place in the forecast area will receive measurable rain |
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isallobars |
lines connecting points of equal pressure change |
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cumulus stage |
the initial stage of an ordinary thunderstorm |
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a supercell storm |
a large, long-lasting thunderstorm w/ a single violently rotating updraft |
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a mesoscale convective complex |
individual thunderstorms that grow into a large, long-lasting weather system |
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mesohigh |
small area of high pressure created by the cold, heavy air of a thunderstorm downdraft is |
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stepped leader travels.. return stroke travels... |
downward upward |
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the upward part of a thunderstorm cloud is usually... the middle and lower parts are usually... |
positively charged negatively charged |
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if a tornado is rotating in a counterclockwise direction and moving toward the NE, the strongest winds will be on the ___ side |
SE |
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in the US, tornados are most frequent during the... least frequent during the.. |
spring
winter |
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the enhanced fujita scale for classifying tornado strength is based on |
multiple damage indicators and the degree of damage |
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the vertical structure of the hurricane shows an upper-level ___ of air and a surface ____ of air |
outflow inflow |
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you would not expect to observe ___ as the eye of a hurricane passes directly over your area |
high winds! (but do expect increase in surface temp, a lower surface pressure reading, and little or no precipitation) |
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hurricanes dissipate when.. |
-they move over colder water -they move over land -the surface inflow of air exceeds the upper-level outflow of air |
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order of hurricane development: |
tropical disturbance, tropical depression, tropical storm, hurricane |
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category 5 storm on the Saffir-Simpson model would be.. |
a very strong hurricane |
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favorable stability conditions for hurricane development is.. |
a deep layer of conditionally unstable air |
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conditions for hurricane formation: |
1. converging surface winds (Coriolis Force) 2. the right environment (tropical water, light wind, 28*C sea surface temp, tropical wave) 3. the developing storm: cluster of thunderstorms around a rotating low pressure, release of latent heat, divergence aloft |
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typhoon: |
a storm of tropical origin whose high winds and water cause a great deal of destruction to islands in the western North Pacific |
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a + feedback mechanism if the earth were in a cooling trend.. |
increasing the snow cover around the earth |
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a - feedback mechanism if the earth were in a warming trend.. |
increasing the snow cover around the earth |
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the Milankovitch Theory proposes that climate changes are due to... |
variations in the earth's orbit as it travels through space |
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glaciers cover how much of the earth's surface? |
about 10% |
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large volcanic eruptions w/ an ash veil that enters the stratosphere, tend to ____ at the surface |
decrease temperatures |
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the increase in global surface air temperatures since 1980 is because of |
increasing levels of CO2 |
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an increase in atmospheric CO2 concentrations will most likely lead to ___ in the troposphere and ___ in the upper atmosphere |
warming cooling |
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this would most likely produce warming at the earth's surface.. |
an increase in the amount of high-level global cloud cover |
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overall, clouds are the most important feature in determining climate.. T/F? |
true |
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global climate models.. |
simulate global climate and predict long-term temperature changes |
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microburst |
small burst of downdraft wind, dangerous to airplanes -within a thunderstorm, moves in way opposite of tornado |
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lightning: |
a discharge of electricity, giant spark; rapid heating of air because of + and - charged ions |
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most lightning is .. |
negative cloud-to-ground |
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IPCC |
intergovernmental panel on climate change, a leading int'l scientific body for the assessment of climate change; all voluntary |
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ordinary v severe thunderstorms |
ordinary: downdraft and falling precipitation cut off updraft severe: winds aloft push the rain ahead and the updraft is not weakened, the storm matures! |
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severe thunderstorms must have: |
3/4 inch hail and/or wind gusts of 50 knots and/or tornados |
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probability forecasts |
use of climate records (often 30 yrs of data) to generate forecasts of a given event |
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tornado life cycle: |
organizing, mature, shrinking, decay |
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easterly waves |
a trough of low pressure, bending lines show wind flow patterns |
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Saffir-Simpson scale: |
way to scale major hurricanes, 1-5; based on: central pressure, wind, storm surge, NOT DAMAGE wind: 64- +135 knots |
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possible causes of climate change (INTERNAL) |
1. water vapor-greenhouse gas feedback (+) 2. snow-albedo feedback (+) 3. infrared radiation (-) |
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possible causes of climate change (EXTERNAL): |
1. change in incoming radiation 2. composition of the atmosphere 3. Earth's surface |
