Ryan Martinez John Moenning Drew Grabfield 1.

) Pascal, Bar, Technical atmosphere, Standard atmosphere, Torr, Pound per square inch: Pa, bar, at, atm, torr, psi 2.) It decreases, but not because of gravity. In fact, even at the upper edges of the atmosphere, the gravity is hardly any different to how it is on the surface. The pressure decreases because there is less air above you. Imagine a "sea" of air sitting on top of you all the time. That's what is responsible for the 101.3 kPa of pressure you feel. As you increase your altitude, just like if you were coming up from deep under the water, there will be less fluid on top of you pushing down, thus the pressure will decrease.

3.)

4.)

Lower

Higher

------------------ High Pressure flow 5.)

6.)

Air Mass 1.)

Source Region Blue; Great Planes, northern US Source Region Red; South East US Blue: Moisture content Lower with a southern flow Red: Moisture content Higher with a northern flow

2.)

3.)

4.) The differences between the first analysis and second are that the low pressure system stretches lower and further west than before. For the high pressure system the line stretches further west as well and further north. 5.)

Precipitation Along Fronts

1.)

2.)

3) As the warm air collides, interacts, with the cold air, Warm fronts/Cold fronts, the warm air is lifted upward. This pushes the cold air, cold front, downward. The rising warm air has a higher dew point than the cold air. While rising the moisture in the warmer air condenses and then turns into precipitation.

Midlatitude Cyclones
1.) A cyclone is an area of low pressure system around which the winds flow counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere. Cousin to the Hurricane. 2.) A low pressure center is where the pressure has been measured to be the lowest relative to its surroundings. That means, moving in any horizontal direction away from the "Low" will result in an increase in pressure. Low pressure centers also represent the centers of cyclones.

3.) The counterclockwise winds associated with northern hemisphere midlatitude cyclones play a significant role in the movement air masses, transporting warm moist air northward ahead of a low while dragging colder, drier air southward behind it.

Rising air in the vicinity of a low pressure center favors the development of clouds and precipitation, which is why cloudy weather (and likely precipitation) are commonly associated with an area of low pressure. 4.) On satellite images, a midlatitude cyclone is often identifiable by a comma-shaped cloud mass.

A single cyclone can influence the weather over a large area, (in this case from Texas into Minnesota). This particular storm (in the satellite image above) left more than six inches of snow from Nebraska into Minnesota, while heavy rains occurred from Missouri into Texas. 5.)

6.) Clouds and precipitation usually develop along and ahead of the cold front as the colder air mass lifts the warm moist air ahead of it. This type of patter will result in the counterclockwise rotation of wind in the cyclone. This will drive the warmer more moist air north, ahead of the storm, and the colder dryer air south behind the cyclone. 7.)

8.)

9.)

10.) 11.)

The general movement of the cyclone would be north eastward. Storm 1 was located in; Mississippi Storm 2 was located in; Tennessee Storm 3 was located in: Kentucky

12.)

Coordinated Universal Time

1) October 28, 1996, 14:00PM 2) October 28, 1996, 15:00PM 3) October 28, 1996, 12:00PM 4) October 28, 1996, 13:00PM

5) October 29, 1996, 12:00AM 6) October 29, 1996, 1:00AM 7) October 28, 1996, 22:00PM 8) October 29, 1996, 12:00AM

12 Nov 2011: 1:00

Interpreting Surface Observation Symbols 1.)

2.) 3.) 4.) 5.) 6.) 7.) 8.)

62 degrees 25 dew point 94 pressure 100 % cloud coverage Fog 15 knots, east

Interpreting Weather Symbols 1.)

2.)

3.) a: Bismark, ND -- Moderate Snow b: International Falls, MN -- Light Snow c: Sault Ste Marie, MI -- Light Drizzle d: Ottawa, Canada -- Fog e: Portland, ME -- Moderate Rain f: Detroit, MI -- Light Rain g: Chicago, IL -- Light Rain h: Huron, SD -- Light Snow i: St. Louis, MO -- Light Drizzle j: Atlanta, GA -- Moderate Rain k: Pensacola, FL Thunderstorms

4.)

