Deck 7: Transient Atmospheric Flows and Disturbances

Question 1

is the time of day when tornadoes are most likely to occur.

A) Mid- afternoon
B) Evening
C) Noon
D) Dawn
E) Mid- morning

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Which of the following air masses can be identified as being "very stable".

A) Arctic
B) Maritime polar
C) Equatorial
D) Maritime tropical
E) All of the above

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Which of the following statements does NOT correctly describe the U.S. distribution of midlatitude cyclones?

A) They form underneath areas of divergence.
B) They commonly form downwind of the Rocky Mountains.
C) Most of them exit the country through the Northeast.
D) More occur in the summer than in the winter.
E) They commonly form along the central Atlantic coast.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

have the most dynamic and changeable day- to- day weather on Earth.

A) Polar latitudes
B) Air mass source regions
C) Latitudes affected by fronts
D) Tropical latitudes
E) Latitudes affected by hurricanes

Question 5

A(n) is an upward- looking Doppler radar which is used to sense wind speed and direction at various levels in the atmosphere.

A) hydrograph
B) anemometer
C) mesonetwork
D) barometer
E) wind profiler

Question 6

How would you know that a new air mass had passed over your location in the last couple of hours?

A) change in humidity
B) change in stability
C) change in wind speed
D) change in temperature
E) all of the above

Question 7

In which frontal type is there no "aggressor" air mass?

A) cold
B) stationary
C) warm
D) occluded
E) low

Question 8

Tornadoes contain extreme pressure gradients. They are thought to be on the order of millibars from the outside to the inside of the storm.

A) 100
B) 10
C) 10,000
D) 100,000
E) 1,000

Question 9

Fronts are located

A) in the middle of air masses.
B) underneath air masses.
C) near air masses.
D) at the edges of air masses.
E) with respect to motion, to the rear of air masses.

Question 10

The global westerly wind zone most heavily impacts the latitudes.

A) horse
B) high
C) middle
D) equatorial
E) subtropical

Question 11

Most midlatitude cyclones have .

A) completely unpredictable paths
B) paths determined by the upper flow
C) short (less than 1,000 km) paths
D) paths from north to south
E) paths from east to west

Question 12

On a NEXRAD computer screen, indications of strong winds flowing towards the radar adjacent to strong winds flowing away from the radar is evidence of a(n) within a thunderstorm and would cause the radar operator to issue a tornado warning.

A) mesocyclone
B) anvil cloud
C) rain area
D) downdraft
E) updraft

Question 13

A densely- spaced, automated weather observation network such as Oklahoma's Mesonetwork can pick out a weather phenomenon such as a(n) much better than observing networks with less densely- spaced surface observations.

A) entire air mass
B) divergence in the upper air
C) dryline
D) Rossby wave
E) tornado funnel cloud

Question 14

An easterly wave is on the order of kilometers long.

A) a few hundred
B) 5- 10
C) 10- 20
D) 20- 50
E) a few thousand

Question 15

Of the regions of the United States, which has the highest incidence of tornadoes?

A) New England
B) Central States
C) Hawaii
D) West Coast
E) Florida

Question 16

A(n) is the boundary between mT and cT air and is frequently the focus of tornado development.

A) polar front
B) occluded front
C) dryline
D) easterly wave
E) hurricane

Question 17

The correct designation for a hurricane is as a/an .

A) "tropical cyclone"
B) "enlarged tornado"
C) "super thunderstorm complex"
D) "extratropical anticyclone"
E) "tropical occlusion"

Question 18

Which of the following is associated with an increase in pressure after its passage?

A) a warm front
B) a cold front
C) a stationary front
D) an extratropical cyclone
E) all of the above

Question 19

Which type of front causes many hours of steady rain BEFORE that front passes a location?

A) stationary
B) cold
C) warm
D) all of the above
E) none of the above

Question 20

Which type of cloud is associated with a thunderstorm?

A) altocumulus
B) cirrus
C) cirrocumulus
D) stratocumulus
E) cumulonimbus

Question 21

The ability of NEXRAD to distinguish mesocyclones in thunderstorms is dependent upon .

A) good guesswork on the part of the meteorologist
B) weak wind shear aloft
C) the existence of tornado funnel clouds
D) the existence of cold fronts
E) the Doppler effect

Question 22

The 1- 5 scale rating hurricane intensity is the scale.

A) Fujita
B) Saffir- Simpson
C) PH
D) Likert
E) Crawford

Question 23

Which of the following is the most likely time to sight a tornado in the United States?

A) October
B) December
C) March
D) January
E) June

Question 24

Which type of front typically produces the fastest rise of air?

A) stationary
B) occluded
C) warm
D) cold
E) They all produce approximately the same rise of air.

Question 25

A midlatitude cyclone is also properly termed .

