ATMS 120 FINAL || ALL ACCURATE.
what is heat lighting? is it real correct answers heat lighting is not real, sometimes sheet
lighting is mispronounced as heat lightning because it most frequently occurs on hot humid
nights, if the heat truly cause lighting it would be so hot you would be long dead
are cars safe from lighting? what about airplanes correct answers yes (the metal sides and
roof is what is protecting you), yes (airplanes are made to withstand lightning strikes)
what is the typical electric charge separation inside of and near a thunderstorm? what causes
this charge separation correct answers positive charge accumulates on tall object because of
the attraction to the negatively charged cloud base, negative charge builds at the base of the
cloud and in order for a cloud to produce lighting it must contain ice (hail or graupel is
neutrally charged and then there is ice crystals and updraft), when they collide they give up
an electron.
positively- charged ice crystal is light and floats at the top of the cloud
negatively- charged graupel particle is heavy and falls to the bottom of the cloud
review the sequence of events of a lightning strike correct answers stepped leader, return
stroke, positive streamer
in the stepped leader electrons come down from cloud base searching for a path of least
resistance to a positive charge there is a fork like pattern a stream of positive charge then
moves up to meet it traveling at 100,000+ mph and you can barely see any of this
then... you have when they meet which is return stroke, this is when electrons from cloud
base suddenly rush down the open path and current travels back up producing the bright flash
traveling at 10,000,000+ mph, this heats air to 30,000 C, COMES UP FROM THE
GROUND
then we have the return stroke opening an ionized path, any remaining electrons form cloud
base can then be rushed back down the same path and this is called the dart leader
lastly... when it meets the positive charge this is the second return stroke, this is a second
bright flash and can occur multiple times
IN ORDER FOR A CLOUD TO PRODUCE LIGHTNING IT MUST CONTAIN ICE AND
SUPERCELL CREATE HAIL STORMS
how are lighting and thunder related? how is thunder created correct answers thunder is
caused by lighting, it's formed when lighting travels from the cloud to the ground and it opens
a little hole --> a channel. once the light is gone, the air collapses back in and creates a sound
wave which = thunder
know basic lightning safety correct answers the safest places are your car (acts as a faraday
cage) and your house (stay away from corded electronics and water), while unsafe places are
golf course (or anywhere outdoors) under a tree or any place where you are the tallest object
(Water, mountaintop), basic safety is don't lay on the ground, crouch down not he balls of
your feet and minimize your contact with the ground
, when are where are thunderstorms most common in the US? Why correct answers Florida's
Gold Coast --> occur on average 130 days per year
what are the three ingredients for thunderstorm formation? what additional ingredient is
needed for severe thunderstorm formation? correct answers unstable atmosphere, lifting
mechanisms, and surface moisture, additional ingredient is vertical wind shear
what is atmospheric instability? how does it relate to an air parcel correct answers high
variability with weather and it relates to an air parcel because a rising air parcel will always
cool at a slower rate than the environment even when it is unsaturated making it unstable
what is an inversion and how does it relate to stability? temperature inversion? correct
answers inversions can duct sound waves resulting in louder thunder and in the troposphere is
it very stable due to an inversion layer that acts as lid on storm and temperature inversions
stabilize the atmosphere making it the make or break of a storm, temperature inversion=
warmer temp as you rise
how does the temperature of air change as it rises and sinks? why correct answers for an air
parcel rising air cools by expansion and sinking air warms by compression, rising air cools,
cooling the air leads to condensation which releases latent heat and if the parcel is warmer
than its environment it will be buoyant (unstable)
What is the LCL? LFC? EL? LI? CAPE? Know how to find each on a sounding and how they
relate to cloud structure. correct answers LCL is the lifting condensation level and this is the
cloud base where the altitude which the air must be lifted to for condensation to begin, the
LFL is the level of free convection and this is the point above the ground that the parcel first
becomes warmer than its environment, the EL is the equilibrium level and this is the point
where the anvil forms and it marks the top of the storm, the LI Is the lifted index and this is
negative and the parcel is warmer than the environment and the atmosphere is unstable if the
LI is positive the parcel is cooler than the environment and the atmosphere, CAPE is the
convective available potential energy and this is the postive energy found between the parcel
line and the temp line
for the sounding the right line is the temp of environment and the left line is the dewpoint
temp
what are typical lifting mechanisms that can trigger thunderstorms (4) correct answers 1.
