Author Question: How does a northeaster form and what types of weather does it typically bring to the East Coast? ... (Read 46 times)

abern · **on:** Jul 14, 2018

How does a northeaster form and what types of weather does it typically bring to the East Coast?

What will be an ideal response?

Question 2

Compare and contrast winter cP air masses and summer cP air masses in terms of their formation conditions, their typical movements, and their temperature and moisture characteristics.

What will be an ideal response?

dellikani2015 · **Reply #1 on:** Jul 14, 2018

Answer to Question 1

Answer: When midlatitude cyclones (rotating counterclockwise) pass over a region, the rotating air sweeps around the low-pressure system and approaches the coast from the northeast. The resultant winds are the famous northeasters (or nor'easters) that can bring cold winds and heavy snowfall.

Answer to Question 2

Answer: In addition to having very low temperatures, winter cP air masses are extremely dry. The combination of dry air and stable conditions ensures that few if any clouds will form over a cP source region. Thus, despite their low temperatures, cP air masses over their source regions are usually bright and sunny. On the other hand, the stability of the atmosphere inhibits vertical mixing, so pollutants introduced at the surface remain concentrated near the ground. Summer cP air masses are similar, but much less extreme; they are both warmer and more humid than the winter version. They tend to remain at higher latitudes than winter cP air masses, so they do not influence as much of the globe as their winter counterparts.