DWO Weather Assessment 3

Question 1

A vessel is steaming in tropical waters and the watch officer notices a sudden drop in air temperature accompanied by a darkening sky to windward. This most likely signals:

Accepted Answer

An approaching squall or thunderstorm

Answer

A passing warm front

Answer

The onset of trade winds

Answer

A tropical high pressure cell

Question 2

What does the term 'occluded front' mean in meteorological terms?

Accepted Answer

A front formed when a cold front overtakes a warm front

Answer

A front that has stalled over water for more than 48 hours

Answer

A front moving faster than 30 knots

Answer

A stationary boundary between two equal air masses

Question 3

At Beaufort Force 8, a deck watch officer should expect approximate wind speeds of:

Accepted Answer

34-40 knots

Answer

17-21 knots

Answer

28-33 knots

Answer

41-47 knots

Question 4

Which cloud type is most directly associated with thunderstorm development?

Accepted Answer

Cumulonimbus

Answer

Altostratus

Answer

Nimbostratus

Answer

Stratocumulus

Question 5

On a NAVTEX weather broadcast, the term 'GALE WARNING' is issued when winds are forecast to reach:

Accepted Answer

34-47 knots

Answer

22-27 knots

Answer

28-33 knots

Answer

48 knots or above

Question 6

When analyzing a surface weather chart, a trough of low pressure is represented by:

Accepted Answer

An elongated area of low pressure extending from a cyclone

Answer

Solid lines connecting points of equal temperature

Answer

Concentric closed isobars around a high pressure center

Answer

Dashed lines showing wind shift boundaries

Question 7

A deck watch officer in the Northern Hemisphere observes the wind backing (shifting counterclockwise). This is commonly associated with:

Accepted Answer

Deteriorating weather as a warm front approaches

Answer

Improving weather behind a cold front

Answer

The passage of a high pressure center

Answer

Subsiding air and clearing skies