Deck 7: Air Masses and Weather Systems

Question 1

A line of thunderstorms is called a squall line.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

A front is a boundary where air masses of different temperature and moisture characteristics meet.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

The slope of a cold front is much gentler than the slope of a warm front.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Surface pressure in a cyclone decreases towards the center.

Question 5

Hurricanes tend to intensify when they move over land surfaces.

Question 6

Midlatitude cyclones ____. ​

A)usually move across North America from east to west ​
B)are generally only found over the ocean
C)generally bring clear skies and little precipitation
D)are frontal zones of strong temperature contrasts
E)frequently cause damaging coastal storm surge

Question 7

In the two-letter codes that identify air masses on weather maps, an m as the first letter stands for ____. ​

A)Mexico ​
B)moderate
C)maritime
D)midlatitude
E)maximum

Question 8

Which of the following air masses would have its origin over the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea? ​

A)mP
B)mT
C)cT
D)cP
E)cA

Question 9

Maritime polar air masses develop in central Canada.

Question 10

The first letter of the two-letter code used to identify air masses on weather maps is either m or c .

Question 11

The cP air mass of North America is usually associated with a source region in ____. ​

A)Iceland
B)the North Pacific
C)Mexico
D)Canada
E)the Gulf of Mexico

Question 12

Squall lines form most often ahead of a(n)____. ​

A)stationary front
B)cold front
C)warm front
D)occluded front
E)orographic front

Question 13

A source region is a large uniform land or water surface which can be a region of development for air masses.

Question 14

Once an air mass forms, it will stay exactly the same as it travels over different land masses or water bodies.

Question 15

A heavy snow event accompanied by very strong winds is called a snowstorm.

Question 16

Most tornadoes are fairly weak, ranking low on the EF-scale.

Question 17

On a weather map, mT stands for "maritime temperate".

Question 18

Air descends through the "eye" of a hurricane.

Question 19

A cyclone is generally much larger than an anticyclone.

Question 20

Anticyclones are high pressure systems.

Question 21

The air mass that originates over Mexico and the American Southwest is identified as ____. ​

A)mP
B)cP
C)cT
D)mT
E)cA

Question 22

In winter, an mT air mass, moving from the Gulf of Mexico into the southern United States, would tend to become ____. ​

A)more stable
B)more unstable
C)a cT air mass
D)a middle latitude storm ​
E)an upper air flow

Question 23

Thunderstorms that form on the windward sides of mountains are classified as ____. ​

A)convective
B)frontal
C)cyclonic
D)orographic
E)maritime

Question 24

In a cyclone, ____.

A)upper air flow converges
B)winds spiral clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere
C)winds diverge at the surface
D)pressure decreases toward the center
E)pressure increases toward the center in the Southern Hemisphere

Question 25

What is the shape of the boundary between the two air masses that interact at a cold front? ​

A)a shallowly inclined surface
B)a vertical wall
C)a mixing zone within a spherical bubble
D)every cold front is different
E)a steeply sloping surface

Question 26

If an area in the upper atmosphere is undergoing convergence, ____ is most likely occurring at Earth's surface below. ​

A)convergence
B)divergence
C)rain
D)a tornado
E)fog

Question 27

Which type of atmospheric disturbance has different sectors of strongly contrasting temperature producing separate fronts? ​

A)tornado
B)thunderstorm
C)midlatitude cyclone
D)hurricane
E)blizzard

Question 28

A weather map symbol of a line containing only semicircles that are all located on one side of the line depicts a(n)____. ​

A)warm front
B)occluded front
C)stationary front
D)cold front
E)squall front

Question 29

The "eye" of a hurricane is ____. ​

A)an area of calm, clear air
B)the most dangerous part of the storm
C)where the highest wind speeds are located
D)where storm surge occurs
E)only present in weak hurricanes

Question 30

Which of these weather map codes denotes the coldest type of air mass? ​

A)cT
B)mP
C)cE
D)mT
E)cA

Question 31

Tornado intensities are determined by the ____. ​

A)Enhanced Fujita Scale
B)Saffir-Simpson Scale
C)Tornadic Scale
D)Severe Weather Scale
E)Coriolis Scale

