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Weather Final Geo211
ISU weather final flashcards
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| streamlines | instead of isobars, streamlines that depict wind flow are drawn. Streamlines are useful because they show where surface air converges and diverges |
| Hurricane | is an intense storm of tropical origin with sustained winds exceeding 64 knots (74mi/hr), which forms over the warm northern atlantic and eastern North Pacific oceans. |
| Tropical cyclone | is the general term for all hurricane-type storms that originate over tropical waters. |
| eye | The center of the hurricane is called the |
| eyewall | a ring of intense thunderstorms that whirl around the storm’s center and may extend upward to almost 18 km (59,000 ft) above sea level. |
| Trade wind inversion | a temperature inversion frequently found in the subtropics over the eastern portions of the tropical oceans. |
| Tropical depression | a mass of thunderstorms and clouds generally with a cyclonic wind circulation of between 20 and 34 knots |
| Tropical storm | organized thunderstorms with a cyclonic wind circulation between 35 and 64 knots |
| Storm surge | an abnormal rise of the sea along a shore; primarily due to the winds of a storm, especially a hurricane |
| Saffir-Simpson scale | a scale relating a hurricane’s central pressure and winds to the possible damage it is capable of inflicting |
| Super typhoon | a tropical cyclone (typhoon) in the western pacific that has sustained winds of 130 knots or greater |
| Eyewall replacement | a situation within a hurricane (tropical cyclone) where the storm’s original eyewall dissipates and a new eyewall forms outward, farther away from the center of the storm |
| Hurricane watch | indicates that a hurricane poses a threat to an area (often within several days) and residents of the watch area should be prepared |
| Hurricane warning | a warning given when it is likely that a hurricane will strike an area within 24 hours |
| source regions | regions where air masses originate |
| continental arctic (cA) | very cold, very dry source region: arctic basin and greenland (winter only) |
| continental polar (cP) | cold, dry source region: interior canada and alaska |
| maritime polar (mP) | -mild (cool and humid -anything over the water is unstable -anything over the land is stable -cold air from the ocean moves to land source region: north pacific and northwestern atlantic |
| continental tropical (cT) | summer only (land air) hot, dry comes from mexico and south of U.S |
| maritime tropical (mT) | warm and humid warm and moist make rain source region: gulf of mexico, caribbean sea, western atlantic, eastern subtropical pacific |
| Fronts | a boundary separating masses of different densities (temperature and moisture characteristic) -the transition zone between two air masses of different densities |
| warm front | -warm air replaces cool air -come from nimbostratus clouds and produce light rainfall -advancing warm moist subtropical air from the gulf of mexico replace the retreating cold maritime polar air from north atlantic -move slower |
| cold front | -cold dry stable air replacing warm unstable air -warm air is lifted -cumulonimbus develop a steeper slope of a cold front -moves faster |
| occluded front | -formed when a cold front overtakes a warm front, lifting warm air -central pressure of the system shifts -formed when a cold front overtakes a warm front |
| triple point | the point of occlusion where three points all come together is called triple point (happens in occluded front) |
| stationary front | -no movement, come from continental polar -air from continental polar goes and butts into the air of the rocky mountains.. the surface winds blow parallel to stationary fronts -dry with no rain |
| How to locate a front is on the surface | 1. pressure change 2. sharp temperature change over short distance 3. shift in wind 4. cloud and precipitation patterns 5. moisture change |
| mid latitude cylone | a low pressure system that has cyclonic (counterclockwise in northern hemisphere) flow that is found in the middle latitudes |
| Formation - Cyclogenesis | First stage of mid latitude life cycle |
| Early stage | second stage in mid lat cyclone life cycle |
| open stage | -more mature stage -cyclonic circulation is well established -starting to spin -flow is stronger -average size of the cyclone is 1500 to 5000 km in diameter |
| occluded stage | -formed when a cold front overtakes a warm front lifting warm air -when three fronts come together is called triple point |
| dissipation stage | -starts to dissipate -moving west to east (eastward) -energy from surface is cut off -this is when it goes over the water -the storm weakens and begins to dissipate |
| polar front theory | when polar air comes down and mixes with tropical air (comes to a tropical place) gives rise to cyclonic disturbances |
| north america in winter | where do mid latitude cyclones form |
| jet stream | steers the cyclone |
| hurricanes | of tropical origin -form over warm northern atlantic (ocean by florida) and eastern northern pacific ocean |
| northern hemisphere | a mid latitude cylone goes counter clockwise where? |
| source region | regions where air masses originate and acquire their properties of temperature and moisture |
| air mass | a large body of air that has similiar horizontal temperature and moisture characteristics |
| continental polar air mass | an air mass characterized by low temperatures and dry air. Not as cold as arctic air mass |
| continental arctic air masses | an air mass characterized by extremely low temperatures and very dry air |
| lake effect snows | localized snowstorms that form on the downwind side of a lake. Such storms are common in late fall and early winter near the great lakes as cold, dry air picks up moisture and warmth from the unfrozen bodies of water |
| maritime polar air mass | an air mass characterized by low temperatures and high humidity |
| maritime tropical | an air mass characterized by high temperatures and humidity |
| continental tropical | an air mass characterized by high temperatures and low humidity |
| front | the transition zone between two distinct air masses |
| stationary front | a front that is nearly stationary with winds blowing almost parallel and from opposite directions on each side of the front |
