If you visited Mount Shasta City (elevation 900 m [3000 ft.]) and found the outside air temperature to be 27°C (81°F), what would be the air temperature at the summit of Mount Shasta (elevation 4200 m [14,000 ft.]) at that moment-assuming that the temperature conditions with altitude change at an average, or normal, lapse rate?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The average or normal lapse rate is approximately 6.5°C per 1000 meters (1.98°F per 1000 feet) of altitude gain. So, to find the temperature at the summit of Mount Shasta, we need to calculate the temperature change over the 3300 meters (11,000 feet) of altitude difference between Mount Shasta City and the summit:

Temperature change = lapse rate x altitude difference
Temperature change = 6.5°C/1000m x 3300m = 21.45°C

Since we are going up in altitude, we need to subtract the temperature change from the outside air temperature at Mount Shasta City to find the temperature at the summit:

Temperature at summit = outside air temperature - temperature change
Temperature at summit = 27°C - 21.45°C = 5.55°C

Rounding up to the nearest decimal point, the temperature at the summit of Mount Shasta would be approximately 5.9°C (42.5°F). Therefore, the correct answer is C.

If You Visited Mount Shasta City (Elevation 900 M [3000