Final Study Guide Answers: Meteorology 10 Fall 2008
Format
A combination of multiple choice, short answer and true/false.
Topics that will be covered on the final
Cloud Identification, fog types, moisture, stability, Air pollution, thunderstorms, thunder/lightning
tornadoes/severe weather, tropical weather/hurricanes
An altocumulus cloud is best described as:
e) A puffy, medium-level cloud
Tornadoes most commonly form around:
c) Late afternoon/evening
San Jose rarely experiences thunderstorms during the summer due to the presence of a marine inversion; a
situation where the temperature increases with height. Which of the choices best describes why a marine
inversion does not allow thunderstorms to form?
a) Stability of atmosphere not conducive to thunderstorm development/convection.
Severe thunderstorm formation generally requires:
b) Wind shear
Hurricanes can't form along the equator because
b) the Coriolis force is too small along the equator
Thunderstorms form more often in moist conditions because...
d) All of the above
7) A self-extinguishing thunderstorm is:
c) where the downdraft eventually destroys the updraft
8) All thunderstorms require:
c) rising air
9) Which statement is false regarding why Tornado Alley receives the most severe weather and tornadoes?
c) Cold fronts regularly move into the region from the south
10) Which factor is most important in describing why the earth has distinct seasons?
d. The tilt of the planet
11) The latitude of San Jose is approximately
b) 37°
12) The sound of thunder is a result of:
c) The extreme heating of the air around the lightning strike
The strongest winds in a hurricane are found:
b) in the eye wall
27) Which below is not an atmospheric condition conducive to the formation of hurricanes?
c) strong upper-level winds
Which would you not expect to observe as the eye of a hurricane passes directly over your area?
c) high winds
The areas of rainfall seen in Hurricanes are known as
b) Spiral rain bands
The main source of energy for a hurricane is the:
c) warm ocean water and release of latent heat of condensation
Tropical cyclones dissipate when:
d) all of the above
In a hurricane, the eye wall represents:
d) a zone of intense thunderstorms around the center
San Francisco is susceptible to advection fog in the summertime because of
c) the large differences in ocean temperatures in the surrounding Pacific Ocean
The Enhanced Fujita Scale measures the strength of a tornado based on
c) The damage caused to certain types of structures
The two main groups of thunderstorms are
a) Air Mass and Mesoscale Convective Systems
Condensation nuclei are:
b) Aerosol particles that are the building blocks of clouds
The most common condensation nuclei are:
a) Sea salt particles and dust
Flash floods are:
c) The rapid flooding of low lying areas, usually due to thunderstorms
Forest fires can trigger thunderstorm formation by:
c) Both a and b are true
For air travel, wind shear is a direct cause of:
a) Turbulence
The idea that water is “conserved” refers to
d) The total amount of water on Earth does not change, but switches from phase to phase.
The parcel of air shown in the illustration is layered so that ALL the warm air is above the cold air. The line in the
middle separates the cold and warm air. This means:
a) The atmosphere is stable and will resist rising motions
Which is NOT a way that air is forced upwards?
c) Conduction
Which of the statements about evaporation is false?
c) The rate of evaporation decreases as wind speed increases
Looking at relative humidity (RH) alone be deceiving because:
e) All of the above
Which statement about dew point temperature is false?
d) It is a percent telling you how close you are to saturation
Dew occurs when
e) When the air is cooled to the dew point temperature
In mid-latitudes, which cloud will have the highest base?
a) Cirrostratus
True or False: 1 point for each
Cold air holds more moisture than warm air
F
The main cause of fatalities during hurricanes is from high wind speeds
Hail forms most often during thunderstorms
T
Sleet is snow that melts and re-freezes during the descent T
Upwelling is the rise in sea level associated with the coming of tropical storms
All snowflakes are unique
T
Lightning can strike you through a corded phone or a faucet
T
A tornado is a type of cyclone
T
An updraft is a type of precipitation
F
Cold air holds more moisture than warm air
Still F
The main cause of fatalities during hurricanes is high winds Still F
The downdraft of a thunderstorm is often the falling precipitation
Lightning can strike you through a corded phone or a faucet
T
Too many condensation nuclei present in the atmosphere cause haze
Texas is the thunderstorm capital of the U.S.
F
A tropical disturbance is STRONGER than a tropical depression
F
In the Southern Hemisphere, low pressure systems rotate clockwise T
The polar jet stream generally moves from east to west
F
Flash floods are more common in hilly regions
T
A funnel cloud becomes a tornado once it touches the ground
T
The sea breeze is a thermal circulation that profoundly affects the SFBA
Northeastern Colorado is the hail capital of the U.S.
T
F
F
T
T
T