WEATHER MAPS

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WEATHER MAPS
Maps from http//www.accuweather.com graphics
from http//www.usatoday.com
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WEATHER

• SUNS ENERGY DRIVES WEATHER
• Heat from sun
• heats air at equator
• 2. Warm air from equator moves toward poles
• 3. Cool air from poles moves toward equator

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WEATHER MAPS

• HIGH PRESSURE
• Air is slowly moving toward the ground
• Air gets warmer preventing cloud formation
• Air flows out in clockwise direction on surface

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WEATHER MAPS
Brings cold air south ahead of high and warm air
north behind it
Sinking, spinning air prevents clouds and rain
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WEATHER MAPS

• LOW PRESSURE
• Warm air is lighter than cool air
• Warm air rises and cools forming clouds
• Warm air rotates counterclockwise as it rises

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WEATHER MAPS
2. Lower pressure area gets stronger as cool air
collides with warm air

• Warm air rises, the
• cools and forms
• clouds

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WEATHER MAPS

• WIND
• Air will move from area of high pressure to area
  of low pressure causing wind
• The more the difference in pressure, the stronger
  the wind
• The closer the high pressure center is to the low
  pressure center, the stronger the wind

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WEATHER MAPS
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WEATHER MAPS

• UPSLOPE WINDS
• Air rises up the mountains, cools and forms
  clouds
• Water vapor in clouds condenses and falls as rain
  or snow

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WEATHER MAPS

• THE JET STREAM
• river of fast flowing air at high altitudes that
  flows from west to east
• Usually separate cold polar air from warmer
  mid-latitude air
• Has core of faster winds surrounded by slower
  winds

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WEATHER MAPS

• COLD FRONTS
• warm-cold air boundary with the colder air
  replacing the warmer
• heavier, cool air pushes under the lighter, warm
  air it's replacing

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WEATHER MAPS

• COLD FRONTS
• 3. Air pressure will fall and then rise
• 4. Winds ahead of a cold front tend to be from
  south
• 5. Winds behind the front in the cooler air tend
  to be from north

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WEATHER MAPS

• Cooler air pushes into warm air
• Warm air is pushed upward forming clouds
• Temperature of cold air mass decided if it will
  rain or snow

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WEATHER MAPS

• WARM FRONTS
• warm-cold air boundary with the warmer air
  replacing the cooler
• often form to the east of low pressure centers
• Warm air rides over the cold air ahead

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WEATHER MAPS

• WARM FRONTS
• 4. the water vapor in warm air condenses into
  clouds that can produce rain, snow, sleet or
  freezing rain
• 5. slow-moving warm front can mean hours or days,
  of cloudy, wet weather before the warm air
  finally arrives

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WEATHER MAPS

• Warm air runs over the top of cooler air
• 2. Warm air rises and forms clouds
• 3. Temperature of cooler air determines if it
  will rain or snow
• 4. Warm air will eventually push cold air away
  and produce warmer temperatues

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WEATHER MAPS

• STATIONARY FRONT
• 1. Since neither the warm air nor the cold air
  are advancing, the stationary front weather map
  symbols combine both the cold front and the warm
  front symbols

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WEATHER MAPS

• STATIONARY FRONT
• 2. Usually will form when a warm or cold front
  stops moving
• 3. noticeable temperature change and/or shift in
  wind direction on each side of front

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WEATHER MAPS

• Cool dry air mass bumps against
• warm, humid air mass
• 2. Neither mass can move the other
• 3. often bring several days of cloudy, wet
  weather that can last a week or more

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Review Questions

• Describe the general flow of warm and cool air
  around the poles and equator.
• Describe the direction of air movement in a high
  pressure system.(hint there are two)
• What types of weather are produced by high
  pressure systems? Why is different weather
  produced in front and behind the high pressure
  system?

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Review Questions

• 4. Describe the direction of air movement in a
  low pressure system.(hint there are two)
• 5. What types of weather are produced by low
  pressure systems? Why is different weather
  produced in front and behind the low pressure
  system?

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Review Questions

• 6. What causes wind? What directions will wind
  usually flow?
• 7. What two conditions cause strong winds?
• 8. What are upslope winds?
• 9. What is the jet stream? What would the
  weather probably be like on the surface above the
  jet stream?

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Review Questions

• 10. What happens to the air masses at a cold
  front? What directions are the winds around a
  cold front?
• What determines if there will be rain or snow at
  a cold front?

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Review Questions

• What happens to air masses at a warm front? Why
  do warm fronts often produce precipitation?
• What happens to air masses at a stationary front?