Weather Questions

Short Answer

1. What atmospheric conditions would most likely produce an ice storm, in which trees and power lines are coated with a layer of ice? 2. During a lightning strike, why is lightning seen before thunder is heard? 3. Suppose you hear a weather forecaster say a front is forming over your area. However, you don’t hear what kind of front it is. What conclusion can you draw about the coming weather? 4. People are often more uncomfortable in air that is warm and very humid than in air that is warm and dry. Explain why. 5. A cold front often brings intense weather changes such as thunderstorms while a warm front often brings light rain or drizzle. Why is this the case? 6. El Nino is a weather event in which the waters of the Pacific Ocean around the equator are warmer than normal. This seems to bring an increase in the number of hurricanes in the eastern Pacific. Explain the most likely cause for this. 7. What type of weather is associated with a continental polar air mass? 8. Explain how a cold front develops. 9. What kind of weather is associated with a stationary front? 10. What is the relationship between lightning and thunder? 11. Explain why tornadoes often destroy buildings in their path. 12. Why don’t hurricanes form over land? 13. Explain how tornadoes form. 14. Explain what causes lightning.

15. Most hurricanes that form in the North Atlantic Ocean occur from June to November, with most hurricanes occurring in September. What facts about hurricane formation help explain this?

INTERPRETING GRAPHICS Use the map below to answer the following questions. 16. _____ mP 17. _____ cP 18. _____ mT 19. _____ cT

Use the graph below to answer the following questions.

20. About how much moisture can air hold at 20°? 21. What does this graph tell you about the relationship between temperature and the amount of water vapor that air can hold?