1. Is high or low pressure over the Intermountain West associated with the Santa
ID: 121365 • Letter: 1
Question
1. Is high or low pressure over the Intermountain West associated with the Santa Ana winds? Explain their cause & location with either a picture or words. Also, why are the Santa Ana winds hazardous?
2. Why are summers dry in Southern California but wet in Southern Georgia?
3. Explain what causes cities in India, such as Cherrapunji, to generally receive more than 90% of their annual precipitation between April and October. What causes Cherrapunji to receive less than 10% of its precipitation the rest of the year?
4. What type of air mass would be responsible for each of the following weather conditions? Write the appropriate air mass (mT, mP, cT, cP, or cA) in each of the spaces below.
____ heavy snow showers in the Pacific Coast Mountain Range
____ cool, dry fall air in Ashland, Ohio
____ daytime highs only reaching the single digits in Ashland, Ohio
____ drought with record high temperatures in the desert southwest
____ persistent cold, damp weather and drizzle in Boston
____ hot, muggy weather in Ashland, Ohio
____ summertime afternoon thunderstorms in the southeastern U.S.
____ 65F in January in Ashland, Ohio
____ lake effect snow in northeastern Ohio
____ pleasantly cooler temperatures and lower humidity after several hot & humid summer days
Explanation / Answer
1)
Most of the Santa Ana wind events are originated by high pressure in the Great Basin and lower pressure off the coast. This pressure gradient causes the intense winds. Santa Anas are a seasonal occurrence, mainly during fall, winter and spring, tends to peak in December. The cold air falls southward into the Great Basin, trapped between the Rockies to the east and the Sierras and Southern California coastal array to the west. These winds go beyond 40 miles per hour are warm and dry and can rigorously intensify brush or forest fires, particularly under drought conditions.
2)
Summers are dry in Southern California but wet in Southern Georgia because of the air motions linked with the subtropical highs.
3)
Chirapunji is on the windward side of the Khasi Hills, so the resultant orographic lift boosts precipitation. The heaviest rainfalls occur when the winds blow directly on the Khasi Hills. In the winter months it obtains the northeast monsoon showers that travel down the Brahmaputra valley.
4.
cP- heavy snow showers in the Pacific Coast Mountain Range
cP- cool, dry fall air in Ashland, Ohio
mT- daytime highs only reaching the single digits in Ashland, Ohio
cT- drought with record high temperatures in the desert southwest
mP- persistent cold, damp weather and drizzle in Boston
mT- hot, muggy weather in Ashland, Ohio
mT- summertime afternoon thunderstorms in the southeastern U.S.
mT- 65F in January in Ashland, Ohio
cP- lake effect snow
cT- pleasantly cooler temperatures and lower humidity after several hot & humid summer days
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