2.14 HONORS Severely Stormy Weather

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Professor Perspective in front of a mid-latitute cyclone

As we begin to take a closer look at severe weather that affects us, we need to understand the term "cyclone." This term is used to describe a weather disturbance with winds spiraling around a low pressure center. This would include hurricanes, monsoons, waterspouts, dust devils, and tornadoes. However, in meteorological lingo, the term cyclone is generally used to refer to mid-latitude cyclones. A mid-latitude cyclone is a huge storm system that affects a large portion of the country at the same time. In this lesson, you will explore the characteristics of these large storm systems. While you do this lesson, keep in mind that the smaller cyclonic storms that we will study in the next lesson are similar in many ways.

Mid-Latitude Cyclones
The major portion of the United States lies between 60^o N. latitude and 30^o N. latitude. In this region, conditions are ripe for the formation of very large weather systems called mid-latitude cyclones. As air masses of varying temperatures and moisture content, usually a continental polar (cool dry air mass from the north) and a maritime tropical (warm moist air mass from the south), meet they can form the large swirling weather system we call the mid-latitude cyclone. These weather systems are associated with severe weather, such as blizzards during colder months and large, severe thunderstorm systems during the warmer months.

Mid-latitude cyclones, hurricanes, and tornadoes, because of their similar characteristics, are all classified as types of cyclones. The major differences between these three storms lie in the amount of land affected by the storm and the speed of the winds associated with the storm.

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