fronts- cold front and dry line (most supercell storms occur at cold fronts)
2. orographic lift (mountain atmosphere heats from ground up)
3. sea breeze (example is Florida, peninsula of warm air surrounded by cold water)
4. thermals (rising hot air, the surface air gets hot enough in some locations to start to rise like
a bubble)
why is moisture important to thunderstorm formation correct answers moisture condenses
and releases energy that keeps the air warmer than its surrounding so that it continues to rise
what are three thunderstorm types correct answers 1. ordinary (single-cell): most common
type, usually not severe, form in environments with weak vertical wind shear and are most
common in summer away from fronts
what is heat lighting? is it real correct answers heat lighting is not real, sometimes sheet
lighting is mispronounced as heat lightning because it most frequently occurs on hot humid
nights, if the heat truly cause lighting it would be so hot you would be long dead
are cars safe from lighting? what about airplanes correct answers yes (the metal sides and
roof is what is protecting you), yes (airplanes are made to withstand lightning strikes)
what is the typical electric charge separation inside of and near a thunderstorm? what causes
this charge separation correct answers positive charge accumulates on tall object because of
the attraction to the negatively charged cloud base, negative charge builds at the base of the
cloud and in order for a cloud to produce lighting it must contain ice (hail or graupel is
neutrally charged and then there is ice crystals and updraft), when they collide they give up
an electron.
positively- charged ice crystal is light and floats at the top of the cloud
negatively- charged graupel particle is heavy and falls to the bottom of the cloud
review the sequence of events of a lightning strike correct answers stepped leader, return
stroke, positive streamer
in the stepped leader electrons come down from cloud base searching for a path of least
resistance to a positive charge there is a fork like pattern a stream of positive charge then
moves up to meet it traveling at 100,000+ mph and you can barely see any of this
then... you have when they meet which is return stroke, this is when electrons from cloud
base suddenly rush down the open path and current travels back up producing the bright flash
traveling at 10,000,000+ mph, this heats air to 30,000 C, COMES UP FROM THE
GROUND
then we have the return stroke opening an ionized path, any remaining electrons form cloud
base can then be rushed back down the same path and this is called the dart leader
lastly... when it meets the positive charge this is the second return stroke, this is a second
bright flash and can occur multiple times
IN ORDER FOR A CLOUD TO PRODUCE LIGHTNING IT MUST CONTAIN ICE AND
SUPERCELL CREATE HAIL STORMS
how are lighting and thunder related? how is thunder created correct answers thunder is
caused by lighting, it's formed when lighting travels from the cloud to the ground and it opens
a little hole --> a channel. once the light is gone, the air collapses back in and creates a sound
wave which = thunder
know basic lightning safety correct answers the safest places are your car (acts as a faraday
cage) and your house (stay away from corded electronics and water), while unsafe places are
golf course (or anywhere outdoors) under a tree or any place where you are the tallest object
(Water, mountaintop), basic safety is don't lay on the ground, crouch down not he balls of
your feet and minimize your contact with the ground
, when are where are thunderstorms most common in the US? Why correct answers Florida's
Gold Coast --> occur on average 130 days per year
what are the three ingredients for thunderstorm formation? what additional ingredient is
needed for severe thunderstorm formation? correct answers unstable atmosphere, lifting
mechanisms, and surface moisture, additional ingredient is vertical wind shear
what is atmospheric instability? how does it relate to an air parcel correct answers high
variability with weather and it relates to an air parcel because a rising air parcel will always
cool at a slower rate than the environment even when it is unsaturated making it unstable
what is an inversion and how does it relate to stability? temperature inversion? correct
answers inversions can duct sound waves resulting in louder thunder and in the troposphere is
it very stable due to an inversion layer that acts as lid on storm and temperature inversions
stabilize the atmosphere making it the make or break of a storm, temperature inversion=
warmer temp as you rise
how does the temperature of air change as it rises and sinks? why correct answers for an air
parcel rising air cools by expansion and sinking air warms by compression, rising air cools,
cooling the air leads to condensation which releases latent heat and if the parcel is warmer
than its environment it will be buoyant (unstable)
What is the LCL? LFC? EL? LI? CAPE? Know how to find each on a sounding and how they
relate to cloud structure. correct answers LCL is the lifting condensation level and this is the
cloud base where the altitude which the air must be lifted to for condensation to begin, the
LFL is the level of free convection and this is the point above the ground that the parcel first
becomes warmer than its environment, the EL is the equilibrium level and this is the point
where the anvil forms and it marks the top of the storm, the LI Is the lifted index and this is
negative and the parcel is warmer than the environment and the atmosphere is unstable if the
LI is positive the parcel is cooler than the environment and the atmosphere, CAPE is the
convective available potential energy and this is the postive energy found between the parcel
line and the temp line
for the sounding the right line is the temp of environment and the left line is the dewpoint
temp
what are typical lifting mechanisms that can trigger thunderstorms (4) correct answers 1.
fronts- cold front and dry line (most supercell storms occur at cold fronts)
2. orographic lift (mountain atmosphere heats from ground up)
3. sea breeze (example is Florida, peninsula of warm air surrounded by cold water)
4. thermals (rising hot air, the surface air gets hot enough in some locations to start to rise like
a bubble)
why is moisture important to thunderstorm formation correct answers moisture condenses
and releases energy that keeps the air warmer than its surrounding so that it continues to rise
what are three thunderstorm types correct answers 1. ordinary (single-cell): most common
type, usually not severe, form in environments with weak vertical wind shear and are most
common in summer away from fronts
