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What is the dew point?
The point at which air has been cooled until it is totally saturated with moisture and the water begins to condense.
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Clouds, fog or dew will always form as the temperature difference between the current temperature and what gets closer?
The dew point
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What is the proper name for the process when water moisture goes directly from a gas state to a frozen state, bypassing the liquid state?
Sublimation
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What are the four families of clouds?
High, middle, low, and clouds with extensive vertical development
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Clouds that form because of rising air are called what?
Cumulus
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Cumulus clouds have what type of appearance?
billowy, puffy
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Clouds that form by cooling are called what?
Stratus
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Stratus clouds have what kind of appearance?
Flat, layered appearance
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At what altitude do you find high clouds?
16,500 to 45,000' (High clouds will form between 10,000 and 25,000 ft in the polar regions, 16,500 and 40,000 ft in the temperate regions and 20,000 and 60,000 ft in the tropical region.
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What are high clouds called?
Cirrus (Cirrus (Ci), Cirrocumulus (Cc), and Cirrostratus (Cs) are high level clouds. They are typically thin and white in appearance, but can appear in a magnificent array of colors when the sun is low on the horizon.)
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The prefix nimbo or the suffix nimbus means what?
Rain clouds
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Middle clouds are found at what altitude?
6,500 - 23,000' (6,500-13,000 feet polar region, 6,500-23,000 feet temperate region, 6,500-25,000 feet tropical region.)
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What prefix is often used to describe a middle cloud?
alto
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What are types of middle clouds?
Altocumulus (Ac), Altostratus (As), and Nimbostratus (Ns) are mid-level clouds. They are composed primarily of water droplets, however, they can also be composed of ice crystals when temperatures are low enough.
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Low clouds are found at what altitudes?
Surface to 6,500'
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What are types of low clouds?
Cumulus (Cu), Stratocumulus (Sc), Stratus (St), and Cumulonimbus (Cb) are low clouds composed of water droplets.
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Clouds with vertical development can tower as high as?
60,000'
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An unstable atmosphere is defined by what?
Hot air rising upward through cooler air.
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What kind of clouds typically form in stable air?
Stratus clouds
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When air near the ground is hot and moist what type of ride should one expect?
A bumpy ride with showery precipitation
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What defines an air mass?
A huge body of air with similar temperature and moisture content.
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Air masses are classified according to the region they are formed. What are the regions and type of air mass formed?
Polar for cold, Tropical for warm, continental for dry, and maritime for moist
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When you have two air masses with different temperatures, the boundary between is called what?
A front
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When a cold mass of air moves under a warm mass of air it is called a what?
A cold front
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What is the map symbol of a cold front?
triangles or "icicles" showing the direction the front is moving.
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When a warm moving mass of air moves over a heavier cold mass it is called what?
A warm front
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How is a warm front shown on a map?
Round blisters show direction of the fronts travel.
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What is the one thing that you will always get when crossing a front?
A shift in wind direction and often a change in wind speed.
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