Lab 7

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Name: Nathan Thompson Date: 2/22/2024 Lab 7: Cyclones 1. What would the general temperature and humidity conditions be for the following types of air masses? a. cP: Cold and Dry b. mP: Cold and Humid c. mT: Warm and Humid 2. Refer to Figure 7.1, which shows the source region and direction of most of the air masses that influence the weather conditions of North America. a. Label each of the air masses (cP; cT; mP; or mT). Figure 7.1: Map of North America and Significant Air Masses. 1 b. What two major air masses influence the weather of California? mP and mT c. Which air masses have the greatest impact on weather along the central part of the United States? Continental Polar and Maritime Tropical 3. Based on the diagram of air masses in Figure 7.1, where would you most likely see these fronts developing in the United States? Mostly the Midwest to South and East of the US. 4. Compare Figures 7.5 and 7.6. a. Along a Cold front you will find the warm, humid air rapidly being forced up, leading to more severe storms. b. Along a Warm front, the warm, humid air more gradually slides up and over the cooler, more dense air mass, leading to mild storms. 1 Figure by Scott Crosier is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Answer Sheet page 1 | Lab 7: Cyclones

5. Refer to Figure 7.7. a. In one sentence, describe the location of Tornado Alley. Mid to East(ish) US where cP and mT air masses meet. b. Refer back to Figure 7.1 (shown earlier in the lab). What influence do you think the colliding air masses have on the high probability of tornadoes occurring in Tornado Alley? Explain your response in one to two sentences. The cP fronts are more likely to encounter the warm air from the mT and cT from middle of the America (e.g. Kansas, Oklahoma) , to the East (e.g. Ohio). This general area looks to be where most of these opposing fronts mix, creating cyclones. c. Use Your Critical Thinking Skills: Why do you think California has so few tornadoes? Explain your response in one to two sentences. The mP and mT airs are less drastic and are not directly pushing into eachother the same way the concentrated cP and the warm mT/cT are. In the area inland the air masses are directly opposing each other. 6. How would the air pressure differ between the north side of a stationary front versus the south side of the same front? Explain your response in one to two sentences. The North side of the stationary front would have higher pressure because the cold air is coming from that direction, cold air has more pressure. The south side on the other hand will have less pressure as it is less dense, even if they are in a stationary front. 7. Storms typically include cloud formation and precipitation. Which air mass contains the greater amount of humidity? The greatest amount of humidity comes from the Maritime Tropical. 8. In the northern hemisphere, would the Coriolis effect cause surface-level winds to move into a low pressure system in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction? Counterclockwise. 9. Cold fronts typically move faster than warm fronts. If the cold front rotates faster around the central low pressure, what would you expect to happen to the two different fronts? Explain your response in one to two sentences. The cold front continues to rotate faster while the warm air must catch up. The cold air has the most pressure but the warm air keeps the pressure lowered until it dissipates. 10. Review the five stages of midlatitude cyclones. a. List the initial conditions needed to cause a midlatitude cyclone to form: A stationary front. b. List the ending conditions that cause a midlatitude cyclone to dissipate: An occluded front that leads to dissipation. Answer Sheet page 2 | Lab 7: Cyclones

11. Based on the temperature of the ocean currents off the Pacific and Atlantic coasts (Figure 7.13), why do we find much greater tropical storm development in the Atlantic Ocean influencing the United States? Why don’t we see many in California? Explain your responses in two to three sentences. The humid air in the Atlantic does travel the same way the air does in the Pacific. The Atlantic air mass swirls in gulf stream concentrating itself into a storm with its high humidity. 12. Complete Table 7.2 by determining the storm category (the far-right column) based on the wind speed by referencing Table 7.1 above. Table 7.2: Hurricane Katrina Data 2 Date Time Approx. Degrees North Approx. Degrees West Pressure (mb) Wind Speed (knots) Category Aug 23, 2005 1800 23 75 1008 30 Tropical Depression Aug 24, 2005 1800 25 77 1003 40 Tropical Storm Aug 25, 2005 1800 26 80 988 60 Category 1 Aug 26, 2005 1800 25 83 968 85 Category 2 Table 7.2: Hurricane Katrina Data, continued 3 Date Time Approx. Degrees North Approx. Degrees West Pressure (mb) Wind Speed (knots) Category Aug 27, 2005 1800 25 85 948 100 Category 3 Aug 28, 2005 1800 26 89 902 150 Category 5 Aug 29, 2005 1800 31 90 948 80 Category 2 Aug 30, 2005 1800 37 87 990 30 Tropical Depression Aug 31, 2005 600 40 83 996 25 Tropical Depression 13. Refer to Table 7.2. What relationship do you notice between pressure and wind speed? The Pressure is much higher with lower speeds but as it loses pressure and it gains speed. 14. Based on the provided coordinates in Table 7.2, plot the daily location of Hurricane Katrina on the map provided below (Figure 7.14). Using colored pencils, code each point according to the category of storm. Create a legend in the space below that shows the color used for each storm category. With a black line, connect each of the points to mark the storm's trajectory. 2 Data sourced from NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information 3 Data sourced from NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information Answer Sheet page 3 | Lab 7: Cyclones

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