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Questions and Answers
What primarily triggers the formation of tropical cyclones?
What primarily triggers the formation of tropical cyclones?
What direction do mid-latitude cyclones generally move?
What direction do mid-latitude cyclones generally move?
What weather condition is typically associated with anticyclones?
What weather condition is typically associated with anticyclones?
Why does a cyclone bring stormy weather?
Why does a cyclone bring stormy weather?
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Which of the following describes the term 'vorticity' in meteorology?
Which of the following describes the term 'vorticity' in meteorology?
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What is a key characteristic of a tropical continental air mass?
What is a key characteristic of a tropical continental air mass?
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What leads to the development of mid-latitude cyclones?
What leads to the development of mid-latitude cyclones?
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Which type of thunderstorm is characterized by its organized convection cells and longer lifespan?
Which type of thunderstorm is characterized by its organized convection cells and longer lifespan?
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How does a microburst affect surface winds?
How does a microburst affect surface winds?
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What defines a squall line in meteorological terms?
What defines a squall line in meteorological terms?
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What process primarily contributes to the formation of lightning within a thunderstorm?
What process primarily contributes to the formation of lightning within a thunderstorm?
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What was a primary cause of the Texas Freeze in 2021?
What was a primary cause of the Texas Freeze in 2021?
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What initial factor triggers the formation of a cyclone in the Sahara region?
What initial factor triggers the formation of a cyclone in the Sahara region?
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Which temperature must be reached for a cyclone to develop over an ocean?
Which temperature must be reached for a cyclone to develop over an ocean?
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In which direction does a cyclone rotate in the Northern Hemisphere?
In which direction does a cyclone rotate in the Northern Hemisphere?
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What atmospheric condition is associated with lower air pressure in a cyclone?
What atmospheric condition is associated with lower air pressure in a cyclone?
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What is the primary energy source for hurricanes as they form over the ocean?
What is the primary energy source for hurricanes as they form over the ocean?
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Which term describes the force that causes the wind to spiral around a cyclone?
Which term describes the force that causes the wind to spiral around a cyclone?
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Which of the following is NOT a condition necessary for cyclone formation?
Which of the following is NOT a condition necessary for cyclone formation?
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When is the peak season for the formation of hurricanes and cyclones?
When is the peak season for the formation of hurricanes and cyclones?
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What occurs in the center of a mature cyclone that characterizes its structure?
What occurs in the center of a mature cyclone that characterizes its structure?
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What primarily contributes to the formation of cyclones in the tropics?
What primarily contributes to the formation of cyclones in the tropics?
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Which of the following describes the effect of divergence in weather systems?
Which of the following describes the effect of divergence in weather systems?
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How does climate change influence hurricanes according to recent observations?
How does climate change influence hurricanes according to recent observations?
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What major characteristic distinguishes a midlatitude cyclone from hurricanes?
What major characteristic distinguishes a midlatitude cyclone from hurricanes?
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What conditions are necessary for hurricane formation?
What conditions are necessary for hurricane formation?
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How does the polar vortex relate to climate change?
How does the polar vortex relate to climate change?
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What do atmospheric rivers typically cause in California?
What do atmospheric rivers typically cause in California?
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What is a significant outcome of the occlusion of weather fronts?
What is a significant outcome of the occlusion of weather fronts?
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Why is there an increase in extreme hurricanes linked to climate change?
Why is there an increase in extreme hurricanes linked to climate change?
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Study Notes
Cyclonic Storms
- Cyclonic storms are circular storms that include hurricanes, cyclones, typhoons, tornadoes, and polar vortexes.
- All cyclonic storms form through the same process.
- Cyclones are low-pressure systems where air rises in the center and spirals inward in a counterclockwise direction in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere.
- Anticyclones are high-pressure systems where air sinks in the center and spirals outward in a clockwise direction in the Northern Hemisphere and counterclockwise in the Southern Hemisphere.
Tropical Cyclones
- Tropical cyclones, also known as hurricanes, cyclones, or typhoons depending on location, are low-pressure circular storms that form over warm ocean water with temperatures above 26.5°C.
- Hurricanes draw energy from the ocean's heat and convert this heat energy into the storm's mechanical spinning motion.
- Easterly waves, disturbances in the jet stream that flows from east to west in the Sahara desert, can trigger hurricane formation.
