Meteorology Winds forces

Questions 1-5 are based on Figure 1 below, which displays surface weather conditions (station models), fronts, isobars, and precipitation for 2000UTC (1pm Pacific Time) on Friday, March 5th, 2019. This map shows a long cold front stretching from Eastern Utah down to Arizona/New Mexico and Northern Mexico. This storm system is responsible for the rainy weather we experienced in California on March 3rd and 4th. The cold front is a part of a mid-latitude cyclone that is centered (the big red L with "999" below it) in Southeastern Utah. For this quiz, we are going to focus on Las Vegas, Nevada in the Desert Southwest. A zoomed-in version of Figure 1 is also shown below.

Print out a copy of the zoomed in image (or copy/paste into an editing document like Microsoft Paint). A file of the zoomed-in figure 1 can be found here: sfc_map Quiz 5 vegas zoomed in-1.gif

Question 13 pts

We're focusing on Las Vegas, Nevada which was reporting mostly cloudy skies, an air temperature of 56°F and a dew point temperature of 25°F. Reported winds are coming FROM the:

	East-Northeast
	West-Southwest

	East-Southeast
	West-Northwest

 

Question 23 pts

Oh the zoomed-in image, draw an arrow showing the direction that the wind is heading TOWARDS. The arrow shows that winds are blowing TOWARDS the

	North-Southeast
	West-Southwest

	South-Southwest
	East-Northeast

 

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Question 33 pts

Draw an arrow that is perpendicular to the nearest isobar (coming from the center of the Station Model for Las Vegas), that is pointed towards the lower pressure. This is the Pressure Gradient Force component of the surface winds. This force is pointing TOWARDS the: 

	Northeast
	Southeast

	Northwest
	Southwest

 

Question 43 pts

Draw an arrow that is perpendicular to the RIGHT of the wind's direction (the arrow you drew in question 2). This arrow represents the Coriolis force, and is moving the wind TOWARDS the:

	Northeast
	Southwest

	Southeast
	Northwest

 

Question 53 pts

Finally, draw an arrow that is directed pointed in the REVERSE direction of where the wind is blowing towards. This is the _______________ force, and is directed to the West-Southwest

	Pressure Gradient
	Friction

	Centrifugal
	Coriolis

 

Question 60 pts

Please put your name on the top of the zoomed-in figure, and upload it here (I won't be directly grading it, but if you made a mistake on one of the questions above, I can take a look at it and see what may have gone wrong and possible get you some points back). 

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Choose a File

 

Questions 7-10 below are based on Figure 2, which is a 500 mb map, showing height contours and observed data for the Continental United States at 1200 UTC (5am Pacific Daylight Time) on June 25th, 2018.

Question 74 pts

Oakland, in North-Central California, was reporting a temperature of -6°C, a dew point of -36°C, and a southwest wind blowing at 10kts. The 500 mb height for Oakland (upper-right of the station model) was reported at 590, which translates to an elevation of:

	59 meters
	5900 meters

	590 meters
	59,000 meters

 

Question 83 pts

The highest reported height was 5940m, which was located at:

	Minneapolis, Minnesota (in Centeral Minnesota)
	Oakland, California, in the Western United States

	Corpus Christi, Texas (Along the Gulf Coast)
	Portland, Maine (In the Northeastern United States)

 

Question 93 pts

The strongest reported winds in Figure 2 can be found

	In the Central United States, Over Kansas and Nebraska
	Where the blue height contours are closest together

	Where the blue height contours are furthest apart
	Over the Far Southern United States.

 

Question 103 pts

Based on Figure 2, as you travel further north, the 500 mb heights, as evidenced by the blue height lines:

	Generally Increase in Value
	Generally Decrease in Value

Have no relation with latitude whatsoever

 

Questions 11 and 12 are based on Figure 3

Traveling further up to the 300mb level, Figure 3 shows the Jet Stream across the United States for 1200UTC (5am Pacific Time) on Tuesday, December 5, 2017.

 

Question 113 pts

The highest wind speeds on this map are approximately 140kts (160 miles per hour) are present in a jet streak over the states of:

	California, Oregon and Washington
	Oklahoma, Nebraska, Iowa and Illinois

	Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York
	All of these locations

 

Question 124 pts

The jet stream displayed on Figure 3 indicates a ______________________ Jet Stream

	Zonal
	Meridional

Neither Zonal nor Meridional

 

Questions 13-16 are based on Figure 4 below.

Figure 4 is a display of Equatorial Sea Surface Temperature Means (upper panel) and Anomalies (lower panel) for November, 2002.

 

Question 133 pts

The warmest ocean waters in the equatorial pacific are above 30.5˚C and are located at a longitude of:

	160˚E
	160˚W

	140˚W
	180˚ (International Date Line)

 

Question 144 pts

The highest positive temperature anomalies are located between 160°W and 170°W, with values between:

	+2.0°F and +2.5°F
	+1.5°F and +2.0°F

	+1.0°F and +1.5°F
	+2.5°F and +3.0°F

 

Question 154 pts

The anomales present on this map show:

	A large body of positive anomalies in the Central and Eastern Pacific.
	Large negative anomalies in the Western Pacific

	Little, if any temperature anomalies across the entire Equatorial Pacific.
	None of these features are present on the map above

 

Question 164 pts

The temperature anomalies on this map indicate the presence of __________________________ during Fall and Winter, 2002.

	Neutral (La Nada)
	La Nina

El Nino

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