Analysis of Surface and Upper Air Weather Maps

DIRECTIONS AND QUESTIONS

Note:

1. On the surface map the green shading is the radar depiction of precipitation falling at the given time.
2. On the 500 mb map the contours of the height of the 500 mb surface and the values of these contours (in meters) are in black. The wind flags are in blue (the location for which the flag gives data is at the "arrowhead"). You can ignore the isotherms and temperatures, which are in red.

For the 500 mb map:

1. In what general area of the U.S. would you find a trough? In what general area of the U.S. would you find a ridge?

2. Give a location with a wind of 30 knots. What is the direction of that wind?

3. Is the general flow on the map of high index or low index? Why?

4. In what general area of the U.S. is the flow meridional?

For the surface map:

5. What is the most probable type of the air mass to the west of the cold front? Why?

6. What is the location of the highest sea level pressure?

7. What is the location of the lowest sea level pressure?

8. Where in the U.S. would you expect to find the highest wind velocities? Why?

9. Where in the U.S. would you find near calm conditions? Why?

10. In what region of the U.S. would the wind be from the north? In what region of the U.S. would the wind be from the east?

11. For a location in eastern New York state, toward which direction would the pressure gradient force (only) be acting?

12. Why is precipitation falling north of the warm front?

13. Why is precipitation falling from western New York through northern Alabama?

14. Is it warmer in western Virginia or western Tennessee? Why?

15. What kind of weather would you expect (in general) over Iowa for the rest of the current day? Why?

For the two maps together:

16. What feature at 500 mb supports the surface low over the eastern Great Lakes? Why?