Weather Systems, Patterns, and Instruments Study Guide
- Weather Tools:
- Thermometer: Measure Temperature
- Wind Vane: Tells wind direction (N, S, E, & W)
- Barometer: Measure Air Pressure
- Hygrometer: Measure Humidity
- Anemometer: Measures Wind Speed
- Precipitation: Any form of moisture (rain, sleet, snow, or hail) that falls from the sky.
- Air Masses and Storms: An air mass is a large body of air with generally uniform temperature and humidity.Where air masses meet, they form boundaries called "fronts".Fronts are identified by change of temperature based upon their motion. With acold front, a colder air mass is replacing a warmer air mass. Awarmfront is the opposite effect in that warm air replaces cold air.When opposite front/masses meet, thunderstorms occur.
- Sever Weather Systems:
- Thunderstorms- Heavy rain, high winds caused by warm and cold air masses colliding.
- Monsoon- The season during which the southwestmonsoonblows, commonly marked by heavy rains; rainy season.
- Hurricanes- A hurricane is a huge storm with high winds; A hurricane will cause a storm surge in areas where the ocean floor slopes gradually. This causes major flooding.
- Elevation- Areas with higher elevation experience colder temperatures than areas of lower elevation
- Weather Factors That Change Conditions
- Moving air masses
- Temperature
- Moisture/Precipitation
- Air Pressure (High= Good Weather/ Low= Bad Weather/Rain)
- Jet Streams- The high-speedwinds that blow fromwesttoeastin continuous flows of air, but the flow often shifts to thenorthandsouth.
- Leeward and Windward Sides of Mountains
- Windward mountain sides which face the prevailingwind(upwind); gives support to air movement and precipitation.
- Leeward mountain side is sheltered from the wind by the mountain's very elevation (downwind); supports warm and dry climates
- Drought- A period of dryness especially when prolonged; specifically, one that causes extensive damage to crops or prevents their successful growth.
- Climates:
- Polar- Weather is constantly cold and dry areas; are placed at extreme angle from the sun, which causes their extended periods of frigid weather.
- Temperate- Weather conditions change depending on seasons.
- Tropical- Weather is consistently warm due to its location near the equator; can be either wet or dry.
- ***ALL WEATHER SYSTEMS MOVE IN A WEST TO EAST DIRECTION (Ex. Weather systems move beginning in California and travel to us here in Mississippi).