midlatitude cyclones (storms) extratropical cyclone or wave cyclone or frontogenesis or storm low...
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Midlatitude Cyclones (Storms)
• Extratropical cyclone or wave cyclone or frontogenesis or storm
• Low pressure area with counter-clockwise circulation.
• Atmosphere collects water as water vapor in evaporation from oceans, lakes.
• It is returned via precipitation, often caused by storms.
StormsCenter of intense low pressure with
cyclonic circulation and resultant precipitation.
• Midlatitude Cyclone• Hurricane• Tornadoes• Not thunderstorms, no cyclonic
motion.
Cyclogenesis in Action:Mid-latitude (extratropical) cyclones
Air MassesDefinition: volume of air with same temperature and humidity characteristics
Source Regions: where air masses come from.Classification: warm or cold, moist or dry
Air Masses Affecting North America
Frontogenesis
Occluded Front: The Death of a Storm
Occluded Front
Weather Maps
Storm Tracks: North America
ActualStormTracks(1991)
Storms (Storm Tracks) generally travel from West to East in North America all year
They shift Northin summer & South in Winter
AverageStorm TracksMoving WestTo East
Midlatitude Cyclone Characteristics
Motion: these storms move across the midlatitudes at about 30 m.p.h. from west to east as they rotate once around a low pressure center.
Size: roughly 1,000 miles in diameter, the largest of storms
Lifespan: 3-6 days to develop, 3-6 to dissipate
Pressure: center roughly 990-1000 mb (1-2 % drop)