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. …..
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 |
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).
Upload
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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