Weather Assessment Flashcards
7 cards from real UAS practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Weather Assessment flashcards as text
What does 'VV' followed by a number in a METAR sky condition field indicate?
Answer: Vertical visibility into an obscuration
VV (Vertical Visibility) reports how far upward an observer can see into a surface-based obscuration such as fog or smoke.
A sUAS remote pilot observes cumulus clouds growing rapidly in height during the afternoon. This indicates:
Answer: Increasing convective activity and possible thunderstorm development
Rapidly building cumulus clouds (towering cumulus) signal strong atmospheric instability and impending thunderstorm development.
What is the primary cause of orographic lift?
Answer: Airflow forced upward by terrain like mountains
Orographic lift occurs when horizontal wind encounters elevated terrain and is forced to rise over it.
A remote pilot intends to fly at a site where the current dew point spread (temperature minus dew point) is 2°F. This suggests:
Answer: Fog or low cloud formation is likely imminent
A small temperature-dew point spread (less than 4°F) means air is near saturation, making fog or low cloud formation very likely.
Which type of fog is most common in valleys during clear, calm nights?
Answer: Radiation fog
Radiation fog forms in valleys when clear skies allow rapid radiational cooling of the surface, cooling air to its dew point.
What does a wind speed reported in a METAR as '15G25KT' mean?
Answer: 15-knot sustained winds gusting to 25 knots
In METAR format, G indicates gusts; 15G25KT means sustained winds of 15 knots with gusts reaching 25 knots.
During a preflight weather check, a pilot sees CB listed in the sky condition of a METAR. This means:
Answer: Cumulonimbus clouds are present
CB denotes cumulonimbus clouds, which are thunderstorm clouds and indicate severe weather hazards including turbulence and lightning.