- Small disturbances, such as dust devils, can grow into large eddies, which then form clusters of thunderstorms that move west across Africa and into the warm Atlantic Ocean.
- These thunderstorms can become organized and rotate around each other, ultimately developing into a hurricane.
Mid-latitude Cyclones
- Mid-latitude cyclones are the dominant weather systems in mid and high latitudes, forming along the polar front and moving from west to east
- They are associated with fronts, boundaries between opposing air masses.
- The interaction of cold and warm fronts can lead to the development of mid-latitude cyclones.
Air Masses and Weather Systems
- A weather system is a specific set of meteorological conditions occurring over a particular area at a given time.
- An air mass is a large volume of air with relatively uniform temperature and humidity.
- Air masses are named based on their source region, which determines their characteristics.
- For example, a tropical continental air mass originates over the Sahara Desert and is hot and dry.
- A polar continental air mass comes from the North Pole and travels over land, bringing cold temperatures and potentially snowstorms.
- A maritime air mass that travels across the Atlantic Ocean to Britain will bring a mix of sunshine, hail, sleet, rain, and snow.
Thunderstorms
- Thunderstorms are convective storms with vertical motion that produces lightning and thunder.
- Convection refers to the process of warm air rising and cooler air sinking.
- Cumulonimbus clouds are associated with thunderstorms.
- Thunderstorms form when warm, moist air rises, cools, and condenses, forming cumulonimbus clouds.
- The updrafts within these clouds can become strong enough to create lightning.
Air-Mass Thunderstorms
- Air-mass thunderstorms are isolated storms that develop from daytime heating of the land surface.
- They typically occur in the spring and summer afternoons when the environmental lapse rate increases due to heating, leading to unstable air and the formation of cumulus clouds.
- These storms are usually short-lived.
Severe Thunderstorms
- Severe thunderstorms are characterized by high winds, large hail, or the presence of tornadoes.
- They have organized convection cells and strong wind shear, which contributes to their longer lifespan.
Microburst
- A microburst is a strong downdraft from a severe thunderstorm that produces a sudden, localized burst of high winds at the surface.
- Microbursts form when rain evaporates below a thunderstorm, cooling the air and causing it to descend rapidly.
Mesoscale Convective Systems and Complexes
- Mesoscale convective systems (MCSs) are collections of thunderstorms that act as a single weather system.
- They are larger and longer-lasting than air-mass thunderstorms.
- Mesoscale convective complexes (MCCs) are a type of MCS that is round or oval-shaped.
- MCCs are common in the Plains and Midwest and are known for heavy rainfall.
Squall Line
- A squall line is a line of thunderstorms that can form along a cold front.
- They are associated with strong winds and heavy precipitation.
Thunder and Lightning
- Thunder is the sound produced by the rapid heating and expansion of air surrounding a lightning bolt.
- Lightning is an electrical discharge that occurs within a cloud, between clouds, or between a cloud and the ground.
- Lightning forms when ice particles within a cumulonimbus cloud collide, creating static electrical charges.
- The separation of charges creates an electric field, and when the electrical potential difference becomes large enough, lightning occurs.
- Cloud-to-ground lightning is a type of lightning that strikes the Earth's surface.
Tornadoes
- A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that extends from the base of a thunderstorm to the ground.
- Tornadoes are characterized by extremely low pressure and high wind speeds.
- A mesocyclone is a rotating updraft within a thunderstorm that can lead to tornado formation.
The Perfect Storm 1991
- The "Perfect Storm" of 1991 was an unnamed hurricane that merged with a storm from inland Canada, creating a powerful and destructive extratropical cyclone.
Texas Freeze 2021
- The Texas Freeze of 2021 was caused by an unusually large expansion of the polar vortex, a low-pressure system of cold air normally located over the Arctic.
- This expansion allowed the vortex to dip much farther south than usual, bringing frigid temperatures and winter storms to Texas.
- The extreme cold overwhelmed Texas's power grid, which was not designed to handle such low temperatures, leading to widespread blackouts and significant disruptions.
Polar Vortex
- The polar vortex is a large low-pressure system of cold air that sits at 60 degrees north and south of the equator.
- During winter, the system expands and can be pulled south in latitude.
