weather theoryFAA-published sample question (ATS, Aug 2021)
Clouds with extensive vertical development over mountainous terrain are a sign of
A
a dry adiabatic lapse rate.
B
a stable air mass.
C
an unstable air mass.✓ Correct Answer
Explanation
Clouds with extensive vertical development (towering cumulus, cumulonimbus) form when air lifted by the terrain keeps rising on its own, the mark of an unstable air mass (PHAK Chapter 12). Stable air produces layered clouds.
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