Question

At map time, the low-pressure center of the storm system stretched across the center of the country from Kansas to south of Lake Superior. The general wind circulation about the extended low-pressure area marked by the innermost, 996-mb isobar, as suggested by the hand-twist model and consistent with wind arrows in the several-state region on Image 1, was ________.

A. Clockwise
B. Counterclockwise
C. Unpredictable
D. Variable

Answer 1

The wind circulation around a low-pressure system in the Northern Hemisphere, including the one stretching across the center of the U.S. from Kansas to south of Lake Superior, is B. counterclockwise due to the Coriolis force.

Step-by-step explanation:

The general wind circulation around the extended low-pressure area marked by the innermost, 996-mb isobar is counterclockwise. This is due to the Coriolis force, which affects wind patterns in the northern hemisphere by causing them to rotate counterclockwise around low-pressure systems. This rotation is a result of air flowing toward the low-pressure center and being deflected to the right, thereby creating a counterclockwise flow. Low-pressure areas are associated with rising air, which leads to cooling and cloud formation that are typically visible from space.

The wind circulation about the extended low-pressure area marked by the innermost, 996-mb isobar is counterclockwise. In the northern hemisphere, low-pressure zones produce counterclockwise circulation at the surface. This is a result of the Coriolis force, which causes winds to be deflected to the right. Low pressure at the surface is associated with rising air, cooling, and cloud formation.