USCG METEOROLOGY EXAM WITH ANSWERS 2024/2025 (Graded A+)

USCG METEOROLOGY EXAM WITH ANSWERS 2024/2025 (Graded A+) A barometer showing falling pressure indicates the approach of a __________. a) high pressure system b) low pressure system c) high dew point d) low dew point A boundary between two air masses is a(n) __________. a) lapse rate b) isobar c) front d) continent A cloud sequence of cirrus, cirrostratus, and altostratus clouds followed by rain usually signifies the approach of a(n) __________. a) occluded front b) stationary front c) warm front d) cold front A cold front moving in from the northwest can produce __________. a) thunderstorms, hail, and then rapid clearing b) increasing cloud cover lasting for several days c) lengthy wet weather d) low ceilings with thick cirrus clouds A current moving across a lock entrance toward the river or toward the dam is called a(n) __________. a) cutoff b) outdraft c) lockwash d) springpool A current will develop between areas of different density in ocean waters. If you face in the same direction the current is flowing, the water of __________. a) high density will be on the left in the Northern Hemisphere b) high density will be on the right in the Southern Hemisphere c) low density will be on the left in the Northern Hemisphere d) low density will be on the left in the Southern Hemisphere A cyclone in its final stage of development is called a(n) __________. a) tornado b) anticyclone c) occluded cyclone or occluded front d) polar cyclone A frontal thunderstorm is caused by __________. a) pronounced local heating b) wind being pushed up a mountain c) a warm air mass rising over a cold air mass d) an increased lapse rate caused by advection of warm surface air A generally circular low pressure area is called a(n) __________. a) cyclone b) anticyclone c) cold front d) occluded front 1 USCG METEOROLOGY EXAM WITH ANSWERS 2024/2025 A hurricane moving northeast out of the Gulf passes west of your position. You could expect all of the following except __________. a) higher than normal swells b) high winds c) winds veering from south, through west, to northwest d) light showers A katabatic wind blows __________. a) up an incline due to surface heating b) in a circular pattern c) down an incline due to cooling of the air d) horizontally between a high and a low pressure area A light, feathery deposit of ice caused by the sublimation of water vapor directly into the crystalline form, on objects whose temperatures are below freezing, is called __________. a) dew b) frost c) glaze d) snow A line of clouds, sharp changes in wind direction, and squalls are most frequently associated with a(n) __________. a) occluded front b) warm front c) cold front d) warm sector A line on a weather chart connecting places which have the same barometric pressure is called an ____. a) isotherm b) isallobar c) isobar d) isotope A local wind which occurs during the daytime and is caused by the different rates of warming of land and water is a __________. a) foehn b) chinook c) land breeze d) sea breeze A low, uniform layer of cloud resembling fog, but not resting on the ground, is called __________. a) cumulus b) nimbus c) stratus d) cirrus A mercurial barometer at sea is subject to rapid variations in height ("pumping") due to the pitch and roll of the vessel. To avoid this error, measurements of atmospheric pressure at sea are usually measured with a(n) __________. a) syphon barometer b) cistern barometer c) aneroid barometer d) fortin barometer 2 A position that is obtained by applying estimated current and wind to your vessel's course and speed is a(n) __________. a) dead reckoning position b) fix c) estimated position d) None of the above A sea breeze is a wind __________. a) that blows towards the sea at night b) that blows towards an island during the day c) caused by cold air descending a coastal incline d) caused by the distant approach of a hurricane A series of brief showers accompanied by strong, shifting winds may occur along or some distance ahead of a(n) __________. a) upper front aloft b) cyclone c) occluded front d) cold front A ship is on course 195° at a speed of 15 knots. The apparent wind is from 40° on the port bow, speed 30 knots. The direction and speed of the true wind are __________. a) 068°T, 30 knots b) 127°T, 21 knots c) 263°T, 42 knots d) 292°T, 42 knots A steep barometric gradient indicates __________. a) calms b) light winds c) strong winds d) precipitation A strong, often violent, northerly wind occurring on the Pacific coast of Mexico, particularly during the colder months, is called __________. a) Tehuantepecer b) Papagayo c) Norther d) Pampero A strong, often violent, northerly wind occurring on the Pacific coast of Mexico, particularly during the colder months, is a __________. a) Papagayo b) fall wind c) foehn d) williwaw A thin, whitish, high cloud popularly known as "mares' tails" is __________. a) altostratus b) stratus c) cumulus d) cirrus 3 A tropical cyclone has recurved and entered temperate latitudes. In the Northern Hemisphere when a large high pressure system lies north of the storm, what situation may occur? a) The low may suddenly deepen, and the cyclone intensify and pick up speed. b) The left semicircle may become the dangerous semicircle. c) The low and the high may merge and cancel out the weather characteristics of each. d) The high may force the cyclone to reverse its track. A tropical wave is located 200 miles due west of your position, which is north of the equator. Where will the wave be in 24 hours? a) Farther away to the west b) Farther away to the east c) In the same place d) Closer and to the west A tropical wave is usually preceded by __________. a) tropical storms b) good weather c) heavy rain and cloudiness d) heavy seas A vessel encountering hurricane or typhoon conditions is required to