| cold front | a transition zone where a cold air mass advances and replaces a warm air mass |
| frontolysis | the weakening or dissipation of a front |
| frontogenesis | the formation, strengthening, or regeneration of a front |
| back door cold | a cold front moving south or south west along the atlantic seaboard of the united states |
| cold air damming | a shallow layer of cold air that is trapped between the atlantic coast and the appalachian mountains |
| overruning | a condition that occurs when air moves up and over another layer of air |
| frontal inversion | a temperature inversion encountered upon ascending through a sloping front, usually a warm front |
| dryline | a boundary that seperates warm dry air from warm moist air. it usually represents a zone of instability along which thunderstorms form |
| occluded front | a complex frontal system taht ideally forms when a cold front overtakes a warm front. |
| upper air front | a front that is present aloft but usually does not extend down to the ground. Also called an upper front and an upper tropospheric front |
| polar front theory | a theory whereby a polar front, separating air masses of polar and tropical origin gives rise to cyclonic disturbances which intensify and travel along the front. A storm that forms at middle and high latitude outside of the tropics |
| wave cyclone | an extra tropical cyclone that forms and moves along a front. The circulation of winds about the cyclone tends to produce a wavelike deformation on the front. |
| Frontal wave | a wavelike deformation along a front in the lower levels of the atmosphere. Those that develop into storms are termed unstable waves, while those that do not are called stable waves. |
| warm sector | the region of warm air within a wave cyclone that lies between a retreating warm front and an advancing cold front |
| secondary low | a low pressure area (often an open wave) that forms near, or in association with, a main low-pressure area. |
| cyclogenesis | the development or strengthening of mid latitude (extra tropical) cyclones |
| lee-side-lows | storm systems (extra tropical cyclones) that forms on the downwind (lee) side of a mountain chain. In the united states lee-side lows frequently form on the eastern side of the rockies and sierra nevada mountains |
| northeasers | a name given to a strong steady wind from the northeast that is accompanied by rain and inclement weather. It often develops when a storm system moves northeastward along the coast of north america. Also called Nor'easter |
| convergence | an atmospheric condition that exists when the winds cause a horizontal new inflow of air into a specified region |
| divergence | an atmospheric condition that exists when the winds cause a horizontal new outflow of air from a specific region |
| rossby waves | (longwaves in the westerlies) a wave in the upper level of westerlies characterized by a long length (thousands of kilometers) and significant amplitude |
| shortwaves | a small wave that moves around longwaves in the same direction as the air flow in the middle and upper troposphere. Shortwave are also called shortwave troughs |
| barotropic (atmosphere) | a condition in the atmosphere where surfaces of constant density parallel surfaces of constant pressure |
| baroclinic | the state of the atmosphere where surfaces of constant pressure interest surfaces of constant density. On an isobaric chart, isotherms cross the contour lines, and temperature advection exists |
| cold advection | the transport of cold air by the wind from region of lower temperatures to a region of higher temperatures |
| warm advection | the transport of warm air by the wind from a region of higher temperatures to a region of lower temperatures |
| cut off low | a cold upper-level low that has become displaced out of the basic westerly flow and lies to the south of this flow. |
| jet streak | a region of high wind speed that moves through the axis of a jet stream |
| conveyor belt model | a three dimensional picture of a mid-latitude cyclone and the various air streams (called conveyor belts) that interact to produce the weather associated with the storm. |
| dry slot | on a satellite image the dry slop represents the relatively clear region (or clear wedge) that appears just to the west of the tail of a comma cloud of a mid latitude cyclonic storm |
| Comma clouds | A band of organized cumuliform clouds that looks like a comma on a satellite photograph |
| Vorticity | A measure of the spin of a fluid, usually small air parcels. Absolute vorticity is the combined vorticity due to the earth’s rotation and the vorticity due to the airs circulation relative to the earth. |
| Earths vorticity | The rotation (spin) of an object about its vertical axis brought on by the rotation of the earth on its axis. The earth’s vorticity is a maximum at the poles and zero at the equator. |
| Relative vorticity | due to the curving of the airflow and wind shear (see vorticity) |
| Polar lows | An area of low pressure that forms over polar water behind the main polar front. |
| arctic front | In Northern latitudes the semi permanent front that separates the deep cold artic from the more shallow, less cold polar air |
| streamlines | a line that shows the wind flow pattern |
| tropical wave | a migratory wavelike disturbance in teh tropical easterlies. Tropical waves occasionally intensify into tropical cyclones. They are also called easterly waves. |
| hurricane | a tropical cyclone having winds in excess of 65 knots (74 mi/hr) |
| typhoon | a hurricane (tropical cyclone) that forms in the western pacific ocean |
| tropical cyclone | the general term for storms (cyclones) that form over warm tropical oceans |
| eye | a region in the center of a hurricane (tropical storm)where the winds are light and skies are clear to partly cloudy |
| eyewall | a wall of dense thunderstorms that surrounds the eye of the hurricane |
| trade wind inversions | a temperature inversion frequently found in the subtropics over the eastern portions of the tropical oceans |
| tropical depression | a mass of thunderstorms and clouds generally with a cyclonic wind circulation of between 20 and 34 knots |
| tropical storm | organized thunderstorms with a cyclonic wind circulation between 35 and 64 knots |
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