A) a wave cyclone
B) a depression
C) a low
D) all of the above
E) none of the above

Question 26

On a weather map, a symbol consisting of triangles arranged along one side of a line indicates a(n) front.

A) cold
B) warm
C) stationary
D) tropical
E) occluded

Question 27

A tornado advances at a rate of speed of kilometers per hour.

A) 1,000- 1,500
B) 300- 500
C) 1- 2
D) 25- 50
E) 100- 120

Question 28

Of those below, the coldest, driest ones are termed _ .

A) maritime Tropical
B) Equatorial
C) continental Polar
D) continental Tropical
E) maritime Polar

Question 29

The beginning of a middle latitude cyclone is known as .

A) an occlusion
B) a westerly wave
C) the mature stage
D) cyclogenesis
E) the dissipating stage

Question 30

Which of the following is a normal slope for a cold front?

A) 1:2,000
B) 1:400
C) 1:10
D) 1:1
E) 1:50,000

Question 31

An average air mass is on the order of kilometers in diameter.

A) 16,000
B) 160
C) 1,600
D) 10
E) 1

Question 32

Air near the Pacific coast of the United States is usually _ _ than air over the Gulf Coast of the United States.

A) more stable
B) drier
C) cooler
D) all of the above
E) none of the above

Question 33

Which of the following occurs most frequently?

A) a tropical depression
B) an easterly wave
C) a hurricane
D) a tropical storm
E) They all occur with approximately the same frequency.

Question 34

The Enhanced Fujita Scale was adopted in 2007. It is based on estimates of 3- second gusts of wind as estimated by

A) tornado damage
B) human survivors.
C) anemometers.
D) weather balloons.
E) Doppler radar.

Question 35

In an occluded front, the warm air sector is _ .

A) north of the cold sector
B) south of the cold sector
C) on the ground
D) above the ground
E) none of the above

Question 36

Of the list below, the coldest air is bound to be associated with a/an air mass.

A) E
B) mT
C) cT
D) mP
E) cP

Question 37

It can be said that along all the fronts in a middle latitude cyclone

A) precipitation is unlikely.
B) air rises.
C) the pressure is high.
D) cold air sinks.
E) heavy rain occurs.

Question 38

Which of the following best represents the length of the life cycle of a typical midlatitude cyclone?

A) 1 hour
B) 1 week
C) 1 month
D) 1 day
E) 1 year

Question 39

Which front is shown on weather maps as a line with alternating semicircles and triangles on the same side of the line?

A) warm front
B) stationary front
C) cold front
D) occluded front
E) none of the above

Question 40

A midlatitude anticyclone .

A) exhibits stability
B) is associated with air stagnation
C) is a single air mass
D) has an edge called a front
E) is described by all of the above

Question 41

Which of the following occurs least over North America?

A) Maritime Tropical air from the North Pacific
B) Maritime Polar air from the Gulf of Alaska
C) Maritime Polar air from the North Atlantic
D) Maritime Tropical air from the Pacific
E) Arctic air from Siberia

Question 42

At any given time, how many extratropical cyclones might one expect to be in existence in the Northern Hemisphere?
A) 1 or 2

A) 6 to 15
B) 25 to 50
B) 50 to 100
C) 100 to 1000

Question 43

North America's greatest hurricane disaster took place at .

A) Savannah, GA
B) Galveston, TX
C) Miami, FL
D) Los Angeles, CA
E) New Orleans, LA

Question 44

When neither air mass displaces the adjacent one, their boundary is called a(n) _ _ front.

A) stationary
B) warm
C) dry
D) cold
E) occluded

Question 45

Tropical cyclones tend to cause the greatest loss of life on the

A) Gulf Coast of the United States.
B) coast of Brazil.
C) Bay of Bengal.
D) islands of the Caribbean.
E) islands of the Philippines.

Question 46

On the average, fronts move the fastest of all fronts.

A) stationary
B) cold
C) warm
D) occluded
E) all are the same

Question 47

The largest and strongest tropical cyclones are associated with the .

A) Indian Ocean south of Pakistan
B) Pacific Ocean near Hawaii
C) China Sea
D) South Atlantic Ocean near Argentina
E) North Atlantic Ocean near North Carolina

Question 48

The most intense Atlantic hurricane of record was

A) Amanda.
B) Janet.
C) Katrina.
D) Daniel.
E) Wilma.

Question 49

Which country is the most likely place on Earth for a tornado to occur?

A) Brazil
B) Russia
C) The People's Republic of China
D) The United States
E) India

Question 50

Which of the following is NOT an ideal air mass source region?

A) the Rocky Mountains west of Denver
B) the flat tundra surface of northern Canada
C) the regions of the world which have stable air
D) the flat desert surface of the Sahara
E) the Pacific ocean near the Gulf of Alaska

Question 51

Which of the following rarely affects North America?

A) Arctic
B) continental Polar
C) maritime Tropical
D) Equatorial
E) continental Tropical

Question 52

Katrina was the hurricane ever to hit the United States.

