Exam 17: Moisture, Clouds, and Precipitation

This cloud sometimes produces "mare's tails."

On a given day in the winter in St. Louis, Missouri, it began snowing in the morning, the snow changed to rain by noon, later in the afternoon sleet was falling which turned to snow, and by evening rain was freezing on bridges and roadways as glaze. Briefly explain how such a sequence of precipitation might occur.

The process of converting a liquid to vapor is termed ________.

Tornadoes can be associated with this cloud type.

A dark gray cloud that blankets the sky and often generates precipitation is called ________.

A dark gray cloud that blankets the sky and often generates precipitation is called ________.

When unstable air is forced to rise, towering clouds and stormy conditions are expected.

Why is the vertical movement of air critical to the formation of clouds and precipitation? What role do adiabatic temperature changes play in these processes?

For the given conditions, what would happen to the relative humidity value if the temperature increased from 25°C?

This cloud may develop an "anvil head."

The capacity of air to "hold" water vapor is temperature dependent.

________ clouds that form sheets or layers that cover much of the sky.

Fill in the missing terms on the diagram below.

Thunder and lightning are normally associated with ________ clouds.

Because the mixing ratio is expressed in units of mass, it is affected by changes in pressure or temperature.

If the temperature drops and the amount of moisture in the air remains unchanged, the relative humidity will increase.

Relative humidity is usually expressed as a percent.

Word Analysis. Examine the words and/or phrases for each question below and determine the relationship among the majority of words/phrases. Choose the option which does not fit the pattern.

When warm moist air moves over a cold surface, ________ fog may result.

When air sinks, it compresses and warms.