NAME __________________________________________

Unit 7 Notes – Climate and Weather:

We have been studying weather and climate for several weeks now and as we come to a close in this unit, we are going to spend some time learning how to forecast weather and analyze

more complicated weather maps. We will learn to study weather maps by memorizing a series of rules to help guide us when looking at the maps! Memorize the rules and you will

have no problem analyzing the maps! Below is a box of important vocabulary for the rest of this unit that you will be responsible for memorizing:

WEATHER VOCABULARY

FRONT FRONTAL WEDGING RELATIVE HUMIDITY LOW PRESSURE SYSTEMWARM FRONT OROGRAPHIC LIFTING DEW POINT HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEMCOLD FRONT ADIABATIC LIFTING STATION MODEL CYCLONESTATIONARY FRONT ISOTHERMS PREVAILING WINDS ANTICYCLONEOCCLUDED FRONT ISOBARS CORIOLIS EFFECT LAND BREEZES

WIND SEA BREEZES

First! Don’t Forget your Weather Variables and your Weather Tools! Below take a minute to match the correct weather tool to the weather variable it records:

TRY IT NOW!

THERMOMETER RELATIVE HUMIDITY and DEW POINTWIND VANE WIND DIRECTIONSLING PSYCHROMETER TEMPERATUREBAROMETER WIND SPEEDANEMOMETER AIR PRESSURE

RULE #1 – FRONTS (ANOTHER WORD FOR _______________________________) form when: ____________________________________________________________________________. The weather on the frontal boundary is usually: _____________________________________.

A cold front is when a ___________________ air mass is more powerful than a ______________ air mass. TYPE OF FIGHT MOVE: _________________________________

A warm front is when a ___________________air mass is more powerful than a _____________ air mass. TYPE OF FIGHT MOVE: _________________________________

Remember: COLD AIR ___________ and WARM AIR RISES!!!!

TRY IT NOW!

Look at the images below and try and figure out which is the cold front and which is the warm front:

TYPE OF FRONT:

_________________________________

SYMBOL: _________________________________

DIRECTION THE FRONT IS MOVING:

_________________________________

TEMPS AFTER THE FRONT PASSES:

_________________________________

HOW TO DRAW IT ON THE REGENTS EXAM:

TYPE OF FRONT:

_________________________________

SYMBOL: _________________________________

DIRECTION THE FRONT IS MOVING:

_________________________________

TEMPS AFTER THE FRONT PASSES:

_________________________________

HOW TO DRAW IT ON THE REGENTS EXAM:

TRY IT NOW: Look at the Weather Map Below and Try to answer the questions that follow:

1. The lines on the map above connect points of equal: ______________________________

2. Which city is MOST likely going to receive precipitation in the next few hours?

a. Chicago b. San Francisco c. Miami

3. Which city is receiving precipitation RIGHT NOW?

a. Billings b. Minneapolis c. New York City

4. All the fronts in the map above are moving:

a. East to West b. West to East

5. The weather in Raleigh South Carolina is _____________________________ because it is

experiencing a HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEM

6. The weather in Minneapolis, Minnesota is __________________________ because it is experiencing

a LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM.

7. The winds in the low pressure system move: _____________________________________________.

8. The winds in the high pressure system move: _____________________________________________.

YOU DID IT!!! WHOOP WHOOP!

Rule #2 – HOW WINDS FORM…..

_______________________________________________________________________.

Remember: Cold Air is ________ dense and

________. While warm air is _________

dense and _________. This shifting of the

air is was causes wind. Winds can be LOCAL

(__________________________ ) or

PREVAILING ( ________________________).

Rule #3 – The direction in which the

wind blows is called a CONVECTION

CELL. Convection is the movement of a

gas or a liquid from areas of high

density to low density. A CONVECTION

CELL makes a loop of “HOT

RISING…..COOL SINKING”, but the

direction can be different depending on

where the hot air is rising…..

Land Breezes and Sea Breezes are LOCAL winds because they describe the wind in a

small region, like a town or a city…..

TRY IT NOW! Look at the diagrams below and then complete the table describing the

major differences between LAND and SEA BREEZES:

LAND BREEZE SEA BREEZE

1. 1.

2. 2.

3. 3.

Prevailing Winds: Can be found on Page ____________ of the ESRT…..

Prevailing Winds are caused by:

1. _______________________________________________________________

2. _______________________________________________________________

IMPORTANT: Because New York is located at 41 °N. Weather in the United States ALWAYS

travels from the WEST to the EAST! Where would the latitude of NY be on the image above?

