NIFE WEATHER EXAM PACK | LATEST
2025|2026 UPDATES | QUESTIONS
AND ANSWERS
What is saturation? - Answer- When the air cannot hold any more moisture, dew point
and temp are equal, preciciptation
What direction does the jet stream flow? - Answer- W to E
What is the average speed of winds in the jet stream? - Answer- 100-150 kts but can
exceed 250 kts
What are the dimensions of the jet stream? - Answer- 100-400 miles wide
1000-3000 miles long
3000-7000 ft thick
What is a sea breeze? - Answer- cool, dense air over water moves over warmer land
air warms over the land during the day
warm air rises and returns over the ocean
occurs 1500-3000 ft AGL
15-20 kts
What is a land breeze? - Answer- land cools faster than water so now the water is
warmer, reverses the cycle of sea breeze
breeze moves from cooler land to warmer water
nighttime
water holds heat from the daytime better than land does, so it is warmer at night
what are the two types of clouds? - Answer- stratiform and cumuliform
What are stratiform clouds? - Answer- come from moist stable air
steady precipitation
widespread with no definable shape
low turbulence
What are cumuliform clouds? - Answer- come from moist unstable air
shower precipitation
large puffy clouds with more definable shapes and vertical development
cold weather
What are special clouds? - Answer- extensive vertical development
nimbo/nimbus
, What does nimbus mean? - Answer- violent/heavy
What are cumulonimbus clouds? - Answer- thunderstorm clouds
severe to extreme turbulence, hail, icing, lightning
bases at low altitudes, tops at high altitudes
What are nimbostratus clouds? - Answer- thick, uniform, widespread clouds that build
downwards
heavy rain showers and moderate turbulence, but no thunder
What are the 4 cloud groups? - Answer- low, middle, high, special
What are low clouds? - Answer- surface to 6500' AGL
no prefix
stratus/cumulus
What are middle clouds? - Answer- 6500'-20,000' AGL
alto prefix
What are high clouds? - Answer- >20,000' AGL
ice crystals if colder than -20 deg C
Cirro prefix
What are the precipitation characteristics? - Answer- showery
continuous
intermittent
What does showery mean? - Answer- sudden start and stop
abrupt changes in intensity
cumuliform type clouds
storms
What does continuous mean? - Answer- stead with gradual changes
stratiform type clouds
widespread rain, no thunder
What does intermittent mean? - Answer- starts and stops at least once during the hour
only precipitation characteristic with time associated
either cloud type
What are the four lifting methods? - Answer- FOCT
Frontal
Orographic
Convergence
Thermal
2025|2026 UPDATES | QUESTIONS
AND ANSWERS
What is saturation? - Answer- When the air cannot hold any more moisture, dew point
and temp are equal, preciciptation
What direction does the jet stream flow? - Answer- W to E
What is the average speed of winds in the jet stream? - Answer- 100-150 kts but can
exceed 250 kts
What are the dimensions of the jet stream? - Answer- 100-400 miles wide
1000-3000 miles long
3000-7000 ft thick
What is a sea breeze? - Answer- cool, dense air over water moves over warmer land
air warms over the land during the day
warm air rises and returns over the ocean
occurs 1500-3000 ft AGL
15-20 kts
What is a land breeze? - Answer- land cools faster than water so now the water is
warmer, reverses the cycle of sea breeze
breeze moves from cooler land to warmer water
nighttime
water holds heat from the daytime better than land does, so it is warmer at night
what are the two types of clouds? - Answer- stratiform and cumuliform
What are stratiform clouds? - Answer- come from moist stable air
steady precipitation
widespread with no definable shape
low turbulence
What are cumuliform clouds? - Answer- come from moist unstable air
shower precipitation
large puffy clouds with more definable shapes and vertical development
cold weather
What are special clouds? - Answer- extensive vertical development
nimbo/nimbus
, What does nimbus mean? - Answer- violent/heavy
What are cumulonimbus clouds? - Answer- thunderstorm clouds
severe to extreme turbulence, hail, icing, lightning
bases at low altitudes, tops at high altitudes
What are nimbostratus clouds? - Answer- thick, uniform, widespread clouds that build
downwards
heavy rain showers and moderate turbulence, but no thunder
What are the 4 cloud groups? - Answer- low, middle, high, special
What are low clouds? - Answer- surface to 6500' AGL
no prefix
stratus/cumulus
What are middle clouds? - Answer- 6500'-20,000' AGL
alto prefix
What are high clouds? - Answer- >20,000' AGL
ice crystals if colder than -20 deg C
Cirro prefix
What are the precipitation characteristics? - Answer- showery
continuous
intermittent
What does showery mean? - Answer- sudden start and stop
abrupt changes in intensity
cumuliform type clouds
storms
What does continuous mean? - Answer- stead with gradual changes
stratiform type clouds
widespread rain, no thunder
What does intermittent mean? - Answer- starts and stops at least once during the hour
only precipitation characteristic with time associated
either cloud type
What are the four lifting methods? - Answer- FOCT
Frontal
Orographic
Convergence
Thermal
