Deck 6: Air Masses and Weather Systems

Question 1

Middle-latitude cyclones ____.

A)usually move across North America from east to west
B)are generally only found over the ocean
C)generally bring clear skies and little precipitation
D)are regions of strong temperature contrasts

Answer 1

D

Question 2

The cP air mass of North America is usually associated with a source region in ____.

A)Iceland
B)Aleutian Islands
C)Mexico
D)Canada

Answer 2

D

Question 3

"Tornado Alley" seems to be centered on ____.

A)Vermont and New Hampshire
B)Wisconsin and Minnesota
C)Florida and Georgia
D)Kansas and Oklahoma

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Rossby waves are also known as ____.

A)storm surges
B)short waves
C)middle-latitude storms
D)long waves

Question 5

A large body of air that is relatively homogeneous in terms of temperature and humidity is called a(n) ____.

A)cyclone
B)anticyclone
C)air mass
D)source region

Question 6

Tornado wind speeds typically fall within ____.

A)72-112 miles per hour
B)113-157 miles per hour
C)207-260 miles per hour
D)above 260 miles per hour

Question 7

A wind shift from east to south and an increase in temperature is indicative of the passage of a(n) ____.

A)cold front
B)warm front
C)occluded front
D)anticyclone

Question 8

The passage of a cold front is indicated by a(n) ____.

A)increase in temperature and a decrease in pressure
B)increase in temperature and an increase in pressure
C)decrease in temperature and an increase in pressure
D)decrease in temperature and a decrease in pressure

Question 9

Hurricanes begin as ____ over the ocean.

A)anticyclones
B)easterly waves
C)storms
D)typhoons

Question 10

In winter, an mT air mass, moving from the Gulf of Mexico into the southern United States, tends to become ____.

A)more stable
B)more unstable
C)a cT air mass
D)a middle-latitude storm

Question 11

Frontal uplift involves ____.

A)the rising of air at a frontal surface
B)the falling of air at a frontal surface
C)frontal precipitation
D)the steepness of a frontal surface

Question 12

Hurricanes are also known as ____.

A)Rossby waves
B)tsunamis
C)typhoons
D)occluded fronts

Question 13

In the Midwest, record-setting cold temperatures often result when a(n) ____ air mass invades the region.

A)mP
B)cP
C)cA
D)mT

Question 14

In weather forecasting, real time means ____.

A)wind speed measured with Doppler radar
B)time just past
C)in the near future
D)immediately

Question 15

During a normal summer day in the Midwest, ____.

A)highest temperatures will occur around noon
B)the relative humidity curve will be more or less parallel to the temperature curve
C)air temperature and dew point temperature will be the same
D)the absolute humidity tends to be high

Question 16

Along the polar front, we may expect ____.

A)typhoon generation
B)a belt of maximum sunshine
C)passage of middle-latitude cyclonic waves
D)passage of tropical waves

Question 17

The maritime polar air masses tend to be ____.

A)warmer than their land counterparts
B)damp and warm
C)cooler than their land counterparts
D)found near the equator

Question 18

Strong anticyclones that move into the middle latitudes from northern Canada and the Arctic Ocean are called ____.

A)storm outbreaks
B)northernly waves
C)polar outbreaks
D)easterly waves

Question 19

If an area in the upper atmosphere is undergoing convergence, ____ is most likely occurring at Earth's surface below.

A)convergence
B)divergence
C)rain
D)snow

Question 20

Short duration, high intensity rainfall is associated most often with ____.

A)a cold front
B)a warm front
C)orographic lift
D)a stationary front

Question 21

A cyclone is shaped like a ____.

A)wave
B)hill
C)basin
D)bolt

Question 22

The type of front formed by the merger of a cold front and warm front is termed a(n) ____.

A)occluded front
B)advection front
C)stationary front
D)polar front

Question 23

Tornado intensities are displayed on the ____.

A)Enhanced Fujita Scale
B)Saffir-Simpson Scale
C)Tornado Scale
D)Severe Weather Scale

Question 24

The further into the future one tries to forecast, the more accurate the forecast.

Question 25

What air mass originates over Mexico?

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

Question 26

An air mass exhibiting warm and humid conditions is designated as ____.

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

Question 27

A cyclone is usually larger than an anticyclone.

Question 28

A source region is a large uniform land or water surface that can be a birthplace for air masses.

Question 29

The "eye" of a hurricane is actually ____.

A)a patch of clear sky
B)the most dangerous part of the storm
C)where the highest wind speeds are located
D)a reference to a nonexistent entity

Question 30

Highs, lows, fronts, and conflicting air masses frequent the ____.

A)prevailing westerlies
B)polar region
C)doldrums
D)horse latitudes

Question 31

A stationary front occurs when a frontal boundary fails to move as air masses converge.

Question 32

Cyclones and anticyclones tend to follow similar storm tracks depending on the season.

Question 33

A front is a zone where air masses of different temperature and moisture characteristics meet.

Question 34

If an air mass is colder than the surface it passes over, heat will flow out from the air mass.

Question 35

A cumulonimbus cloud is more likely to form on a(n) ____.

A)warm front
B)occluded front
C)stationary front
D)cold front

Question 36

In general, which of these cyclonic disturbances will have the lowest pressure?

A)tornado
B)hurricane
C)middle-latitude cyclone
D)water spout

Question 37

A weather map symbol of a line with semicircles all on one side of the line depicts a(n) ____.

A)warm front
B)occluded front
C)stationary front
D)cold front

Question 38

Air pressure is mapped using ____.

A)isobars
B)isotemps
C)front lines
D)isolines

Question 39

Thunderstorms that form on the windward sides of mountains are classified as ____.

A)convective
B)frontal
C)cyclonic
D)orographic

Question 40

Most tornadoes are fairly weak and have wind speeds of 45 meters per second or less.

Question 41

In advance of a warm front, one is likely to find ____________________ clouds.

Question 42

Cold fronts on some weather maps are drawn using the color ____________________.

Question 43

Anticyclones are high pressure systems.

Question 44

A(n) ____________________ is a trough-shaped, weak, low-pressure system that progresses slowly westward in the trade-wind belt of the tropics.

Question 45

Thunderstorms are more likely to form at a(n) ____________________ front.

Question 46

A(n) ____________________ air mass is the coldest.

Question 47

An mP air mass typically comes from Canada.

Question 48

When two air masses have converged and formed a frontal boundary but neither is moving, a(n) ____________________ front has been formed.

Question 49

The EF-scale is used to classify ____________________.

Question 50

cP air is cold and humid.

Question 51

____________________ is a shock wave created by rapidly expanding air.

Question 52

A(n) ____________________ is a rise in sea level caused by increased winds and reduced air pressure during a hurricane.

Question 53

Thunder is a very destructive force.

Question 54

A(n) ____________________ is a large parcel of the atmosphere, sometimes sub-continental in size, that may move over Earth's surface as a distinct, relatively homogeneous entity.

Question 55

A(n) ____________________ front occurs when a cold air mass actively moves upon a warmer air mass and pushes it upward.

Question 56

A heavy snowstorm accompanied by strong winds is called a blizzard.

Question 57

____________________ is an intense discharge of electricity.

Question 58

____________________ is a steering mechanism for air masses.

Question 59

Intense solar heating of the surface may trigger a(n) ____________________ thunderstorm.

Question 60

A line of thunderstorms is often associated with a warm front.

Question 61

Which one is more likely to bring about thunderstorm activity - a cold front or a warm front?

Question 62

Tropical cyclones are known by different names in different parts of the world.Give a few examples of these names and where they would apply.