List some of the ways that you can predict the development of a surface middle latitude storm.?

Question

What will be the ideal response?

Answer 1

ANSWER: Answers may vary, but should be similar to the following. While examining 500 mb-level charts, a meteorologist recognizes certain clues that will aid in making the forecast. For one thing, s/he will assess the shape of the flow around the high. If it resembles the Greek letter omega, the high and its accompanying ridge is known as an omega high. The forecaster recognizes the omega high as a blocking high, one that tends to persist in the same geographic location for many days. This blocking pattern also tends to keep the troughs in their respective positions. Close spacing of contours in one direction, and more widely spaced contours in another direction from the trough hint that stronger winds exist. The forecaster may know from past experience that this usually means a trough will deepen. In addition, cold air may be flowing, indicating that cold advection is occurring. If a shortwave trough and a vorticity maximum is spotted, the injection of cold air and the shortwave into the main trough should cause intensification. On the other side of the main trough, warm air may be moving in a direction that indicates that warm advection is occurring. Conditions such as high wind speeds, cold air moving in one direction, warm air moving in another direction, and a shortwave moving into a longwave trough—manifest themselves as a deepening of a longwave trough. As an upper trough deepens, it should be capable of providing the necessary conditions favorable for the development of the surface low into a major mid-latitude cyclonic storm. The forecaster will likely consult maps for other levels of the atmosphere as well, such as 700 and 850 mb. These maps can reveal, for example, where moisture and warm air is flowing into the developing low-pressure center at lower levels of the atmosphere. Such knowledge gives the forecaster information as to how quickly and strongly the surface storm will develop. One of the main ingredients necessary for the development and intensification of the surface low is divergence of the airflow aloft. The forecaster knows that divergence aloft is associated with a decrease in surface pressure. This decrease, in turn, causes surface air to converge and rise, and its moisture to potentially condense into widespread cloudiness.