Temperature and humidity
What two characteristics are used to classify air masses?
Maritime tropical, continental tropical, maritime polar, and continental polar
What are the 4 major types of air masses in North America?
Air masses move by prevailing westerlies and jet streams
What are two ways air masses move?
Cold fronts, warm fronts, stationary fronts, and occluded fronts
What are the 4 main types of fronts?
In the warm front, the warm air mass moves up over the cold air mass; in the cold front, the cold air mass moves beneath the warm air mass
How does the warm front differ from the cold front?
In both cases, the warm air rises and cools, causing water vapor to condense and form clouds and precipitation
How are the cold front and the warm front similar?
In the stationary front, neither the cold air mass nor the warm air mass has enough force to move the other, so the front does not move. Warm and cold fronts do move.
How does the stationary front differ from both a cold front and a warm front?
An occluded front involves three air masses, the others involve only two air masses. Warm air is caught between two cooler air masses and is pushed upward.
How is an occluded front different from the warm, cold, and stationary fronts?
Thunderstorms, tornadoes, hurricanes, and winter storms.
What are the four main types of storms?
Cumulonimbus clouds
What type of clouds is associated with thunderstorms?
Avoid water, do not touch anything electrical, avoid trees, crouch down low to the ground, etc
List 2 safety precautions that you should follow during a
thunderstorm.
Usually tornadoes form where a warm, humid air mass meets a cold, dry air mass.
What weather conditions are most likely to produce tornadoes?
Cold, dry air from Canada mixes with warm, humid air from Gulf of Mexico
Why do tornadoes occur most often in the area known as "tornado alley?
Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Iowa, and Nebraska
List 2 states located in tornado alley.
In a storm shelter or the basement of a well-built building
Where is the safest place to be during a tornado?
A tropical cyclone that has winds of 119 km/hr or higher.
What is a hurricane?
Warm, moist air rises over warm water and mixes with high winds
How do hurricanes form?
A "dome" of water that sweeps across the coast where a hurricane lands
What is a storm surge?
Water in and air above the lakes are warmer than the surrounding land and air. When a cold, dry air mass moves over the lakes, it picks up moisture and heat from the lakes. When the air reaches the other side of the lakes, the air cools and water vapor co
Why do areas that are east of the Great Lakes get a lot of snow?
Meteorologists are scientists who study the causes of weather and try to predict it. The use maps, charts, and computers to analyze weather data and to prepare weather forecasts.
What is a meteorologist? What tools do they use to assist them?