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ATMS 103 Midterm 2 With
Complete Solution
Which direction is radar speed measured (up and down or back and forth) - ANSWER Dopplar velocity measurement is along the line back to the radar (back and forth) The low reflectivity region inside the hook lies within the updraft? a) true b) false - ANSWER a) true Air is rising so fast in the updraft that -precipitation trying to fall through the region is held aloft -cloud droplets do not have time to grow large enough to produce a radar return called a bounded weak echo region (BWER) a debris ball may define the 'barb' at the end of the hook Which of these develops as initially rotating air gets sucked into an updraft a) tornado b) dust devil c) waterspout d) steam devil
e) all of the above - ANSWER e) all of the above Common behavior: rotation speeds as air is drawn in toward the centerline of an updraft (conserving angular momentum) The Fujita scale assesses tornado intensity by estimating damage instead of wind speeds because a) it gives meteorologists an excuse to visit damaged sites b) there is no practical alternative - ANSWER b) there is no practical alternative (there is no practical way to measure the wind speed in most tornadoes) Waterspouts can develop if, near the surface, there is a)An updraft above a region of horizontal wind shear b) a downdraft above a region of horizontal wind shear c) winds striking a curved obsticale - ANSWER a)An updraft above a region of horizontal wind shear Updraft near surface concentrates the spin about a vertical axis What part of the tornado demonstrator intensifies the vortex by stretching it upward? a) the fans on the bottom that push the air out the vertical b) the dry ice in the water c) the box fan on the top - ANSWER c) the box fan on the top Sheltering under an overpass is a bad idea because
horizontal winds turn and change speed with height If it were the Coriolis force, all tornadoes (like all hurricanes) would spin cyclonically typical vertical wind shear conditions create vertical pressure force that favors -the cyclonically rotating storm (hence cyclonically rotating tornadoes) -the storm moving to the right of the vertically averaged wind direction Why is there a late afternoon maximum in the frequency of Kansas tornadoes? a) daily heating by the sun, and resulting warming of the low-level air, is maximized then b) lifting of low-level air by fronts is maximized then c) atmospheric tides produce the highest pressures then d) upper-level temperatures are lowest then - ANSWER a) daily heating by the sun, and resulting warming of the low-level air, is maximized then the heating makes it easier for parcel near the surface to rise to a level where they are warmer than their environment Hurricanes are powered by latent heat released in thunderstorms a) true b)false - ANSWER a) true Comparing the Saffir-Simpson and enhanced fujita scales
a) one is for hurricanes and the other is for tornadoes b) one surveys damage to estimate winds; the other uses wind data to estimate damage c) both of the above - ANSWER c) both of the above damage from individual storms has become more costly primarily because a) hurricanes are becoming much stronger b) hurricanes are becoming much more frequent c) development is increasing in exposed coastal regions - ANSWER c) development is increasing in exposed coastal regions Jeanne killed more than 3,035 people. In which country were more than 3, of them killed a) bahamas b) haiti c) u.s. - ANSWER b) haiti haiti's government was in disarry after a coup in 2004 and.... only 18 people dies in the Dominican Republic
The near-surface temperature does not go much when heat is added, because the heat is added as latent heat a) true b) false - ANSWER a) true
What does the previous figure tell us? a) no hurricanes very close to the equator b) storms in all tropical basins except the SE pacific and S Atlantic c) Most intense activity in the Western Pacific d) all of the above - ANSWER d) all of the above
Tropical cyclones don't occur very near the equator because the Coriolis force is not strong enough to organize them a) true b) false - ANSWER a) true
Tokyo reports 10-minute averaged winds for tropical cyclones. Miami reports 1-minute averages. For the same storm, which center will report the higher winds speed? a) tokyo b) miami - ANSWER b) miami
some of the 1-minute averages will almost always exceed a full 10-minute average the 10-minute average will be less than the maximum 1-minute average unless the wind speed is steady for the full 10 minutes
for tropical cyclones, the 10minute wind speeds are typically 14% less than 1-minute wind speeds
Which of the following are necessary for hurricane formation? a) weak vertical wind shear b) some Coriolis force c) sea-surface temperatures greater than 80F d) all of the above - ANSWER d) all of the above
very warn water -sea surface temperatures (SST) greater than 26.5C (80F)
weak vertical wind shear some Coriolis force (storm needs to be 5 or more away from the equator)
Which tropical-cyclone quadrant is most dangerous in the southern hemisphere? a) right front b) left front c) right rear
c)-50C d) all of the above - ANSWER c)-50C
Ice accumulation on airplane wings during flight can be a significant aviation hazard. Icing occurs on an airplane's wings when flying through super-cooled water clouds because a) jet exhaust releases particles that cause more water droplets to form b)the impact of the wing on the droplets lowers their temperature, so they freeze c) the wing is made of metal, which is colder than its surroundings, causing the droplets to cool to freezing d) the wing's surface provides microscopic irregularities onto which on which the droplets can freeze - ANSWER d) the wing's surface provides microscopic irregularities onto which on which the droplets can freeze
Three golf ball-sized hailstones with visible layers of clear and white ice. Which statement about the hailstones is true a) the layers in these hailstones formed as they recirculated through different parts of the storm having different sized cloud droplets and precipitation particles at different temperatures b) the clear layers form when the new ice freezes rapidly onto the hailstone while the "milky" layers form when the new ice freezes slowly onto the hailstone
c) the layers in these hailstones are passing though the different electrical charge in the thunderstorm d) the image has been edited in Photoshop; hail does not have layers - ANSWER a) the layers in these hailstones formed as they recirculated through different parts of the storm having different sized cloud droplets and precipitation particles at different temperatures
You are told that it rained heavily over Huston, Texas. You decide to look at the nearest set of observations and find that the vertical wind shear was weak. Which kind of thunderstorm likely produced this rain? a) supercell thunderstorm b) air mass thunderstorm c) multicell thunderstorm - ANSWER b) air mass thunderstorm
An intense hurricane struck Miami, Florida on Septemer 18, 1926. In the aftermath, the University of Miami Hurricanes" to its athletic teams. What else occurred as a result of the hurricane? a) the National Hurricane Center was established in Miami b) Henry Flagler abandoned his Florida East Coast Railway c) The economy of South Florida went into a recession three years before the stock market crashed in 1929 d) all of the above - ANSWER c) The economy of South Florida went into a recession three years before the stock market crashed in 1929
A 1-inch (2.5-cm) hailstone and a 2-in (5cm) hailstone fail to the ground from a severe thunderstorm. The 2-inch hailstone is more likely to cause damage because it a) has more mass b) falls faster c) bother of the above d) none of the above - ANSWER c) bother of the above
Which of the following is not a typical hazard from multi-cell thunderstorms? a) flash flooding b) violent tornadoes c) hail d) high straight-line winds - ANSWER b) violent tornadoes
Why does low-level wind shear extend the lifetime of a thunderstorm? a) it makes the storm move more slowly b) it draws cooler, more moist air into the thunderstorm c) it causes the downdraft to rotate d) it helps prevent the cold pool (gust front) from cutting off the supply of warm, moist air to the updraft - ANSWER d) it helps prevent the cold pool (gust front) from cutting off the supply of warm, moist air to the updraft
True or False: in kansas, nearly all raindrops begin their fall to earth as ice crystals a) true b) false - ANSWER a) true
When looking at a radar image, which location is a tornado most likely to be present a) in the most violent part of the storm b) the hook c) on the edge of the storm - ANSWER b) the hook
Which of the following properties distinguishes environments that produce supercell thunderstorms from environments that produce other types of thunderstorms? a) the presence of high, thin clouds b) an unusually unstable atmosphere c) strong environmental wind shear between the surface and the tropopause d) high surface dew points - ANSWER c) strong environmental wind shear between the surface and the tropopause
a) the pink region b) the blue region c) the red region d) the green region - ANSWER a) the pink region
What causes the rotation inside a developing tornado to intensify? a) air parcels within the tornado become dry-unstable and begin to rapidly rise and rotate within the mesocycle b) vertical wind shear adds vertical rotation to preexisting column of vertically rotating air c) the mesocycle descends from the bottom of the cloud to the ground d) existing rotation is concentrated as columns of air are stretched upwards in the updraft - ANSWER d) existing rotation is concentrated as columns of air are stretched upwards in the updraft
Within the mesocyclone of a vigorous supercell, the updraft is often so strong that a) cloud droplets cannot grow substantially before being carried aloft b) there is no significant radar echo returned from this region c) precipitation cannot fall through it d) all of the above - ANSWER d) all of the above
why should you shelter in an interior room of your home during a tornadic supercell thunderstorm? a) to avoid getting struck by lightning b) to minimize sudden pressure differences c) to avoid exposure to flying debris d) none of the above; it doesnt matter which room you are in - ANSWER c) to avoid exposure to flying debris
If you encounter a tornado while driving, is it wise to take shelter under a high overpass? Why or Why not? a) yes, the overpass will protect you from flying debris b) yes, tornadoes tend to go around object like overpasses c) no, the winds are strengthened because they are forced through a smaller area d) no, overpasses attract lightning from the storm - ANSWER c) no, the winds are strengthened because they are forced through a smaller area
All_______contain a_______ a)mesocyclones; tornado b) supercells; tornado
c) conditions are favorable for severe weather; dangerous conditions are imminent d) dangerous conditions are imminent; conditions are favorable for severe weather - ANSWER d) dangerous conditions are imminent; conditions are favorable for severe weather
Residents of New England were unprepared for the Great New England Hurricane in 1938 because a) the storm moved northward extremely rapidly b) the storm was more powerful than any other to affect the region in over 100 years c) lack of communications prevented hurricane warnings from reaching the residents d) choices (a) and (b) e) choices (a), (b) and (c) - ANSWER d) choices (a) and (b)
Radar reflectivity measures____while radar velocity measures_____ a) the intensity of the reflection of radar beams off of small objects; the speed towards or away from the radar or small objects b) the amount of rain and hail; the amount of rain only c) the speed towards or away from the radar of small objects; the total sped of small objects
d) the speed towards or away fro the radar of small objects; the intensity of the reflection of radar beams off the small objects - ANSWER a) the intensity of the reflection of radar beams off of small objects; the speed towards or away from the radar or small objects
Weak waterspouts are caused by a) lifting at a gust front b) uneven solar heating of the ocean c) updrafts lifting air over a region of horizontal wind shear d) rotation from a mesocyclone - ANSWER c) updrafts lifting air over a region of horizontal wind shear
True or false: Dopplar radar can always detect whether there is a tornado on the ground a) true b) false - ANSWER b) false
Why do tornadoes rarely appear in the radial velocity information measured by radar? a) it is impossible to observe the rotation associated with the tornado since radial velocity information describes only motion towards or away from the radar
