Weather Questions, Chapter 3… Weather Patterns

Section 1 1. Define the term air mass. 2. How much area can an air mass cover? 3. Use a chart to list the 4 air masses, their characteristic locations, temperatures, moisture content and pressures. 4. Which 4 air masses influence the weather in North America? 5. Describe how and here Maritime Tropical air masses originate on the East coast. 6. What kinds of weather do these air masses bring in the summertime? In the wintertime? 7. What types of weather do Maritime Polar air masses bring to the West coast? 8. Where do Continental Tropical air masses form in the United States? 9. What types of weather do they bring? 10. Where do Continental Polar air masses form? What type of weather do they bring? 11. What happens when Maritime tropical air masses collide with Continental Polar air masses? 12. What wind belt moves air masses in North America? Which general direction does air move in? 13. Why don’t air masses mix easily? 14. Which air mass will be less dense, warm or cold? What happens to the less dense air mass? 15. What is a front defined as? 16. What types of weather often occur at a front? 17. What are the approximate dimensions of a typical front? 18. What are the four types of fronts that can occur? 19. Describe how a cold front is produced. 20. What happens if the displaced warm air contains a lot of moisture? If it contains a little moisture? 21. What produces a stationary front? What types of weather are associated with these types of fronts ? 22. Describe an occluded front. What type of weather do these fronts produce? 23. What is a cyclone? In which direction do cyclonic winds spin? What type of pressure is associated with cyclonic systems? 24. Cyclones are associated with what types of weather events? 25. What is an anticyclone? In which direction do they spin? What type of pressure system is associated with anticyclones?

Section 2 26. What weather pattern was causing the devastating tornadoes in Florida in 1998? 27. What is a storm defined as? 28. What kinds of changes cause storms to develop? 29. Where do thunderstorms develop? 30. What events cause the development of a thunderstorm? 31. Strong downdrafts in a thunderstorm may produce wind shear. Why is this dangerous? 32. How is lightning produced by a thunderstorm? 33. How is thunder produced during a lightning storm? 34. What are some health effects if struck by lightning? 35. Why might it be a bad idea to stand under a large tree on a golf course during a thunderstorm? 36. What are lightning rods? How do they protect a building? 37. What are tornadoes? What are they called if they form over water? 38. How fast can the winds of a tornado move? 39 Where do tornadoes develop, and what seasons and times of day are they most likely to occur? 40. Describe the conditions that might produce a line of tornadoes on the Great Plains. 41.What states comprise ‘tornado alley”? 42. Where is the safest place to be during a tornado? 43. What is the difference between a tornado watch and a tornado warning? 44. What is a hurricane? 45. How large is an average hurricane? 46. Why are typhoons beneficial to Southeast Asia? 47. Describe how a hurricane develops. 48. How fast can hurricane winds blow? 49. What is the eye of the hurricane? How does it differ from the rest of the hurricane? 50. How long do most hurricanes last? What winds guide their path? What happens to their strength as they move over land? 51. What is a “storm surge” 52. What is the difference between a hurricane watch and hurricane warning? 53. What produces snow? 54. Why do Buffalo and Rochester get so much snow every year? 55. What should be done if you are caught outside in a snowstorm?

Section 3 56. What happened in Antelope Canyon in Arizona in August, 1997? 57. When do floods occur? 58. What is a “flash flood”? 59. Describe three methods used to track flood potential. 60. Where do you go in a flood?

Section 4 61. How can a barometer be used to predict weather? Give an example. 62. How can clouds help predict the weather? 63. What is a meteorologist? 64. What do meteorologists use to gather information about the weather? List 5 different materials. 65. What two areas of weather technology have changed significantly? 66. What information do satellites provide? 67. How have computers assisted in weather prediction? 68. How is an “El Nino” produced and what are some effects it may have? 69. What is a weather map? 70. What are isobars? 71. What are isotherms? 72. What kind of information is found on a weather map? 73. Describe and give an example of the “Butterfly Effect”.