Quiz 7 Review:
     
  • Thunderstorms-
    1. Sketch the life cycle of an ideal air mass thunderstorm. Be sure to include the major characteristics of each stage (i.e. updrafts, downdrafts, temperature of various regions, anvil) and indicate where precipitation might be occurring in those stages that have precipitation.
    2. The typical life-time of an air mass thunderstorm is about ___.
    3. The downdrafts within an air mass thunderstorm are initiated by ____, and are intensified and maintained by ____.
    4. What are the requirements for thunderstorm formation?
    5. What time of day are air mass thunderstorms most likely to form over land? Why is this so?
    6. Which regions of the U.S. have the highest number of thunderstorms per year and why are these regions favored over others.
    7. Explain how the downdrafts of a thunderstorm can "spawn" or help create another thunderstorm.
    8. Precipitation that falls from a storm cloud, but does not reach the ground is called ___.
    9. How can the answer to the previous question contribute to a microburst?
    10. What type of weather does a gust front bring when it passes?
    11. Meteorologists say that vertical sheer is required for the formation of propagating thunderstorms. What does this statement mean and why is it needed?
    12. In what ways is a super cell thunderstorm different than other types of Mesoscale Convective Systems?
  • Lightning-
    1. The most common form of lightning discharge takes place ___.
      1. between a cloud and the ground
      2. between a cloud and the air
      3. between a cloud and another cloud
      4. within a cloud
    2. Lightning is more frequent over ___.
      1. the oceans
      2. the land masses
    3. What is the typical sequence of events for a cloud to ground lightning discharge?
    4. Despite of the fact that meteorologist don't know exactly how thunderstorms become electrified, they have observed 3 characteristics involving lightning and thunderstorms. What are those 3 characteristics.
    5. What is the leading theory for thunderstorm electrification? Briefly describe it.
    6. If you are out hiking and see a lightning flash in the distance and hear thunder from the flash 25 seconds after first seeing the flash, how far away would the lightning be from you?
    7. In the U.S. the highest frequency of lightning on a yearly basis is in which region, the Southwest (Tucson) or Florida?
    8. What is thunder and what causes it?
    9. The light we see from a lightning flash is caused by what?
  • Tornadoes-
    1. True or False: Tornadoes only occur in the United States.
    2. True or False: A tornado can have more than one vortex.
    3. True or False: Tornadoes only occur during the summer and spring.
    4. True or False: All tornadoes are produced by super cell thunderstorms.
    5. In the U.S., the highest number of tornadoes reported per year per square mile is in ___.
    6. Know typical values for the following characteristics of a tornado:

      7. - Diameter
      - Preferred direction of movement in the U.S.
      - Speed of propagation
      - Wind Speeds
      - Severity according to the Fujita Scale