🔍 Key Concepts

• Tropical wave (easterly wave) characteristics in tropical meteorology • Typical cloud and precipitation patterns along and behind a tropical wave • Difference between a tropical wave and a tropical storm or fog-producing system

💭 Think About

• Think about what a tropical wave actually is in the life cycle of tropical systems: is it usually weak and dry, or does it often bring organized moisture? • Which of the listed options most closely matches the kind of weather associated with increased instability and moisture in the tropics, but before a closed circulation forms? • Ask yourself: which options clearly describe different phenomena than a tropical wave (for example, requiring very cold air or a fully developed cyclone)?

✅ Before You Answer

• Eliminate any option that describes weather usually needing cold air over warmer water, since that does not match tropical conditions. • Consider whether a tropical storm is the same thing as a tropical wave, or if one can evolve from the other but is not guaranteed. • Focus on the typical sky conditions and precipitation a mariner would notice as a tropical wave passes: look for increased clouds and showers rather than calm or clear conditions.