Deck 12: Tornadoes

Question 1

In an eastward moving thunderstorm,the most likely place for a tornado to develop is in the __________ part of the storm.

A)northeast
B)southeast
C)northwest
D)southwest

Answer 1

D

Question 2

In a region where severe thnderstorms with tornadoes are forming,one would not expect to observe

A)a strong ridge of high pressure over the region.
B)a dry tongue of cold air between the 700 and 500 mb levels.
C)the polar jet stream above the region.
D)moist warm air moving north at about the 850 mb level.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Most tornadoes move from:

A)northwest to southwest.
B)southwest to northeast.
C)south to north.
D)southeast to northwest.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Most waterspouts:

A)form in severe thunderstorms.
B)draw water up into their core.
C)have rotating winds of less than 45 knots.
D)form in an area where winds are descending from a cloud.
E)actually form over land.

Question 5

After a tornado is spotted:

A)a tornado watch is issued.
B)its direction of movement is carefully monitored by aircraft.
C)a tornado warning is issued.
D)hail begins to fall from the cloud.
E)attempts may be made to change its direction of movement.

Question 6

Which of the following factors is most important in determining the strength of a tornado?

A)diameter
B)air temperature
C)duration
D)central pressure

Question 7

The signal detected by a Doppler radar is:

A)a radiowave emitted by lightning.
B)a soundwave produced by thunder.
C)a radiowave reflected by precipitation.
D)a soundwave produced by wind shear.

Question 8

Damage to structures inflicted by tornadoes can be caused by:

A)flying debris.
B)the tornadoes high winds.
C)the drop in air pressure as a tornado moves overhead.
D)all of the above
E)none of the above

Question 9

If a tornado is rotating in a counterclockwise direction and moving toward the northeast,the strongest winds will be on its __________ side.

A)southwestern
B)southeastern
C)northeastern
D)northwestern

Question 10

Which of the following factors is most important in determining the strength of a tornado?

A)diameter.
B)air temperature.
C)duration.
D)central pressure.

Question 11

A hook echo on a radar screen often indicates:

A)a thunderstorm with very frequent lightning.
B)a developing hurricane.
C)the possible presence of a tornado-producing thunderstorm.
D)a rotating anvil cloud at the top of a thunderstorm.

Question 12

The Enhanced Fujita Scale for classifying tornado strength is based on:

A)multiple damage indicators.
B)degree of damage.
C)atmospheric stability.
D)both a and b
E)none of the above

Question 13

At home,when confronted with an approaching tornado,you should:

A)open the windows right away.
B)grab a video camera and start filming.
C)listen to see whether the tornado has an audible roar.
D)seek shelter immediately.

Question 14

The funnel cloud characteristic of a tornado is principally formed by:

A)condensation of water vapor in air drawn into the low pressure core of the tornado.
B)dust and dirt picked up from the atmosphere.
C)clouds being funneled by downward air currents coming out of a cumulonimbus cloud.
D)water drawn up from the sea surface into the cloud.
E)gaseous products from intense lightning activity within the tornado.

Question 15

In the United States,tornadoes are most frequent during the __________,and least frequent during the __________.

A)summer,fall
B)spring,winter
C)spring,fall
D)summer,winter
E)winter,fall

Question 16

____________ measures the speed at which precipitation is moving toward or away from an observer.

A)A radiosonde
B)An anemometer
C)A psychrometer
D)Doppler radar

Question 17

The "Tornado Alley" region of the United States is located

A)in Florida.
B)in the Central Plains.
C)in the Ohio Valley.
D)in the mid-Atlantic states.
E)along the Gulf Coast.

Question 18

In a region where severe thunderstorms with tornadoes are forming,one would not expect to observe:

A)a strong ridge of high pressure over the region.
B)a dry tongue of cold air between the 700 and 500 mb levels.
C)the polar jet stream above the region.
D)moist warm air moving north at about the 850 mb level.

Question 19

The most frequent time of day for tornadoes to form is in the:

A)early morning just after sunrise.
B)late morning just before noon.
C)evening just after sunset.
D)afternoon.
E)middle of the night.

Question 20

A funnel cloud is composed primarily of:

A)cloud droplets.
B)dust and dirt from the ground.
C)raindrops.
D)hail.
E)ice crystals.

Question 21

An upper level inversion may actually favor severe thunderstorm development because the inversion will prevent many smaller weaker thunderstorms from forming.

Question 22

Warm,humid air spins when drawn into a supercell thunderstorm.

Question 23

Where does the energy contained in a tornado come from?

Question 24

Tornadoes are most likely to form in a conditionally unstable atmosphere with weak vertical wind shear.

Question 25

Why is wind shear important in tornado formation?

Question 26

How is the atmosphere able to concentrate such an enormous amount of energy into a vortex as small as a tornado?

Question 27

Compare some damaging straight-line winds with tornado winds.Which do you think are more destructive? Why?

Question 28

The region of greatest tornado activity shifts northward from early spring to summer.Why does this occur?

Question 29

Weak tornadoes sometimes form along a thunderstorm gust front.

Question 30

About equal numbers of clockwise- and counterclockwise-rotating tornadoes are observed in the United States every year.

Question 31

Multi-vortex tornadoes can be created in the laboratory,but they don't exist in nature.

Question 32

What makes a tornado-producing thunderstorm different from other thunderstorms?

Question 33

Would it be possible for a tornado to form around a high pressure core?

Question 34

Why do tornadoes have low pressure cores?

Question 35

Even if distinctive features that might indicate a tornado are observed on radar,a tornado must be observed visually before a tornado warning is issued.

Question 36

Most tornadoes last only a few minutes;some tornadoes have existed for several hours.

Question 37

When the air is dry tornado winds can remain invisible until they reach the ground and pick up dust.

Question 38

Do invisible tornadoes exist? Explain.

Question 39

The wind speed of a tornado is greater on one side than on the other.

Question 40

Why do tornadoes move from the southwest toward the northeast?