Table of Contents
What air masses affect Michigan?
Pacific air (mP) enters the state from the west or northwest after it has been modified by its passage over the Rocky Mountains. By the time Pacific air reaches Michigan, it is mild for the season but dry. Tropical air (mT) originates over the Gulf of Mexico or the Caribbean and accordingly is warm and moist.
What air mass affects weather in Michigan the most?
The maritime Tropical (mT) is the most important moisture-bearing and rain-producing air mass throughout the year.
What affects climate in Michigan?
The Great Lakes cool the hot winds of summer and warm the cold winds of winter, giving Michigan a more moderate and somewhat moister climate than some other north-central states. Although the Upper Peninsula is cooler, the temperature ranges in Michigan’s far northern and far southern cities do not differ excessively.
What two air masses affect the US?
Five air masses affect the United States during the course of a typical year: continental polar, continental arctic, continental tropical, maritime polar, and maritime tropical. Continental air masses are characterized by dry air near the surface while maritime air masses are moist.
How does Lake Michigan affect weather in Michigan?
The weather in each season in West Michigan is influence by Lake Michigan. The result of this is a temperature inversion which affects the weather with humid conditions in the summer. Increased summer sunshine warms the water on the lakes surface making it lighter than the colder water below.
What type of climate is Michigan?
The climate of Michigan. Michigan has a continental type of climate (Köppen climate classification Dfb) in its major northern part, with warm, short summers and icy winters. The minor southern part falls under the hot-summer subtype (Köppen Dfa). Michigan lies in the Midwest and Great Lakes region of the United States.
What is Michigan’s climate zone?
In Michigan, our hardiness zones range from 4a in the western Upper Peninsula and northern Lower Peninsula, to 6b in the southeast and along the Lake Michigan lakeshore. East Lansing, Michigan is in zone 5b (-10 to -15 F) (Figure 2).
What types of air masses are there?
There are four categories for air masses: arctic, tropical, polar and equatorial. Arctic air masses form in the Arctic region and are very cold. Tropical air masses form in low-latitude areas and are moderately warm. Polar air masses take shape in high-latitude regions and are cold.
What forms when two air masses meet and creates weather?
When two air masses meet together, the boundary between the two is called a weather front. At a front, the two air masses have different densities, based on temperature, and do not easily mix. One air mass is lifted above the other, creating a low pressure zone. Fronts are the main cause of stormy weather.
What kind of air masses affect the United States?
Five air masses affect the United States during the course of a typical year: continental polar, continental arctic, continental tropical, maritime polar, and maritime tropical. Continental air masses are characterized by dry air near the surface while maritime air masses are moist.
What kind of air masses drop out of Canada?
The Continental Polar (cP) and the Maritime Tropical (mT). The Continental air mass will begin to drop south out of Canada and bring cold air to the south with a dominant high pressure system. Semi-permanent high pressure systems determine migration of the air masses during the summer and winter months.
How are air masses classified according to latitude?
The four source regions where air masses form according to latitude are the Equatorial (E), Tropical (T), Polar (P), and Arctic (A) regions. Air masses are also classified according to the type of surface underlying it, which can be continental (c) or maritime (m). Continental Arctic (cA) Air Masses are characterized by very cold & dry weather.
What are the characteristics of a maritime air mass?
Because of this, even air masses that originate there tend to have the moisture characteristics of a cA air mass. Maritime polar air masses are cool, moist, and unstable.