Forecasting Temperatures Cloud Temperature Snow Winds Cover Advection Cover

Weather Scenario Example Scenario: Night time forecast, cloud cover, no winds, no snow cover. Scenario 1: Day time forecast, cloudy skies with calm winds, no significant temperature advection and no snow

Your Thoughts

None

No winds will prevent warm air from mixing downward but None cloud cover will keep temps warm.

None

None

None

The clouds should keep the temperatures down.

cover. Clear skies, calm winds and snow cover all contribute to maximum radiational cooling of the earth's surface. It is during such conditions that the coldest temperatures of the year are typically attained.

Scenario 2: Night time forecast, snow cover, clear skies, no wind.

None

Scenario 3: Night time forecast, cloudy skies, no snow cover, windy and warm advection.

Clouds will keep heat from escaping, winds will allow warmer air to mix down towards the surface, and warm None advection will bring an inflow of warmer air. All these factors contribute to warmer temperatures. Cloudy skies and windy conditions will help to keep temperatures lower, especially None when the winds are advecting in colder air (cold advection). All three factors contribute to lower temperatures.

Scenario 4: Day time forecast, cloudy skies, windy, cold advection and no snow cover.

Effects of Moisture 1.) Even if there is a mechanism to lift the air, clouds and precipitation may not occur if the low levels of the atmosphere do not contain sufficient moisture. The availability of moisture is revealed on a surface map through the dew point temperatures. If the dew point is close to the corresponding temperature, the air is nearly saturated, so precipitation is quite possible. 2.) If there is sufficient moisture in the air and a forcing mechanism like a cold front (for example) is approaching the area, then there is an increased probability that precipitation will occur. Clouds and precipitation are formed by the upward motion of air. Therefore, there must be a mechanism present to lift the air. Fronts often serve as such a mechanism. Air on one side of the front typically blows in a different direction from the wind on the other side, causing the air to converge, or pile up right along the frontal surface.

Since this air has to go somewhere, it rises. As air rises, the moisture in the rising air cools, condenses and forms clouds and precipitation. 3.) Imagine a block of air, or air parcel, rising upward through the atmosphere. The air parcel expands as it rises and this expansion, or work, causes the temperature of the air parcel to decrease.

As the parcel rises, its humidity increases until it reaches 100%. When this occurs, cloud droplets begin forming as the excess water vapor condenses on the largest aerosol particles. Above this point the cloud droplets grow by condensation in the rising air.

If the cloud is sufficiently deep or long lived, precipitation will develop. The upward motions that generate clouds and lead to precipitation can be produced by convection in unstable air, convergence of air near cloud base, lifting of air by fronts and lifting over elevated topography such as mountains.

Weather Scenario

Cloud Cover

Winds

Temperature Snow Advection Cover

Your Thoughts

Example Scenario: Night time forecast, cloud cover, no H winds, no snow cover. Scenario 1: Day time forecast, cloudy skies with calm winds, no significant temperature advection and no snow cover.

None

No winds will prevent warm air None from mixing downward but cloud cover will keep temps warm.

None

None

None

The clouds should keep the temperatures down.

Scenario 2: Night time forecast, snow cover, clear skies, no wind.

None

Clear skies, calm winds and snow cover all contribute to maximum radiational cooling of the earth's surface. It is during such conditions that the coldest temperatures of the year are typically attained.

Scenario 3: Night time forecast, cloudy skies, no H snow cover, windy and warm advection.

Clouds will keep heat from escaping, winds will allow warmer air to mix down towards the None surface, and warm advection will bring an inflow of warmer air. All these factors contribute to warmer temperatures. Cloudy skies and windy conditions will help to keep temperatures lower, especially when the winds None are advecting in colder air (cold advection). All three factors contribute to lower temperatures.

Scenario 4: Day time forecast, cloudy skies, windy, L cold advection and no snow cover.