Exam 12: Middle Latitude Cyclones

During baroclinic instability,the strong wind speed shear that exists from the surface up to a level of approximately 500 mb is disturbed by a shortwave.​

A surface low pressure area with a deep upper-level trough to the west will tend to move toward the

Why does middle latitude storm development occur beneath troughs rather than ridges on a 500 mb chart?​

Winds at the 500-mb level tend to steer surface systems in the same direction that the winds are moving.​

As westerly winds blow over a north-south oriented mountain range,the airflow is deflected in such a way that a trough forms on the ____ side of the mountain.​

Strong storms that develop over water,poleward of the polar front,are called​

In the conveyor belt model,directly below a warm conveyor belt,a cold airstream,known as the ____________________,is located.

During the March,1993 storm off the coast of Texas,a region of ____ air in the upper air above the storm caused the rapid decrease of surface pressure leading to the development of a wave cyclone.​

Which region is considered to be a region where cyclogenesis often occurs?​

When viewed from above,air that spins cyclonically (counterclockwise)has ____________________ and air that spins anticyclonically (clockwise)has ____________________.

Which statement about vorticity is least accurate?​

In a mid-latitude cyclone,when upper-level divergence of air above a surface low pressure area is stronger than the convergence of surface air (more air is taken out at the top than is brought in at the bottom),the surface pressure will ____________________ and the storm itself will ____________________.

Another term for Earth's vorticity is ____________________ vorticity.

A small,moving disturbance imbedded in a longwave is called a​

How can shortwaves be identified and followed on 500 mb charts?

What type of clouds indicate that a storm is still developing and intensifying?​

On a 500-mb chart,shortwave troughs can be difficult to detect.However,one way to identify them is to find regions of ____,with which shortwaves align themselves.​

Cloud patterns in visible and infrared satellite images can be very helpful in identifying vorticity maxima in regions where clouds are present.In cloud-free areas,a type of infrared image called a(n)____ image measures wavelengths of radiation emitted by water vapor.The swirling patterns of moisture clearly identify the position of vorticity centers.​

State the mechanism for developing mid-latitude cyclonic and anticyclonic storms.

The polar front theory of a developing wave cyclone was conceived in​