Weather and Atmosphere Exam 2

In an extratropical cyclone, the worst convective weather can be found: a.) in front of the dry line b.) in front of the surface cold c.)in the warm sector d.) all of the above e.) a and b only

True or False: The dry adiabatic lapse rate is set at 10 degrees celcius/ km, but the moist adiabiatic rate varies slightly due to the amount of moisture in the air.

True or False: Anticyclonic vorticity is associated with troughs while cyclonic vorticity is associated with ridges.

What does extratropical refer to? a.) very much inside the tropical latitudes b.)outside the tropical latitudes c.)roughly between 30 degrees and 70 degrees latitude d.) all of the above e.) b. and c. only

True or False: Warm occlusion is more common than cold occlusion

Which does not describe a "Nor'easter"? a.) usually forms off the coast of North Carolina b.) can have hurricane force winds and cause beach errosion. c.) also called a "bomb" d.) forms in the tropics and travel up the east cost likea hurricane. e.) None of the above- they all describe "Nor'easters.{

Divergence alof causes a surface____ pressure and accompanying ____ weather. a.)low, good b.) high, good c.) low, bad d.) high, bad e.) low, cold

What is the most important factor in the intensification of an extratropical (midlatitude) Cyclone? a.) divergence aloft b.)warm air c.) positive vorticity d.) a. and c. e.) cold air

Which does NOT pertain to the Blizzard of '93? a.) There were 11 tornadoes in the Northeastern USA b.) The storm formed in the Gulf of Mexico c.) At one point, central pressure in the storm was lower than the central pressure of hurricane hugo. d.) ALl major interstates along the east coast were closed e.) A total of 270 people died and 1million were adversely impacted.

True or False: If there is divergence aloft (at the jet stream level) there is convergence at the surface.

Why are extratropical cyclones that form off the Gulf or East coasts likely to be more intense than those that form in eastern colorado. a.) Cyclones that form over the warm waters of the Gulf and East coasts usually have a higher moisture content and therefore more latent heat energy. b.)could be more than one jet streak generating positive vorticity (either a split polar jet or the subtropical jet) c.) greater sensible heat due to the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico or the Gulf Stream d.) More warm and cold air advection into the cyclone due to the contrast between the warm waters and the cooler land e.) all of the above

True or False: Sub-geostrophic wind speed indicate that the wind speeds are slower than geostrophic wind speeds

Why is the dry adiabatic lapse rate greater than the moist adiabatic lapse rate? a.) The latent heat of condensation offsets the cooling due to the air rising and expanding. b.) the 2 lapse rates are used under different stability conditions- the dry rate for stable air and the moist rate for unstable air resulting in different values. c.) the lapse rates occur at different altitudes resulting in different temperature changes with height. d.) Friction is only important in moist air and therefore the moist rate is not as large. e.) Moist air is more dense which makes the lapse rate less.

Below are 5 hypothetical values for the TOTL index. Where is the atmosphere the most unstable? a.) 60 b.) 6 c.) 30 d.) -2 e.) 35

True or False: Relative vorticity plus the Earth's vorticity= absolute vorticity