GEOG-120 Lecture Notes - Lecture 17: Nimbostratus Cloud, Yosemite National Park, Tropical Cyclone
Document Summary
4 triggers of precipitation (how air is driven aloft) Orographic there is horizontal movement of air that is driven aloft once it encounters a land mass carrier. Rcccp, then rains on the windward side of the mountain. The windward side is green (sinking air on leeward side) Sequoial yosemite national park (rain shadow desert) High altitude (a: 40,000 to 20,000 ft, mostly ice crystals, cirrus thin, wispy, can be seen a beginning/end of storms. Mid-level altitude (b: 20,000 to 10,000 ft, near mountain tops locally, altostratus (high, too high to produce rain (precipitation evaporates before touching ground. Lower altitude (c: 10,000 ft and below, low=level, nimbostratus (horizontal raining cloud, grey/featureless, 60,000 to 1,000 ft, cumuliform vertical development, cumulus up to 30,000 ft, spectacular lighting (venezuela (lake maracaibo), texas, nebraska, oklahoma. Frontal (cyclonic: warm air driven up when 2 or more air masses meet, warm air always driven up with cooler air as a center of low pressure develops.
