American Meteorological Society Certification Mesoscale Meteorology 2

Question 1

A bow echo on Doppler radar is associated with what type of hazard?

Accepted Answer

Damaging straight-line winds and bookend vortices

Answer

Extreme hail

Answer

Tornado family outbreak

Answer

Flash flooding only

Question 2

What causes the hook echo feature on radar associated with supercell thunderstorms?

Accepted Answer

Rotation in the storm drawing precipitation around the mesocyclone

Answer

Heavy rain wrapping around a low-pressure center

Answer

An outflow boundary intersecting a squall line

Answer

Hail core wrapping around a clear air region

Question 3

Mountain waves and associated turbulence are detected most effectively with which tool?

Accepted Answer

Pilot Reports (PIREPs) and upper-air wind analysis

Answer

Surface METAR observations

Answer

Radiosonde humidity profiles

Answer

Lightning detection networks

Question 4

An outflow boundary is a mesoscale boundary created by what?

Accepted Answer

The spreading cool downdraft air from convective storms

Answer

A cold front reaching the surface

Answer

Orographic flow splitting around mountains

Answer

A sea breeze penetrating inland

Question 5

What is wind shear's primary role in supercell thunderstorm formation?

Accepted Answer

It tilts the updraft, separating it from the downdraft and allowing rotation

Answer

It reduces moisture convergence

Answer

It weakens the updraft over time

Answer

It produces precipitation immediately

Question 6

What is a Mesoscale Convective System (MCS)?

Accepted Answer

A complex of thunderstorms organized on the mesoscale with a contiguous precipitation area

Answer

Any single severe thunderstorm

Answer

A synoptic-scale trough system

Answer

A tropical wave system