- The polar vortex can cause cold, cyclonic storms similar to hurricanes but super cold.
Atmospheric Rivers
- Atmospheric rivers are long, narrow bands of concentrated water vapor that produce major amounts of rainfall.
- They are usually responsible for over half of California's yearly precipitation.
Climate Change and Weather
- Climate change is impacting hurricanes in complex and multifaceted ways.
- It is difficult to isolate human influence on hurricane formation due to the complexity and multi-variability of the process.
- Climate change has contributed to the increasing frequency of extreme hurricanes and more rainfall during hurricanes.
- Warmer air can take up more water and increases sea levels, making future hurricanes wetter and increasing storm surge.
- The warming arctic influences the jet stream, creating a weaker and wavier jet stream, which contributes to an expansion of the polar vortex.
- Expanded polar vortexes can travel further south, bringing unusually cold temperatures and significant weather disruptions.
Hurricane Season
- Hurricane season in the Atlantic typically lasts from June-November.
Hurricane Formation
- The formation of hurricanes requires specific conditions including:
- Warm ocean water
- Moisture in the air
- Low levels of vertical wind shear
- Waves in the air currents
Texas Power Grid
- Texas has its own electric grid entirely, which makes it difficult to import power at all from other states if things go wrong.
- The Texas power grid is not designed to handle super cool weather systems and the winterization of the system is costly and insufficient to prevent outages.
- Texas power plant failures during extreme weather events can lead to cascading grid failures and blackouts across the state.
Troposphere
- The troposphere is the lowest layer of the atmosphere.
- As an object rises in the troposphere, it cools.
- Not all air cools or warms at the same rate; it depends on the amount of moisture/humidity in the air.
Key Takeaways
- Aging infrastructure and changing climate conditions necessitate a rethinking of energy infrastructure, particularly for power grids.
- Building grid resilience and improved outage management are crucial for mitigating the impacts of extreme weather events.
- Climate change is impacting weather in complex and multifaceted ways, including increasing the frequency and intensity of severe weather events like hurricanes and winter storms.
Thunderstorms
- Thunderstorms are rain showers with lightning and thunder.
- Four types of thunderstorms: single-cell, multi-cell, squall line, and supercell.
- Thunderstorms form when updrafts create clouds, and then downdrafts pull moisture downwards, causing rain.
- They help regulate the electrical balance in the atmosphere by creating an electrical potential between oppositely charged electrons.
Lightning
- Lightning is an electrical discharge producing light from cloud to cloud or cloud to ground, caused by collisions of hail and ice particles within a cumulonimbus cloud.
- Negative charges accumulate at the base of the cloud, positive at the top.
- Lightning strikes occur most often in Florida due to its hot, moist climate.
- Lightning can strike the same place twice.
Tornadoes
- Tornadoes are rapidly rotating columns of air from the base of a thunderstorm touching the ground.
- Tornadoes form when warm humid air collides with cool dry air, creating a supercell with high force winds.
- The vortex can be as small as 100 meters or as large as 450 meters across.
- Wind speeds can exceed 100 meters per second, creating a low-pressure center.
- Most tornadoes rotate counterclockwise.
- Tornadoes are most frequent during the spring and summer due to rising temperatures and air.
- The United Kingdom has the most tornadoes per land size, while the United States has the most overall.
Supercells
- Supercells are the most severe type of thunderstorm.
- They can spawn tornadoes and have rotating winds.
- They are often associated with a "mesocyclone" which is a rotating column of air within the thunderstorm, forming the tornado.
Desert Locusts
- Desert locusts are a type of grasshopper native to North Africa and South Asia.
- They lay eggs underground and remain dormant during dry weather.
- During the rainy season, they swarm and become a plague on crops due to a hormone released from their legs and pheromone build-up in their excrement.
- Desert locust swarms travel 150km/day and can even form rafts to cross the Atlantic Ocean.
- Their habitat is in the poorest countries of the world, impacting food sources for 10% of humanity.
- Climate change makes predicting these storms increasingly difficult.
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Description
Explore the fascinating world of cyclonic storms, including hurricanes, typhoons, and tornadoes. Understand the formation process of these storms, including low-pressure and high-pressure systems. Learn how tropical cyclones develop over warm ocean waters and the factors that drive their intensity.