Question 32

Short duration, high intensity rainfall is associated most often with ____. ​

A)a cold front
B)a warm front
C)continental polar air masses
D)anticyclones
E)stable air masses

Question 33

A(n)____ is usually characterized by clear skies, gentle winds, and a general lack of precipitation. ​

A)anticyclone ​
B)front
C)cyclone
D)squall line
E)typhoon

Question 34

Two different air masses converge but the frontal boundary fails to move in any appreciable direction at a(n)____. ​

A)cold front
B)stationary front
C)warm front
D)occluded front
E)maritime front

Question 35

A(n)____ forms when a cold front overtakes a warm front. ​

A)occluded front
B)advection front
C)stationary front
D)polar front
E)orographic front

Question 36

Thunderstorms are most common during ____. ​

A)during the early morning in the spring
B)on a cold, clear winter day
C)during the winter on cold nights
D)spring and summer afternoons
E)cloudy fall afternoons

Question 37

The cyclones and anticyclones of the midlatitudes are steered, or guided, along paths influenced by the ____. ​

A)jet stream
B)trade winds
C)storm surge
D)nor'easters
E)squall line

Question 38

A cumulonimbus cloud is more likely to form on a(n)____. ​

A)warm front
B)occluded front
C)stationary front
D)polar front
E)cold front

Question 39

What happens when the warm air rises at a cold front? ​

A)The warm air expands and warms, producing clear skies.
B)It compresses the cold air below, causing rainclouds to form.
C)The warm air becomes compressed, causing clouds to form.
D)The warm air expands and cools, often causing storm clouds to form.
E)It compresses the cold air below, warming it until both temperatures are equal.

Question 40

Storms known as "nor'easters" in the New England states involve which type of air mass, which does not normally impact weather in the United States? ​

A)mP air masses from the northern Atlantic ​
B)cT air masses from Mexico
C)mT air masses from the Gulf of Mexico
D)mT air masses from the Atlantic
E)cP air masses from Canada

Question 41

The temperature and humidity characteristics of an air mass are determined by the nature of its _______________ (the area where an air mass originates). (two words)

Question 42

Thunderstorms are more likely to form at a(n)_______________ front.

Question 43

Why are there two different fronts in a midlatitude cyclone?

Question 44

The phenomenon of _______________ is actually a shock wave created by rapidly expanding air.

Question 45

The slope of a(n)____ front is gentle.

Question 46

Explain how "lake-effect snow" occurs.

Question 47

Compare the characteristics of continental polar (cP)air masses and maritime polar (mP)air masses in winter. What will happen if a maritime polar air mass moves over the continent?

Question 48

Explain how thunderstorms can occur at cold fronts.

Question 49

A(n)_______________ is a trough-shaped, weak, low-pressure system that progresses slowly westward in the trade wind belt of the tropics. (two words)

Question 50

The two-letter code mE on a weather map represents a(n)____ air mass. (two words)

Question 51

A(n)_______________ front occurs when a cold air mass actively moves in on a warmer air mass and pushes it upward.

Question 52

Intense solar heating of Earth's surface may trigger a(n)____ thunderstorm.

Question 53

In the two-letter codes that identify air masses on weather maps, a c as the first letter stands for _______________.

Question 54

The Saffir-Simpson scale is used to classify _______________ intensity.

Question 55

Under the influence of a(n)_______________ front, a location may experience clouds, drizzle, and rain (or possible thunderstorms)for several days.

Question 56

A(n)_______________ is high seas pushed onshore by strong winds. They often cause flooding in low lying areas during a hurricane. (two words)

Question 57

A(n)_______________ air mass is the coldest air mass that impacts North America. (two words)

Question 58

What powers hurricanes, and how do winds move within these atmospheric disturbances?

Question 59

In midlatitude cyclones, the cold front typically moves faster and eventually overtakes the warm front, producing a(n)_______________ front.

Question 60

Some anticyclones move into the midlatitudes from northern Canada in what are called _______________ of frigid continental polar air. (two words)