Study Guide and Outline Notes
 
Study Guide on Air Masses and Storms
View or Print the Study Guide
 
PowerPoint Presentation Outline Notes for Air Masses, Fronts, and Storms
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Tutorials and Study Questions
 
Online Tutorials from the University of Illinois:

• Air Masses and Fronts
• Midlatitude Cyclones
• Hurricanes
• Tornadoes

 
View or Print the Study Questions for University of Illinois Tutorials

 
GEODe: Earth Science CD-ROM Atmosphere Tutorial Basic Weather Patterns
View or Print the Study Questions for GEODe CD-ROM

Practice Quizzes

After completing the reading assignment and exploring the Web resources, study guide, and tutorial, review what you have learned with these quizzes:

 
Air Masses and Storms Multiple Choice Quiz
 

Quizzes, Tarbuck and Lutgens, Chapter 19, Key Concepts 1-4 and Chapter Test

Web Exploration

GOES 10 - Western US SECTOR IR Image from NOAA
Examine the current satellite image for the Western United States from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Look for the distinctive comma-shaped cloud pattern typical of midlatitude cyclonic storms in the northern hemisphere.

San Francisco State University Meteorology Department provides a more extensive satellite view of the Pacific Ocean including Hawaii and the Aleutians. Look west to find weather systems that are headed toward California and the Pacific Northwest.

Naval Research Lab
Examine the satellite images of the Eastern Pacific and U.S. West Coast from the Naval Research Lab, Monterey, California. Choose East Pacific IR.

National Weather Service Doppler Radar for the Bay Area
Is it raining? Check National Weather Service for a recent Doppler radar image that shows the intensity of precipitation in the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Area. You can enlarge the image and watch an animation.

Geostationary Satellite Server
Explore this site for a variety of visible (daytime only), infrared (nighttime) images, and film loops. Be patient if you download film loops. Observe the counterclockwise swirl of midlatitude cyclonic storms in the northern hemisphere. Predict the center of the low pressure.

Current Surface Weather Map
Examine current surface weather from the Weather Channel. Look for highs, lows, weather fronts, and precipitation. Explore the drop-down menu of other weather maps at the bottom of the current surface weather map.



Global Montage
How many storms can you identify on this global montage? Don't forget that storms in the southern hemisphere will have swirls that are the reverse of those in the northern hemisphere.



Southern Hemisphere Storm

 

For animated images of the Global Montage and real-time U.S. Composite Satellite images, go to
http://www.ssec.wisc.edu/data/composites.html

Hurricane Katrina
The BBC looks at the impacts of 2005 Hurricane Katrina and provides links to additional information about hurricanes.

NOVA - Video:  Storm That Drowned a City
Explore a slide show and interactive resources about Hurricane Katrina. Also at this NOVA site, you can watch an hour long PBS video on Hurricane Katrina and the factors that made New Orleans vulnerable to damage.

Tropical Cyclones
Where in the world can you find tropical cyclones? This site sponsored by the University of Wisconsin Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies will take you there

Each of the following sections from Michael Pidwirny's Online Textbook, Fundamentals of Physical Geography, is well worth exploring. Examine the excellent graphics and satellite images.
Air Masses and Fronts
Midlatitude Cyclones
Observe an animation of the development of a midlatitude cyclone (cyclogenesis).
Thunderstorms and Tornadoes
Tropical Weather and Hurricanes

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