EOSC 114 Storms Questions with Correct
Answers
Describe different types of lightning, and explain the sequence of events in a lighting
strike
Lightning: an electrical discharge through the air that heats the air to temperatures warmer
than the surface of the sun
Cloud to cloud (Intercloud or IC - more common)
Cloud to ground (CG): can be further classified by whether negative or positive charges move
to the ground
negative strikes form from the cloud base and are more numerous
positive strikes=less frequent, stronger, and more likely to start wild fires
explain lightning risk; dangerous times and places; how it affects people; what you can
do to stay safe
-wildfires from positive strikes (primary cause)
-exploding trees
~90% people survive a strike
-stay in metal body (faraday cage)
-substantial permanent building (don't use hard-wired telephones)
-count number of seconds between seeing lightning and hearing thunder and divide by 3 to
get lightning range in km (ex: 9 s = 3 km)
-30/30 rule: 30 s or less between flash and bang, move indoors stay there 30 mins after last
lightning/thunder
,-if outdoors, avoid unsafe areas (small structures, huts, rain shelters), nearby metallic objects
(pole, fence), trees, water, open fields, hill tops
-lightning safety crouch
Identify and describe typical components of a thunderstorm cloud, and describe the
nature and evolution of cells in different types of thunderstorms
Thunderstorms are cumulonimbus clouds that have lightning and thunder (evolve during 15-
30 min). These are deep clouds with strong updrafts, with a cloud base near the ground and
cloud top (anvil/mushroom) near the top of the troposphere
-Mature thunderstorms have a characteristic anvil or mushroom top- the anvil is usually at the
top of the troposphere at a location called the tropopause
stem = 15 km
anvil = 100s km
most thunderstorms contain 2+ cells each in dif. stages (multicell)
very large single cell --> supercell
storm energy from temperature and humidity
supercell types
low precipitation
classical
high precipitation
, Thunderstorm Life Cycle
-cumulus stage
updraft, no rain, no anvil
-mature stage
up and down drafts, heavy rain, crisp anvil
-dissipative stage
downdraft, light rain, fuzzy anvil
Identify atmospheric layers and explain how they relate to storms
The top layer of the atmosphere is called the THERMOSPHERE because it is so hot (see
figure below). Also, most of the ultraviolet light is absorbed at the top of the stratosphere by
the "good" ozone layers. This region also becomes hot from this solar energy.
non-cloudy, non-polluted parts of the bottom of the atmosphere, called the TROPOSPHERE
Explain how solar energy can get into the atmosphere to power storms
Solar energy is transported by radiation, which
heats the ground, which heats and adds moisture into air parcels, which can be blown
(advected) into storms, where the energy is released to power the storm.
Solar energy absorbed at 3 heights
top (thermosphere: absorption of non-visible light)
middle (stratopause: absorption of UV by good ozone)
bottom (earth surface = troposphere): light heats ground instead of ai; ground heats air =
powers storms
warm ground affects the air by
Answers
Describe different types of lightning, and explain the sequence of events in a lighting
strike
Lightning: an electrical discharge through the air that heats the air to temperatures warmer
than the surface of the sun
Cloud to cloud (Intercloud or IC - more common)
Cloud to ground (CG): can be further classified by whether negative or positive charges move
to the ground
negative strikes form from the cloud base and are more numerous
positive strikes=less frequent, stronger, and more likely to start wild fires
explain lightning risk; dangerous times and places; how it affects people; what you can
do to stay safe
-wildfires from positive strikes (primary cause)
-exploding trees
~90% people survive a strike
-stay in metal body (faraday cage)
-substantial permanent building (don't use hard-wired telephones)
-count number of seconds between seeing lightning and hearing thunder and divide by 3 to
get lightning range in km (ex: 9 s = 3 km)
-30/30 rule: 30 s or less between flash and bang, move indoors stay there 30 mins after last
lightning/thunder
,-if outdoors, avoid unsafe areas (small structures, huts, rain shelters), nearby metallic objects
(pole, fence), trees, water, open fields, hill tops
-lightning safety crouch
Identify and describe typical components of a thunderstorm cloud, and describe the
nature and evolution of cells in different types of thunderstorms
Thunderstorms are cumulonimbus clouds that have lightning and thunder (evolve during 15-
30 min). These are deep clouds with strong updrafts, with a cloud base near the ground and
cloud top (anvil/mushroom) near the top of the troposphere
-Mature thunderstorms have a characteristic anvil or mushroom top- the anvil is usually at the
top of the troposphere at a location called the tropopause
stem = 15 km
anvil = 100s km
most thunderstorms contain 2+ cells each in dif. stages (multicell)
very large single cell --> supercell
storm energy from temperature and humidity
supercell types
low precipitation
classical
high precipitation
, Thunderstorm Life Cycle
-cumulus stage
updraft, no rain, no anvil
-mature stage
up and down drafts, heavy rain, crisp anvil
-dissipative stage
downdraft, light rain, fuzzy anvil
Identify atmospheric layers and explain how they relate to storms
The top layer of the atmosphere is called the THERMOSPHERE because it is so hot (see
figure below). Also, most of the ultraviolet light is absorbed at the top of the stratosphere by
the "good" ozone layers. This region also becomes hot from this solar energy.
non-cloudy, non-polluted parts of the bottom of the atmosphere, called the TROPOSPHERE
Explain how solar energy can get into the atmosphere to power storms
Solar energy is transported by radiation, which
heats the ground, which heats and adds moisture into air parcels, which can be blown
(advected) into storms, where the energy is released to power the storm.
Solar energy absorbed at 3 heights
top (thermosphere: absorption of non-visible light)
middle (stratopause: absorption of UV by good ozone)
bottom (earth surface = troposphere): light heats ground instead of ai; ground heats air =
powers storms
warm ground affects the air by
