Tropical waves are best described as...

• A. They are typical weather fronts that only change temperature.
• B. They are storm fronts that can initiate Earth's largest storms.
• C. They are upper atmosphere disturbances with no weather impact.
• D. They are non-weather features in the tropics.

Answer: (B)

Tropical waves are elongated troughs of low pressure that travel westward in the tropical belt with the trade winds. They bring convection, clouds, and heavy rainfall, and under the right conditions (warm sea surface temperatures and low wind shear) they can organize into tropical cyclones. Because of this potential to spawn Earth's largest storms, they’re best described as storm fronts that can initiate those huge storms. They are not merely temperature fronts, nor are they weather-free or non-weather features.