American Meteorological Society Certification Mesoscale Meteorology 2

Question 1

A bow echo on Doppler radar is associated with what type of hazard?

Accepted Answer

Damaging straight-line winds and bookend vortices

Answer

Bow echoes are bow-shaped radar reflectivity features associated with strong rear-inflow jets and damaging straight-line winds.

Question 2

What causes the hook echo feature on radar associated with supercell thunderstorms?

Accepted Answer

Rotation in the storm drawing precipitation around the mesocyclone

Answer

The hook echo forms when the supercell's rotating updraft wraps precipitation around the mesocyclone, creating the distinctive hook shape.

Question 3

Mountain waves and associated turbulence are detected most effectively with which tool?

Accepted Answer

Pilot Reports (PIREPs) and upper-air wind analysis

Answer

PIREPs from aircraft combined with upper-air wind profiles are essential for identifying and forecasting mountain wave turbulence.

Question 4

An outflow boundary is a mesoscale boundary created by what?

Accepted Answer

The spreading cool downdraft air from convective storms

Answer

Outflow boundaries form at the leading edge of cold pool air from thunderstorm downdrafts and can trigger new convection.

Question 5

What is wind shear's primary role in supercell thunderstorm formation?

Accepted Answer

It tilts the updraft, separating it from the downdraft and allowing rotation

Answer

Wind shear tilts the updraft away from the downdraft, preventing the storm from choking itself and promoting sustained, rotating convection.

American Meteorological Society Certification Practice Test