Meteorology

First, review the purpose of 500-mb charts and how to read wind barbs.

1 (+1): Analyze the 500 MB chart above. If a low-pressure system is located in Texas (find the yellow “X”), what direction will the low-pressure system most likely move: east, north, south, or west?

2 (+1): Over California, examine the movement of air using the 500mb chart.

What direction will the low-pressure system (marked by the yellow “X” in the image) most likely move: northeast, southeast, southwest, or northwest?

3 (+1): Now let us connect Module 5’s work on air masses to this week’s work. Identify the air mass (marked by the yellow “X” in the image) that will be moving over California. Hint: go back to the last module for this and connect the topics

4 (+1): Using the characteristics of the air mass you indicated in the question above, make a general weather prediction for California (rainy or clear, hot or cold will be good enough; no more detail is needed).

Part 2: Surface Map Analysis

This is a surface weather map.

Surface weather map

See all the symbols? They tell a story about the weather at each location. First, we have to decide what they mean.

Examine the following table (all temperatures in Celsius)

Station 1

Station 2

Station 3

Discussion Board Nine

4 (+1): The temperature at station 1 is __________

5 (+1): The dew point at station 2 is __________

6 (+1): The air pressure at station 1 is __________ Hint: it is not 986; go watch the video lesson

7 (+1): The air pressure at station 3 is __________ Hint: it is not 002, Go watch the video lesson

8 (+1): What is the wind direction at station 3? Hint: remember, we name winds based on where they come from

9 (+1): Think back to relative humidity and the relationship between temperature and dew point. Which station has the highest relative humidity?

10 (+1): The wind speed at station 1 is __________

Examine the following image:

11 (+1): Identify which location is closest to the center of the low-pressure system and indicate the pressure reading. Hint: the location with the lowest pressure will be closest to the center of the low-pressure system

12 (+1): Identify which location is closest to the cold front and describe your reasoning in one or two sentences.

13 (+1): Identify which location is closest to the warm front and describe your reasoning in one or two sentences.

14 (+1): You are a forecaster and handed the map above. Which of the four locations would most likely experience strong thunderstorms? Identify the location and describe your reasoning in one or two sentences. Hint: think back to cold and warm fronts.

Part 3 Hurricane Forecasting

Ensemble hurricane plot

In hurricane season, Floridians are very familiar with these types of images, often called “spaghetti models.”

15 (+1): “Spaghetti models” represent a type of forecasting called __________________.

16 (+1): Describe how these types of forecasts are made and describe their importance in weather forecasting, especially hurricanes.

Part 4: Optical phenomena

17 (+1): Most tornadoes in the United States move towards the east due to the movement of mid-latitude cyclones and prevailing wind patterns. Assume it is nearly 4:30 pm (note, the time is important; think about where the sun would be in the sky), and you walk outside and see the following:

Using your knowledge about how rainbows form and the movement of tornadoes (usually move towards the east), identify if the tornado is heading away from you or towards you, or can you not determine the direction of the tornado based on this image and describe your reasoning in one or two sentences?

18 (+1): Provide a general description of the rainbow formation.

19 (+1): Examine the image below:

This image shows the optical phenomenon of (a/an) _________________.

20 (+1): Review how the optical phenomena shown in #19 form. Identify which season this image was most likely taken (choose: spring, summer, fall, or winter) and describe your reasoning in one or two sentences.