GEOGRAPHY

Revision
Climate and weather

Glenn.Samaai@westerncape.gov.za
MID-LATITUDE CYCLONES

1 Cold and warm fronts

2 Characteristics

3 Stages

4 Weather
 Where do mid-latitude cyclones form?

90°N

Mid-latltudes

0°

Mid-Latitudes

90°S
 What are warm and cold fronts?

COLD FRONT WARM FRONT

Cold air behind cold front Warm air behind warm front
 Mid-latitude cyclones: Characteristics

COLD WARM
FRONT WARM FRONT
SECTOR

CLOCKWISE WIND
CIRCULATION
ISOBAR
L
COLD
SECTOR
COLD
SECTOR
 MIDLATTITUDE CYCLONE: DEVELOPMENT
1 INITIAL STAGE 2 DEVELOPMENT STAGE

3 MATURE STAGE
4 OCCLUSION

FAMILY OF CYCLONES
• Temp: sudden decrease • Temp reaches maximum • Temp: sudden rise
• Air pressure increases • Air pressure: at lowest • Air pressure drops
• Wind changes to SW • Wind direction: N-NW • Wind direction: NE
• Thick cloud cover • Cloud cover decreases • Cloud cover increases
• Heavy rainfall • Rainfall stops • Rainfall: steady

A WARM SECTOR B
COLD COLD
SECTOR SECTOR
COLD
SECTOR CROSS SECTION &
WEATHER CHANGES
 Describe the weather changes associated
with the passing of a warm/cold front.

WARM FRONT
COLD FRONT • Temp rises to max
• Temp drops • Air pressure drops
• Air pressure to minimum.
increases • Wind changes
• Wind changes from NE to N/NW
from NW to SW • Cloud cover
• Cloud cover decreases.
increases. • Rainfall stops
• Heavy rainfall

L
WEATHER CHANGES: COLD FRONT

W Movement of cyclone E

•NW-wind
•High temp
•SW-wind •Few/no clouds
•Low temp •No precipitation
•High cloud cover •Pressure drops
•Precipitation
•Pressure rises

LP
 Mid-latitude cyclones – Synoptic Weather map

Cold front Clockwise rotation

Circular
isobars
Warm
sector
Low
pressure

Cold sector

Occlusion Warm front

Tropical cyclones

1 Favourable conditions

2 Characteristics

3 Location

4 Weather patterns

5 Development stages

6 How managed
 CONDITIONS FOR TROPICAL CYCLONES TO FORM

Divergence in Sea temperature High

upper air levels at least 26º C humidity

Air pressure Coriolus

below 950hPa force

FAVOURABLE
CONDITIONS

Light variable Little surface Unstable

winds friction air
Where do tropical cyclones form?
 TROPICAL CYCLONES
TROPICAL CYCLONES

CHARACTERISTICS
Equator/Ewenaar
From EAST to WEST

EYE
No wind, rain
& Clouds

DESTRUCTION
•Storm winds
•Torrential rain
•Flooding

DISSIPATES
Turns EAST at 30°
•No Moisture
•No warm air
•Friction
 TROPICAL CYCLONE: DEVELOPMENT

FORMATIVE IMMATURE
Pressure Pressure
ABOVE BELOW
1000 hPa 1000 hPa

MATURE
Pressure DISSI-
WELL PATION
BELOW Pressure
1000hPa RISES
 Tropical Cyclones: Weather patterns

BEFORE EYE (SH) IN EYE AFTER EYE (SH)

• Wind direction: South • No wind • Wind direction: North
• Wind: Hurricane • No rain • Wind: storm to hurricane
• Air pressure decreases • No clouds • Air pressure increases
• Very heavy rainfall • Lowest air pressure • Heavy rainfall
• Temp increases • Starts to dissipate
STORM WINDS GREAT SWELLS &
WAVES

FLOODING
TROPICALCYCLONE - MANAGEMENT
 Tropical Cyclones: Synoptic weather maps

Overcast Low pressure East coast

Symbol Name
Eline 5th

24 February 2000

Clockwise Date
rotation
SUBTROPICAL ANTICYCLONES
AND ASSOCIATED WEATHER

1 Factors influencing climate of SA

2 Line Thunderstorms

3 SA Bergwind
FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE THE
CLIMATE OF SOUTH AFRICA
2. SUBTROPICAL ANTICYCLONES
High temp, dry cloudless

Kalahari
HP
3. THE PLATEAU
Lower temp, dry

South South
Atlantic Indian
HP HP

1. INFLUECE OF OCEANS
LINE THUNDERSTORMS

WARM
MOIST
AIR

COLD
DRY
AIR
H H
 WINTER

Descending air of Kalahari HP

CLOUDLESS
DRY INVERSION LAYER
CONDITIONS BELOW ESCARPMENT

Warm, Moist
air blocked

Cold
(winter)
 SUMMER
Descending air of Kalahari HP
INVERSION LAYER ABOVE ESCARPMENT

Warm, moist air

LINE THUNDER- can reach
STORMS plateau

Warm
(summer)
Rising
Hot air
SOUTH AFRICAN BERGWIND

Anti clockwise
circulation

High pressure
H in interior

Descending
Danger:
air heated
Veldfires
Warm dry wind at coast
Low pressure over sea L
 SOUTH AFRICAN BERGWIND

Subsiding air WINTER

Surface
winds
Subsides
HP
warmer

Warm dry
wind LP
 Valley Climates

1 Effect of the slope (aspect)

2 Inversions

3 Frost pockets / Smog

 VALLEY CLIMATES ASPECT (SH)

S N
O O
U WARMER R
T T
H H
NO SNOW

SNOW

COLDER
 Air on
INVERSIONS slopes
Cold air Warm air rises
cools
sinks to
the valley
bottom
Frost pocket
 Katabatic winds and Inversions

HP HP

Inversion: Temperature LP
increases with altitude
URBAN CLIMATES

1 Reasons for differences

2 Causes of heat islands

3 Pollution domes

4 Effects of heat islands

 Differences
between city
& rural areas

IN CITY
• Artificial surfaces
• High buildings
• Industries
• Many cars

POLLUTION DOME

Mass of polluted air

Warm city trapped by inversion layer
Cooler rural area and prevented to rise.
CAUSES OF URBAN HEAT ISLANDS

Via Afrika
 EFFECTS OF URBAN HEAT ISLANDS

•Human discomfort •Increase in air pollution

•Heat stroke-deaths •Increase in greenhouse gasses
•Reduced visibility (smog) •Respiratory discomfort. Asthma
•Increased energy use •Increased precipitation
•Air conditioners •Reduced insolation (pollution)
Synoptic Weather maps

1 Station Models

2 Features on SA weather maps

3 Satellite images
 WEATHER STATION MODEL

WIND N
DIRECTION
TEMPERATURE 20 W E

18 S

DEW POINT WIND SPEED

TEMPERATURE 10 Knots

15 Knots

5 Knots
 FEATURES ON A SOUTH AFRICAN
SYNOPTIC WEATHER MAP
Isobar Clockwise movement around LP

Tropical
Coastal low cyclone

H
HP air descends
anti-clockwise

L Isobar
LP air rises interval
clockwise 4hPa

South Indian HP
South Atlantic HP

Cold front Weather at PE

 HOW TO INTERPRET A SATELLITE IMAGE

LOW PRESSURE CELL CLEAR SKIES

Pivot point of cold front Black/grey area

SOLID CLOUD COVER COLD FRONT

Grey/white area Curved band of clouds
Via Afrika