weather disturbances
DESCRIPTION
Weather Disturbances. What is a weather disturbance?. Depressions (lows), tropical storms…. Typhoons, hurricanes…. Thunderstorms, tornados…. Mid-Latitude Depression. Polar front + tropical front Start off with a stationary front. Mid-Latitude Depression. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Weather Disturbances
What is a weather disturbance?•Depressions (lows), tropical storms….
•Typhoons, hurricanes….
•Thunderstorms, tornados….
Mid-Latitude Depression•Polar front + tropical front
•Start off with a stationary front
Mid-Latitude Depression•Westerlies push front into counter-clockwise rotation
•At the end, occluded front occurs
Mid-Latitude Depression•Significant amounts of rain
•In winter, can cause snowstorms or freezing rain
Thunderstorm/Hailstorm•Warm, moist air forced upward
•Severe updrafts and downdrafts within cumulonimbus
Thunderstorm/Hailstorm•Water droplets caught in circulation can turn into hail
Thunderstorm/Hailstorm•Lightning – discharge of electricity
•Thunder – lightning superheats air around it, produced a shockwave
Hurricanes•North America: hurricanes
•Indian Ocean: Cyclones
•China Sea: Typhoons
Hurricanes•Distinctive eye feature (15-50km wide)
Hurricanes•Require warm air and large body of warm water to develop
Hurricanes•Strong winds can pile seawater in a storm surge
•Moves slowly, lasts for days
Hurricanes•Given names to prevent confusion
•Started in 1953, 6 lists of alphabetical names
•Only time a change made to list is when hurricane is particularly destructive
Tornados•Most violent
•Winds +500km/hr
Tornados•Very low air pressure
•Often generated where polar air meets maritime tropical
•Often has hail, rain, lightning