transmit reports to the closest meteorological service every __________. a) 8 hrs b) 6 hrs c) 3 hrs d) hour A weather forecast states that the wind will commence backing. In the Northern Hemisphere, this would indicate that it will __________. a) shift in a clockwise manner b) shift in a counterclockwise manner c) continue blowing from the same direction d) decrease in velocity A weather forecast states that the wind will commence veering. In the Northern Hemisphere this indicates that the wind will __________. a) shift in a clockwise manner b) shift in a counterclockwise manner c) continue blowing from the same direction d) increase in velocity A wind vane on a moving vessel shows __________. a) dead reckoning wind direction b) true wind direction c) apparent wind direction d) estimated wind direction Above-normal tides near the center of a hurricane may be caused by the __________. a) high barometric pressure b) jet stream c) storm surge d) torrential rains 4 According to Buys Ballot's law, when an observer in the Northern Hemisphere experiences a northeast wind the center of low pressure is located to the __________. a) northeast b) west-southwest c) northwest d) south-southeast According to Buys Ballot's law, when an observer in the Northern Hemisphere experiences a northwest wind, the center of low pressure is located to the __________. a) northeast b) west-southwest c) northwest d) south-southeast According to Buys Ballot's Law, when an observer in the Southern Hemisphere experiences a northwest wind, the center of the low pressure is located to the __________. a) east-northeast b) south-southwest c) east-southeast d) west-southwest Advection fog, a common occurrence on the Great Lakes, forms when __________. a) air comes in contact with a rapidly cooling land surface b) frigid arctic air moves across the lakes and becomes saturated c) relatively warm air flows over cooler water d) cool air contacts warm river currents Advection fog is most commonly caused by __________. a) air being warmed above the dew point b) saturation of cold air by rain c) a rapid cooling of the air near the surface of the Earth at night d) warm moist air being blown over a colder surface After a cold front passes, the barometric pressure __________. a) drops and the temperature drops b) drops and the temperature rises c) rises and the temperature drops d) rises and the temperature rises After a cold front passes the barometric pressure usually __________. a) fluctuates b) remains the same c) remains the same, with clouds forming rapidly d) rises, often quite rapidly, with clearing skies After the passage of a cold front the visibility_______. _ a) does not change b) improves rapidly c) improves only slightly d) becomes poor Altocumulus clouds are defined as __________. a) high clouds b) middle clouds c) low clouds d) vertical development clouds 5 An air mass is termed "warm" if __________. a) it is above 70°F b) the ground over which it moves is cooler than the air c) it originated in a high pressure area d) it originated in a low pressure area An anemometer on a moving vessel measures __________. a) apparent wind speed only b) true wind speed and true wind direction c) true wind speed only d) apparent wind speed and true wind direction An aneroid barometer is an instrument __________. a) used to measure the speed of wind b) in which the pressure of the air is measured c) that tells which direction a storm is coming from d) used to measure the height of waves An aneroid barometer reading should be corrected for differences in _____________________ . a) elevation b) temperature c) wind speed d) latitude An instrument designed to maintain a continuous record of atmospheric pressure is a(n) __________. a) mercurial barometer b) aneroid barometer c) barograph d) thermograph An occluded front is caused by a(n) __________. a) low pressure area b) high pressure area c) area of calm air d) cold front overtaking a warm front An occluded front is usually caused by a __________. a) cold front becoming stationary b) warm front becoming stationary c) cold front overtaking a warm front d) warm front dissipating An occluded front on a weather map is colored __________. a) blue line b) purple line c) dashed blue line d) alternate red and blue line Anticyclones are usually characterized by __________. a) dry, fair weather b) high winds and cloudiness c) gustiness and continuous precipitation d) overcast skies 6 Apparent wind speed blowing across your vessel while underway can be measured by a(n) __________. a) barometer b) wind vane c) anemometer d) thermometer As a cold front passes an observer, pressure __________. a) drops and winds become variable b) rises and winds become gusty c) drops and winds become gusty d) rises and winds become variable As the South Equatorial Current approaches the east coast of Africa, it divides with the main part flowing south to form the warm __________. a) Agulhas Current b) Canary Current c) Benguela Current d) Madagascar Current As the temperature for a given mass of air increases, the __________. a) dew point increases b) dew point decreases c) relative humidity increases d) relative humidity decreases At what angle to the isobars do surface winds blow over the open sea? a) About 90° b) About 50° c) About 25° d) About 15° Atmospheric pressure at sea level is equal to __________. a) 14.7 pounds per square inch b) 29.92 inches of mercury c) 1013.25 millibars d) All of the above Barometer readings in weather reports are given in terms of pressure at __________. a) sea level b) Washington, D.C. c) the weather station d) the broadcasting station Barometers are usually calibrated to indicate atmospheric pressure in __________. a) inches of mercury and centimeters b) feet of mercury and millibars c) inches of mercury and millimeters d) inches of mercury and millibars Brief, violent