UPPER LEVEL WIND ANALYSIS The 500 millibar winds are said to “steer mid-latitude
ID: 297243 • Letter: U
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UPPER LEVEL WIND ANALYSIS The 500 millibar winds are said to “steer mid-latitude cyclones. These upper level winds produce upper-level divergence that strengthens and maintains a surface low pressure system. As a simple rule, surface low pressure systems move at about 50% of the 500 millibar wind speeds. Use the following formula to determine how far the surface low will move over time: 500 mb wind speed x time distance 13) Figure I1a indicates a surface low pressure in eastern Colorado and a deep trough in the western United States. The 500 millibar winds in this example are 100 mi/hr. Assuming the upper-level winds remain unchanged, indicate the new location of the surface low on the map after 24 hours and 48 hours 14) Figure 11b indicates a surface low pressure in northern Montana and a relatively zonal flow aloft. The 500 millibar winds in this example are 90 mi/hr. Assuming the upper-level winds remain unchanged, indicate the new location of the surface low on the map after 36 hours and 72 hours. 500 miles 500 miles Figure 11:500 mb pressure surface charts for questions 13 and 14Explanation / Answer
The formula for 500 mb winds is given as 500 mb wind speed/2 *time = distance traveled. Using this formula, we calculate the distance traveled after a specific time at a specific 500 mb wind speed.
13) 100 (mi/hr) /2 * 24 hr = 1200 mi
dividig this distance by the scale length of 500 mi we get 2.4 in shift in the L towards left of the map after 24 hours.
Similarly, we calculate the distance traveled after 48 hrs.
14) 90 (mi/hr) /2 * 36 hr = 1620 mi
1620 / 500 = 3.24 in shift towards wesr of L on the map.
Similarly we calculate the position after 72 hours.
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