WINDS

Why do most weather systems in the United States move from west to east?

• The West Coast is at a higher elevation than the East Coast and weather systems go downhill
• Prevailing westerlies carry weather systems to the east across most of the United States
• The West Coast is warmer and weather systems always move from warmer to colder places
• Mountain ranges prevent the movement of weather systems from west to east

Which is true about sea breezes?

• They form when both the land and the ocean have cooler temperatures
• They form when both the land and the ocean have warmer temperatures
• They form because the land warms up more quickly than the cooler ocean waters
• They form because the ocean warms up more quickly than the land

Which most affects the path of a weather system in the United States?

• the width of the jet stream
• the speed of the jet stream
• the location of the jet stream
• the temperature of the jet stream

Which is the best explanation for how air masses move across the United States?

• The prevailing westerlies move air masses from west to east across the United States but may be deflected by the jet stream
• The trade winds move air masses from west to east across the United States
• The jet stream moves air masses from the Pacific Ocean across the United States
• The warm air of the Gulf Stream causes air masses to move from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean

What will most likely result when the jet stream moves south of North Carolina?

• North Carolina will experience tropical weather conditions
• North Carolina will experience hot, dry weather
• North Carolina will experience mild weather
• North Carolina will experience cold weather

What determines the direction in which air masses flow across the United States?

• the Gulf of Mexico
• the Atlantic Ocean
• the heat from the sun
• the rotation of the earth

Why do air temperatures vary over bodies of water and land masses?

• because water can hold more heat than land
• because water receives more sunlight than land
• because wind moves faster over land than over water
• because water temperatures are colder than land temperatures

Which of these actions causes wind? 

• the rotation of the Earth on it's axis
• movement of air from water to land
• uneven heating of the earth's surface
• air passing earth as it revolves around the sun

Which describes a wind that moves from the land to the sea overnight?

• land breeze
• sea breeze
• trade wind

Global winds over the United States blow in which direction?

• east to west
• west to east
• north to south
• south to north