showers frequently accompanied by thunder and lightning are usually associated with __________. a) passage of a warm front b) passage of a cold front c) winds shifting counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere d) stationary high pressure systems 7 Cirrus clouds are composed primarily of __________. a) ice crystals b) water droplets c) snow crystals d) nitrogen Cirrus clouds followed by cirrostratus then altostratus, stratus, and occasionally nimbostratus indicate the approach of a(n) __________. a) cold front b) warm front c) tropical front d) occluded front Cloud formations are minimal when the __________. a) surface temperature and temperature aloft are equal b) surface temperature and temperature aloft differ greatly c) barometric pressure is very low d) relative humidity is very high Clouds appearing in the following order: cirrus, cirrostratus, altostratus, stratus, and nimbostratus usually indicate the approach of a(n) __________. a) warm front b) occluded front c) medium front d) cold front Clouds are classified according to their __________. a) size b) moisture content c) altitude and how they were formed d) location in a front Clouds that form as small white flakes or scaly globular masses covering either small or large portions of the sky are __________. a) cirrus b) cirrostratus c) altostratus d) cirrocumulus Cold water flowing southward through the western part of the Bering Strait between Alaska and Siberia is joined by water circulating counterclockwise in the Bering Sea to form the __________. a) Alaska Current b) Subarctic Current c) Kuroshio Current d) Oyashio Current Considering the general circulation of the atmosphere, the wind system between latitudes 30°N and 60°N is commonly called the __________. a) prevailing westerlies b) horse latitudes c) tradewinds d) subpolar low pressure belts Cumulonimbus clouds are most likely to accompany a(n) __________. a) high pressure system b) cold front c) warm front d) occluded front 8 Cumulonimbus clouds can produce __________. a) dense fog and high humidity b) gusty winds, thunder, rain or hail, and lightning c) clear skies with the approach of a cold front d) a rapid drop in barometric pressure followed by darkness Current refers to the __________. a) vertical movement of the water b) horizontal movement of the water c) density changes in the water d) None of the above Cyclones tend to move __________. a) perpendicular to the isobars in their warm sectors b) parallel to the isobars in their warm sectors c) parallel to the line of the cold front d) perpendicular to the line of the cold front Cyclones that have warm sectors usually move __________. a) westerly b) parallel to the isobars in the warm sector c) toward the nearest high pressure area d) faster than the accompanying cold front During the winter months, the southeast trade winds are __________. a) stronger than during the summer months b) weaker than during the summer months c) drier than during the summer months d) wetter than during the summer months Early indications of the approach of a hurricane may be all of the following except __________. a) short confused swells b) gradually increasing white clouds (mare's tails) c) pumping barometer d) continuous fine mist-like rain Fetch is the __________. a) distance a wave travels between formation and decay b) stretch of water over which a wave-forming wind blows c) time in seconds required for two crests to pass a given point d) measurement of a wave's steepness Fog can form in any season on the Great Lakes, but it is most likely to occur over open waters in ________. a) summer and early autumn b) autumn and early winter c) winter and early spring d) spring and early summer Fog is likely to occur when there is little difference between the dew point and the __________. a) relative humidity b) air temperature c) barometric pressure d) absolute humidity 9 Fog is most commonly associated with a(n) __________. a) warm front at night b) low pressure area c) anticyclone d) cold front in the spring Good weather is usually associated with a region of __________. a) low barometric pressure b) high barometric pressure c) falling barometric pressure d) pumping barometric pressure High clouds, composed of small white flakes or scaly globular masses, and often banded together to form a "mackerel sky", would be classified as __________. a) cirrus b) cirrocumulus c) altostratus d) cumulonimbus How long would a steady wind need to blow in order to create a wind driven current? a) 2 hours b) 6 hours c) 12 hours d) 18 hours If a weather bulletin shows the center of a low pressure system to be 100 miles due east of you, what winds can you expect in the Southern Hemisphere? a) South-southwesterly b) North-northwesterly c) South-southeasterly d) North-northeasterly If an observer in the Northern Hemisphere faces the surface wind, the center of low pressure is to his______________. a) left, slightly behind him b) right, slightly behind him c) left, slightly in front of him d) right, slightly in front of him If it is impossible to avoid a hurricane in the Northern Hemisphere, the most favorable place to be when the storm passes is in __________. a) the dangerous semicircle b) the eye (center) of the storm c) that half of the storm lying to the right of the storm's path d) that half of the storm lying to the left of the storm's path If the sky was clear, with the exception of a few cumulus clouds, it would indicate __________. a) rain b) hurricane weather c) fair weather d) fog setting in If you are caught in the left semicircle of a tropical storm, in the Southern Hemisphere, you should bring the wind __________. a) on the starboard quarter, hold course and make as much way as possible b) 2 points on the port quarter, and make as much way as possible c) on the port bow, and make as much way as possible