Chapter 11: Cyclonic Storms

Question 1

What is the smallest and largest cyclonic storm?

Answer 1

Smallest= thunderstorm
Largest= Hurricane/Typhoon

Question 2

How do thunderstorms form?

Answer 2

When there is moisture, atmospheric instability and a lifting mechanism
-Rising air cools causing some of the water vapour to convince which forms cumulonimbus clouds for thunderstorms

Question 3

What are 3 things that cause air to rise?

Answer 3

1. Differential heating- uneven heating of the ground and air creates pockets of warm air called thermals which tend to rise
2. Cold fronts- warm air goes over colder air
3. Terrain

Question 4

How long to thunderstorms cells last?

Answer 4

30 mins

Question 5

what are he 3 stages in the lifecycle of a thunder storm?

Answer 5

1. Towering cumulonimbus stage: clouds grow up with turbulence at the edges
2. Mature stage: air moving in both un and down directions
3. Dissipating stage: downdrafts dominate and the upward supply of warm moist air is cut off

Question 6

what are the 3 other types of thunderstorms?

Answer 6

1. Multi cell storms
2. Line cell storms
3. Supercell thunderstorms

Question 7

Proper definition of a hurricane?

Answer 7

Sever cyclonic tropical storm in North Atlantic Basin. Originating in the tropics and rotate counterclockwise

Question 8

what are the 5 steps in the formation of a hurricane?

Answer 8

1. Cold front+ warm from coming together from opposite directions
2. Boundary between the 2 fronts isn’t in a straight line
3. Both fronts are moving to the right (counterclockwise)
4. Denser cold air moves faster than the warm air. Lifts the cell upward, creating a low pressure area
5. As the air is lifted, it expands and cools adiabatically and reaches dew point.. Clouds develop over low pressure area. Eventually a front forms that has been lifter completely off the ground

Question 9

Where do hurricanes begin?

Answer 9

With a disturbance in the westward flowing air near the equator. temp must be 26C or warmer
-water rises and condenses in these warm tropic areas, which releases large amounts of latent heat which is the main source for a hurricane

Question 10

What are the classification stages before a hurricane?

Answer 10

Tropical wave > Tropical storm > Hurricane

Question 11

What is hurricane wind velocity?

Answer 11

When winds travel fast and counterclockwise sooner the eye

Question 12

What is storm centre velocity?

Answer 12

At the same time, when the storm is being pushed by regional winds

Question 13

What do you get when you combine hurricane wind and storm centre velocity?

Answer 13

It creates a significant difference in effective wind speed on opposite sides of the storm

Question 14

What are the primary effects hurricanes have on oceans?

Answer 14

Sea swells which are long period waves that move in all directions from the storm enter and can be 6-12 hours ahead of the storm

Question 15

Where did Hurricane Andrew touch down?

Answer 15

Homestead south of Miami as a category 4

Question 16

Why was Hurricane Andrew important?

Answer 16

Because it made scientists rethink wind patterns.

-Found small intense vortices develop which produced the fastest winds instead of the eye of the storm

Question 17

Where did Hurricane Katrina touch down?

Answer 17

First in Louisiana an then again at the Louisiana/Mississippi border

Question 18

How do we predict storms?

Answer 18

We can’t predict them, we can only guess their path once the hurricane has formed

Question 19

What is the relationship with Africa and hurricanes?

Answer 19

If there is more rain in Africa, there is more vegetation and more evapotranspiration (plants putting water into the air). With the addition of more water decreases air density and there will be more upward air convection over Africa. This encourages hurricane development because it interferes with airflow moving across Africa over the atlantic.

Question 20

What will happen as the ocean warms in relation to hurricanes?

Answer 20

Evaporation rates will increase and will lead to and increase in latent heat energy from condensation which is the driving force of storms

Question 21

What is Storm Furry?

Answer 21

Silver iodide is dropped from a plane into the eye of a storm. In theory, it will produce ice crystals from he cooled water in the hurricane walls, which would release latent heat energy in the in the wall of the eye. Which would widen the eye, spreading the energy over a wider area
-Wind velocity decreases