Air masses are classified by their source region's temperature and moisture characteristics: continental (c) source regions produce dry air masses, while tropical (T) source latitudes produce warm/hot air masses; the combination of a hot, dry source region (like subtropical deserts) also tends to produce an unstable lapse rate due to strong surface heating.
A continental tropical (cT) air mass originates over hot, dry, subtropical desert land areas (e.g., the Sahara, Arabian Peninsula, or the southwestern United States/Mexico deserts)....
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