A) strongest
B) largest diameter
C) least well forecasted
D) most costly
E) most deadly

Question 53

In the last decade or so there has been

A) a lack of an Atlantic Multi- Decadal Signal.
B) an increase in the number of hurricanes.
C) a relative lack of hurricanes.
D) a lack of intense hurricanes.
E) lower sea surface temperatures impacting hurricanes.

Question 54

Most middle latitude cyclones occur .

A) when the upper flow is zonal
B) only at night
C) upstream of an upper level pressure trough
D) downstream of an upper level pressure trough
E) in the trade wind flow

Question 55

The "eye" of the hurricane is a zone characterized by .

A) sinking air
B) a radius of approximately 1,000 kilometers
C) the most severe winds in the storms
D) tremendous amounts of precipitation
E) all of the above

Question 56

Which of the following represents a typical count of confirmed tornadoes for a year in the United States?

A) 1,000
B) 10
C) 100
D) 1
E) 10,000

Question 57

The slope of a warm front generally averages about .

A) 1:200,000
B) 1:200
C) 1:20
D) 1:20,000
E) 1:2000

Question 58

Most tornadoes are classified as _.

A) violent
B) destructive
C) catastrophic
D) powerful
E) weak

Question 59

More than 80% of hurricanes originate on the poleward side of the .

A) polar front
B) subtropical highs
C) intertropical convergence zone
D) Rossby waves
E) surface westerlies

Question 60

As a rule, thunderstorms are unknown poleward of latitude.

A) 40°
B) 60°
C) 20°
D) 30°
E) 10°

Question 61

Thunderstorms accompany .

A) cold fronts
B) hurricanes
C) extratropical cyclones
D) tornadoes
E) all of the above

Question 62

The greatest annual number of hailstorms can be found in

A) Hawaii.
B) Texas.
C) Colorado.
D) California.
E) Florida.

Question 63

The part of the hurricane characterized by scattered high clouds and light winds is known as the

A) warm sector.
B) spiral band.
C) eye.
D) eyewall.
E) warm front.

Question 64

The desert would be the obvious zone of origin of a _ air mass.

A) mP
B) mM
C) cT
D) mT
E) cP

Question 65

The average hurricane exists, on the average, for about .

A) four weeks
B) two weeks
C) three weeks
D) five weeks
E) one week

Question 66

Upper air divergence is most closely associated with surface .

A) isobars
B) anticyclones
C) cyclones
D) air mass source regions
E) inversions

Question 67

is a distinguishing feature of thunderstorms.

A) ground fog
B) scant vertical development
C) cirrus cloud base
D) anvil top
E) none of the above

Question 68

The month most likely for a hurricane to occur in the Northern Hemisphere is .

A) September
B) June
C) December
D) January
E) April

Question 69

Which of the following is the least likely zone of formation for a large air mass?

A) under an oceanic subtropical high South China Sea
B) Caribbean Sea
C) the U.S. Midwest
D) northern Sahara
E) eastern Siberia

Question 70

The energy source of hurricanes is

A) the jet stream.
B) warm fronts.
C) warm seawater.
D) thunderstorms.
E) cold fronts.

Question 71

Which stage of a thunderstorm is associated with the coexistence of updrafts and downdrafts?

A) dissipating stage
B) mature stage
C) cumulus stage
D) all of the above
E) none of the above

Question 72

Which of the following would be a common diameter for a tornado?

A) 1,000 meters
B) 100 meters
C) 10,000 meters
D) 10 meters
E) 100,000 meters

Question 73

Extratropical cyclones and anticyclones function as migratory perturbations in the .

A) ionosphere
B) troposphere
C) easterlies
D) westerlies
E) ITC

Question 74

What process seems to weaken hurricanes?

A) the strengthening of updrafts
B) convergence of winds at the surface
C) travel over warm ocean water
D) eyewall replacement
E) divergence of winds aloft

Question 75

Thunderstorms are violent storms accompanied by thunder and lightning.

A) stationary
B) occluded
C) adiabatic
D) convective
E) jet stream

Question 76

The term "tropical disturbance" cannot be applied to which of the following storm types?

A) wave cyclone
B) tropical storm
C) hurricane
D) typhoon
E) tropical depression

Question 77

The average directional movement of hurricanes is .

A) south to north
B) east to west
C) west to east
D) southwest to northeast
E) north to south

Question 78

Cyclogenesis occurs along _ .

A) the occluded front
B) the edge of a baugio
C) the polar front
D) all of the above
E) none of the above

Question 79

The average directional movement of tornadoes is .

A) south to north
B) southwest to northeast
C) east to west
D) north to south
E) west to east

Question 80

A mature middle latitude cyclone takes on the shape of a

A) triangle.
B) circle.
C) wave.
D) wedge.
E) loop.