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Warm up

1.
2.
3.
Answer these questions in your
notebook:
What is the difference between
humidity and relative humidity?
What are clouds made of?
List the differences between a cold front
and a warm front. Sketch the side
profile of each.
High Pressure Systems

Formed when air moves all the way
around a high-pressure center
 Air sinks down
 Spreads out toward areas of low pressure
Characteristics
Large and change slowly
 Moves slowly clockwise
 Clear skies and calm air


This is due to air sinking to a lower
altitude, which causes it to warm up a
little bit (clouds disappear)
Low Pressure Systems
Surrounds a center of low pressure
 Air moves in toward lowest pressure
 Moves upward to higher altitude
 Upward motion moves air faster

Characteristics
Stormy weather
 Form where a warm front meets a cold
front
 Moves quickly counter-clockwise

Low Pressure System Examples
Tropical Storms
 Hurricanes
 Winter Storms
 Severe Storms

Thunderstorms
Definition: Storm w/ lightning and
thunder
 Caused by rising moist air
 Warm, humid air moves vertically into
cooler air above

Thunderstorm Formation
1.

Rising humid air (updraft) forms a
cumulus cloud.
Energy increases the air motion,
forming a cumulonimbus cloud.
2.



Large ice particles form in the low
temps near the top of the cloud.
They fall and pull cold air down with
them, forming a strong downdraft
Downdraft brings heavy rain or hail
This is the most severe stage of a
thunderstorm
3.

Downdraft spreads out, which blocks
more warm air from moving upward
The blocking of warm air causes the
storm to slow down and eventually end
Characteristics

Thunderstorms can form:
1. At a cold front
○ Air can be forced upward quickly
2. Within an air mass
○ Uneven heating produces convection and
thunderstorms
Effects of Thunderstorms
Flash Floods
 Strong winds
 Hail
 Lightning
 Tornadoes

Mini-Lab
With a partner:
1. Crumple a piece of paper, then flatten it
out. Repeat.
2. Spin the top on the flattened paper.
Count the seconds (and record) until it
stops spinning.
3. Spin the top on a smooth surface.
Count the seconds (and record) until it
stops spinning.

Lab Questions
1. By counting the seconds, record how long
the top spun on the paper.
2. Record how long the top spun on the
smooth surface.
3. Did the top spin longer on the crumpled
paper or on the smooth surface?
4. How does the texture of the surface affect
the rate at which the top loses energy?
5. What real-life weather phenomena do you
think this lab illustrates?
Classwork
You are going to work on identifying
pressure systems on a weather map
 You are going to identify:
~high pressure systems
~low pressure systems
~high speeds (vectors)
~low speeds (vectors)
 Answer question #5

Video Segment

http://app.discoveryeducation.com/playe
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