Use the diagram above to the answer the questions below:

1. Air at the north and south poles will always be:

a. Cold, dry and sinking b. Warm, moist and rising

2. Air at the Equator will always be:

a. Cold, dry and sinking b. Warm, moist and rising

3. At 0 °, 30°N and 30°S….there is _________ wind! Because there are NO arrows in that

area! Air is simply rising or sinking, not blowing!

Rule #4 – Isobars on a weather map connect points of _______________________.

When the isobars are

___________, this means there is

a stronger wind (Remember

gradient?). When the isobars are

____________, this means there

is little or no wind.

TRY IT NOW: Circle an area on the map where the winds are STRONG and where the winds

are WEAK. Draw on the map above, how the winds would circulate in the center of the LOW.

Draw on the map above, how the winds would circulate in the center of the HIGH. In which

direction would the weather travel over the UNITED STATES IN GENERAL??

Rule #4 – STATION MODELS are:

____________________________________________________________________________

In order to interpret station models you must refer to page ______ of the ESRT.

You can tell A LOT about the weather in a given area by interpreting the station model. Use the key in your

ESRT or the key above to try and interpret the following station models:

TRY IT NOW!

1. Air Temp: _________ Dew Point: _________

Visibility: _________ Present Weather:

________

Cloud Cover: _______ Wind Speed:

__________

Wind Direction: ____________

2. Air Temp: _________ Dew Point: _________

Present Weather: ________ Cloud Cover: _______

Wind Speed: ________ Wind Direction:

____________

Barometric Pressure: ______________________

RULE 5: If the barometric pressure on the station model is 0-499, put a “10” in front, if the

barometric pressure is 500-999, put a “9” in front.

Try it Now! More Practice for Station Models:

Air Temp: _________ Dew Point: _________ Visibility: _______

Present Weather: ________ Cloud Cover: _______

Wind Speed: ________ Wind Direction: ____________

Barometric Pressure: ____________ Barometric Trend: _______

Air Temp: _________ Dew Point: _________ Visibility: _______

Present Weather: ________ Cloud Cover: _______

Wind Speed: ________ Wind Direction: ____________

Barometric Pressure: ____________ Barometric Trend: _______

Precipitation in the last 24 hours:

__________________

Air Temp: ___________ Dew Point: ___________

Cloud Cover: __________ Wind Direction: __________

Wind Speed: ___________ Barometric Pressure: _________

TRY IT NOW: Complete the table - Use Rule 5 to help you!

AS SHOWN ON THE STATION MODEL: TRUE BAROMETRIC PRESSURE:

986

035

876

136

124

343

599

TRY IT NOW: Complete the table

AS SHOWN ON THE STATION MODEL: TRUE BAROMETRIC PRESSURE:

999.9 mb

1024.6 mb

967.5 mb

1000.9 mb

1006.5 mb

989.9 mb

1016.0 mb

YOU DID IT!!! Whoop Whoop!

Rule #6 – Relative Humidity and Dew Point is how we measure the amount of

___________ in the air. We need a ___________________ and page_____ of the ESRT

Let’s Practice Drawing Some Warm and Cold Air Masses to Demonstrate how Relative

Humidity and Dew Point Work:

Rules to remember about Relative Humidity and Dew Point:

1. When Air Temp and Dew Point are EQUAL, Relative Humidity is ________________.

2. When Relative Humidity is ___________, there will be _______________________.

3. Warm air EXPANDS and RISES, therefore it CAN hold ______________ moisture.

4. Cold air CONTRACTS and SINKS, therefore is CANNOT hold ___________ moisture.

5. When warm air cools, it contracts and shrinks, therefore any moisture held in that air

will CONDENSE out….this temperature at which water needs to cool to form

condensation is the DEW POINT.

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HOW TO USE THE SLING PSYCHROMETER:

***Remember: The wet bulb will always measure

cooler than the dry bulb because water evaporates

off the wet bulb when you sling it, cooling the

temperature of the wet cloth***

TRY IT NOW: Use page 12 of the ESRT to determine the Relative Humidity and Dew Point

Using the Sling Psychrometer:

Dry Bulb: Dry Bulb: Dry Bulb: Dry Bulb:

Wet Bulb: Wet Bulb: Wet Bulb: Wet Bulb:

Difference: Difference: Difference: Difference:

RH: RH: RH: RH:

Dew Point: Dew Point: Dew Point: Dew Point: