Tornado Facts And Terms Meteorology So 2010-11
88 Questions
| Attempts: 55
To all the meteorology lovers out there who indulge in facts and books for both the old and young audience take this quiz. Specifically designed to find out how much you know in about it.
Questions and Answers
- 1.
Tornado winds can reach 300 miles per hour.
- A.
True
- B.
False
Correct Answer
A. True -
- 2.
A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that descends from a what.
Correct Answer
descends from a thunderstorm. - 3.
In order to form a tornado, you need three very different ingredients to come together in a particular way: List them and where in the tornado they occur.
Correct Answer
1. Near the ground, there's a layer of warm, humid air and strong south winds. In the upper atmosphere, you'll find colder air and strong west or southwest winds. The air near the surface is much less dense than the cold, dry air aloft. This condition is called instability. It means that if the warm, moist air can be given an initial push to move upwards, the air will keep on rising, sending moisture and energy to form a tornado's parent thunderstorm. 2. The second ingredient is a change in wind speed and direction with height, called wind shear. This is linked to the eventual development of rotation from which a tornado may form. 3. The last thing you need is a layer of hot, dry air between the upper and lower layers. This middle layer acts as a cap and allows the warm air underneath to get even warmer and make the atmosphere even less stable. - 4.
Near the ground, there's a layer of warm, humid air and strong south winds. In the upper atmosphere, you'll find colder air and strong west or southwest winds. The air near the surface is much less dense than the cold, dry air aloft. This condition is called what
Correct Answer
instability - 5.
When the warm, moist air can be given an initial push to move upwards, the air will keep on rising, sending moisture and energy to form a What
Correct Answer
a tornado's parent thunderstorm. - 6.
The second ingredient in the formation of a tornado is a change in wind speed and direction with height, called what. This is linked to the eventual development of rotation from which a tornado may form.
Correct Answer
wind shear - 7.
The last thing you need is a layer of hot, dry air between the upper and lower layers. What effect does this layer have on the stablilbity of the storm/tornado?
Correct Answer
This middle layer acts as a cap and allows the warm air underneath to get even warmer and make the atmosphere even less stable. - 8.
The U.S. has by far the most tornadoes in the world.
- A.
True
- B.
False
Correct Answer
A. True -
- 9.
The US averages how many tornadoes a year!
Correct Answer
The US averages 1,000 tornadoes a year! - 10.
The geography of the central U.S. is uniquely suited to bring together all the ingredients for tornado formation. How? This area has become know as "what," averaging more than 500 tornadoes annually.
Correct Answer
With the Rocky Mountains to the west, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and a terrain that slopes downward from west to east, this area has become know as "Tornado Alley," - 11.
During the spring and summer months, southerly winds originating from the Gulf of Mexico prevail across the plains, providing the warm, humid air needed to fuel severe thunderstorm development. Hot, dry air forms over the higher elevations to the west and meets the Gulf air near the ground. The boundary is known as a _______________forms to the west of Oklahoma.
Correct Answer
dryline - 12.
The narrow boundary separating hot, dry, southern Rocky Mountain air from very moist Gulf of Mexico air.
Correct Answer
dryline - 13.
The dryline's daily eastward movement, under the right conditions, can trigger severe _____________and __________________________.
Correct Answer
severe thunderstorms and tornadoes. - 14.
The most pronounced collision of hot dry Rocky Mtn air and moist Gulf of Mexico air masses commonly occurs over Texas and Oklahoma, creating a narrow moisture gradient known as the "________________________."
Correct Answer
dryline - 15.
Dry southwest winds converge with the weaker, humid south winds along the dryline, squeezing the moisture boundary into a very narrow area.__________________________, which are a measure of the air's moisture, could be in the 60s ahead of the dryline but drop sharply to the 20s just a few miles farther west.
Correct Answer
Dewpoints - 16.
The stronger winds blowing in from the southwest shove the dryline to the east. But the dryline's movement at the surface often is not as fast as it is aloft. Hot air at about 1,000 feet overruns the warm, moist air at the surface, creating a ____________________ ____________________..
Correct Answer
capping inversion - 17.
The "cap" acts like a lid on a pot of boiling water; it keeps the heated air from rising. What is this called?
Correct Answer
capping inversion - 18.
On some days the lid known as the capping inversion is very thick preventing the blossoming of storms. But on other days, the lid holds the unstable air down for only so long before it the inversion weakens. What is the result of this inversion weakness?
- 19.
The thunderstorms most likely to produce tornadoes are called_________________________
Correct Answer
supercells - 20.
The thunderstorms most likely to produce tornadoes are called supercells and are often a product of the Southern Plains severe weather trigger known as the ______________________.
Correct Answer
dryline - 21.
Three peak months of tornado activity in the U.S. are_______________, ______________, and ___________________
Correct Answer
April, May, and June - 22.
A typical time of a tornado occurrence is on an unseasonably warm and humid spring day between ____ p.m. and ___________ p.m.
Correct Answer
3 9 - 23.
"____________________," include the states at the highest risk of getting a tornado, which are Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Texas.
Correct Answer
Tornado Alley - 24.
_____________________________________") was a pioneer in the study of tornadoes and severe thunderstorm phenomena. In 1971, he created the Fujita Tornado Damage Scale to estimate tornado strength based on damage surveys.
Correct Answer
Dr. T. Theodore Fujita ("Dr. Tornado") - 25.
Dr. T. Theodore Fujita ("Dr. Tornado") was a pioneer in the study of tornadoes and severe thunderstorm phenomena. In 1971, he created the _____________ _________________ ____________________ _________________to estimate tornado strength based on damage surveys.
Correct Answer
the Fujita Tornado Damage Scale - 26.
The scale of a tornado is measured from __________to __________, or ________________danger to ________________danger
Correct Answer
F0 F5, lowest highest - 27.
An F0 tornado reaches winds from ____________________miles per hour, while an F5 tornado can tear through land at _________________________mph.
Correct Answer
40–72 261–318 - 28.
On May 3, 1999, an Oklahoma University Doppler radar remotely sensed tornado wind speeds above ground of 318 mph at _________________ ____________________ ________________— the highest winds ever found near Earth's surface, and right at the threshold of being F6 winds.
Correct Answer
Bridge Creek, Oklahoma - 29.
A _______________________is a violently rotating column of air which descends from a thunderstorm to the ground.
Correct Answer
tornado - 30.
Tornadoes develop several thousand feet above the earth's surface inside of a severe rotating thunderstorm. This type of storm is called a _____________________ _____________________.
Correct Answer
supercell thunderstorm. - 31.
The spinning of supercell thunderstorms are visible via __________________________ ___________________________
Correct Answer
Doppler radar. - 32.
A ___________________is an organized thunderstorm that contains a very strong, rotating updraft. This rotation helps to produce severe weather events such as large hail, strong downbursts, and tornadoes
Correct Answer
supercell - 33.
What is the difference between a funnel cloud and a tornado?
- 34.
What is the path length of tornadoes?
Correct Answer
range from 100 yards to one mile wide and are rarely more than 15 miles long - 35.
How long do tornados last?
Correct Answer
several seconds to more than an hour, however, most don't exceed 10 minutes. - 36.
Dr. T. Theodore Fujita, a pioneer in the study of tornadoes and severe thunderstorm phenomena, developed the Fujita Tornado Damage Scale or referred to as the ____________________
Correct Answer
F Scale - 37.
The F Scale provides estimates of tornado strength based on what? ________________ _________________________
Correct Answer
damage surveys - 38.
Why does the F Scale provide estimates of tornado strength based on damage surveys?
- 39.
Why did the new Enhanced Fujita Scale (EF-Scale) replace the Fujeta Scale developed in 1971 and addresses some of the limitations identified by meteorologists and engineers since the introduction of the Fujita Scale in 1971.
- 40.
The new_____________________ ___________________ _____________________ replace the Fujeta Scale developed in 1971 and addresses some of the limitations identified by meteorologists and engineers since the introduction of the Fujita Scale in 1971.
Correct Answer
Enhanced Fujita Scale - 41.
The EF scale was adopted when________________________
Correct Answer
February 1, 2007. - 42.
Where and when was the first tornado classified as 'EF5'.
Correct Answer
Greensburg, Kansas on May 4th, 2007, - 43.
What was the deadliest tornado outbreak in the U.S.?
- 44.
Several twisters touched down on March 18 1925 killing 747 people and injuring 2,027. The largest of these tornadoes, was named the "______________________", took 695 lives and was classified as an F5. It moved over 215 miles of land at 60-73 mph.
Correct Answer
Tri-State - 45.
What was the longest path length of a tornado?
- 46.
What was the shortest path length of a tornado?
- 47.
A __________________ _______________means that tornado development is possible. Keep a watchful eye on the sky for threatening weather and stay tuned to radio and television and listen for weather bulletins.
Correct Answer
tornado watch - 48.
A ________________________ ___________________means that a tornado has been sighted or indicated by radar. Persons in the path of the storm should seek shelter immediately - preferably in a storm cellar, underground excavation, or in a steel-framed or concrete reinforced building.
Correct Answer
tornado warning - 49.
A ___________________ _______________________ ________________means that either spotters or radar have indicated that severe weather is occuring, and is expected to be heading towards you soon. This warning is issued by the National Weather Service local office, and usually covers a few counties, lasting about an hour or so.
Correct Answer
severe thunderstorm warning - 50.
A __________________ _____________is classified as severe because it can contain hail three-quarter inches or larger, and/or wind gusts of 58 mph or higher, and/or a tornado. When a warning is issued, persons should remain indoors until the storm has passed.
Correct Answer
severe thunderstorm
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