Deck 14: Thunderstorms

Question 1

Suppose the eye of a hurricane passed directly above you, and you survived the experience. If winds were from the northeast as the eyewall first approached you, from what direction did the winds blow when the eyewall reached you the second time?

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

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Which of the following was the most destructive hurricane ever to hit Atlantic Canada, in the past century?

A)Hurricane Juan
B)Hurricane Ivan
C)Hurricane Wilma
D)Hurricane Katrina

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Assume a hurricane in the North Atlantic is travelling toward the northwest at 30 km/h and its average wind speed is 215 km/h. In this scenario, what is the wind speed on the southwestern side of the hurricane?

A)155 km/h
B)185 km/h
C)215 km/h
D)245 km/h

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Which of the following scales measures hurricane strength based on hurricane winds and central pressure?

A)Richter scale
B)Beaufort scale
C)Saffir-Simpson scale
D)Enhanced Fujita scale

Question 5

Which of the following terms refers to the process by which a hurricane's innermost ring of clouds dissipates and then strengthens?

A)eyewall replacement
B)storm surge
C)spiral rain bands
D)landfall

Question 6

Considering a hurricane heading westward toward Florida, where are the strongest winds most likely found?

A)on the eastern side
B)on the northern side
C)on the western side
D)on the southern side

Question 7

Which of the following conditions is generally observable as the eye of a hurricane passes directly overhead?

A)a decrease in surface temperature
B)light winds
C)a high surface pressure reading
D)heavy precipitation

Question 8

Which of the following is represented by the eyewall in a hurricane?

A)a region of light winds and low pressure
B)the exact centre of the storm
C)the area of broken cloudiness at the centre of the storm
D)a zone of intense thunderstorms around the centre of the storm

Question 9

Suppose that five of this year's tropical storms develop into hurricanes over the North Atlantic Ocean. Which of the following is the first letter of the name of the third hurricane that occurs this year?

A)A
B)B
C)C
D)D

Question 10

Which of the following options correctly describes the air flow associated with a hurricane?

A)Air is sinking at the periphery of a hurricane and sinking in the eye of a hurricane.
B)Air is rising at the periphery of a hurricane and rising in the eye of a hurricane.
C)Air is rising at the periphery of a hurricane and sinking in the eye of a hurricane.
D)Air is sinking at the periphery of a hurricane and rising in the eye of a hurricane.

Question 11

Which of the following describes a hurricane warning?

A)It indicates when a hurricane approaches to within 500 km of the mainland.
B)It indicates the location where a hurricane is forecasted to make landfall.
C)It indicates the probability that a hurricane's centre will pass within 100 km of a location.
D)It is issued whenever surface wind speeds exceed 120 km/h.

Question 12

During a hurricane, in which of the following locations do surface winds typically reach their maximum speed?

A)in the spiral rain band
B)in the eye
C)in the anvils
D)in the eyewall

Question 13

In order for a hurricane to form, how deep must the surface layer of warm ocean water extend to?

A)40 metres
B)200 metres
C)20 metres
D)400 metres

Question 14

Why are the winds in a hurricane so strong?

A)The Coriolis force causes hurricanes to spin quickly.
B)There is little friction to slow the wind.
C)The pressure in the centre of the hurricane is very low.
D)The pressure gradient is weak.

Question 15

Which of the following is an accurate statement about the eyewall of a hurricane?

A)It contains strong thunderstorms.
B)It forms after the hurricane has made landfall.
C)It makes up the inner portion of the eye.
D)It is located on the outside of spiral rain bands.

Question 16

In which of the following locations are hurricanes most likely to form?

A)an area where trade wind inversion is strong
B)along a jet stream
C)along the equator
D)along the ITCZ

Question 17

Which of the following hurricane strengths is indicated by Category 5 on the Saffir-Simpson scale?

A)a very weak hurricane
B)a very strong hurricane
C)a weak hurricane
D)a moderately strong hurricane

Question 18

What months of the year are hurricanes most likely to form in the Atlantic Ocean?

A)June and July
B)July and August
C)August and September
D)September and October

Question 19

As latent heat is released inside the clouds of a hurricane, the warming of the air aloft creates which of the following areas of pressure aloft?

A)low pressure area aloft
B)high pressure area aloft

Question 20

Which of the following atmospheric conditions is most conducive to the formation of hurricanes?

A)warm air aloft
B)weak upper-level winds
C)dry surface air
D)diverging surface winds at the surface

Question 21

Which of the following describes how hurricanes are named?

A)Atlantic hurricanes are given male names and Pacific hurricanes are given female names.
B)Hurricanes are alternately assigned male and female names.
C)Hurricanes are only given male names.
D)Hurricanes are only given female names.

Question 22

Why do hurricanes dissipate when they move over land?

A)The land is not warm enough to sustain the hurricane.
B)The Coriolis force is not strong enough to sustain the hurricane.
C)There is no longer enough evaporation and condensation to sustain the hurricane.
D)Friction causes the hurricane to slow.

Question 23

As surface air rushes in toward the eye of a hurricane, the air expands and should cool. Which of the following is the main reason the surface air does not cool around the eye?

A)The sinking air near the eye warms the air.
B)The warm water heats the air.
C)Sunlight heats the air.
D)Friction with the water adds heat to the air.

Question 24

Which of the following factors is depicted by streamlines on a weather map?

A)dew point
B)wind flow
C)pressure
D)water temperature

Question 25

How do hurricanes differ from middle-latitude cyclones?

A)Hurricanes are cold-core lows, while middle-latitude cyclones are warm-core lows
B)Hurricanes derive their energy from horizontal temperature contrasts, while middle-latitude cyclones derive energy from latent heat.
C)Hurricanes have no fronts and are smaller, while middle-latitude cyclones have fronts and are larger.
D)Hurricanes strengthen with height, while middle-latitude cyclones weaken with height.

Question 26

In the western North Pacific, which of the following terms refers to a storm of tropical origin whose high winds and water cause a great deal of destruction to islands in that part of the world?

A)hurricane
B)typhoon
C)willy willy
D)cyclone

Question 27

Which of following gives the main reason that hurricanes rarely develop over the South Atlantic Ocean adjacent to South America?

A)The Coriolis force is too small there.
B)The surface water temperatures are too cold.
C)The air at the surface is always diverging there.
D)The pressure gradient force is too weak in that area.

Question 28

Which of the following options provides the correct sequence of the first three stages of a developing hurricane?

A)cyclone, typhoon, tropical storm
B)tropical depression, tropical disturbance, tropical storm
C)tropical disturbance, tropical depression, tropical storm
D)tropical disturbance, tropical storm, typhoon

Question 29

The transfer of what from the ocean surface to the atmosphere is responsible for generating the energy for hurricanes?

A)sensible heat and latent heat
B)latent heat and momentum
C)infrared radiation and momentum
D)sensible heat and momentum

Question 30

When are names given to storms that form in the tropics?

A)when they become fully developed hurricanes
B)when they reach tropical storm strength
C)when their rotation becomes visible on a satellite photograph
D)when they approach to within 250 km of land

Question 31

Which of the following describes the vertical structure of a hurricane?

A)There is an upper-level inflow of air and a surface outflow of air.
B)There is an upper-level inflow of air and a surface inflow of air.
C)There is an upper-level outflow of air and a surface inflow of air.
D)There is an upper-level outflow of air and a surface outflow of air.

Question 32

Which of the following describes how a strong trade wind inversion relates to the development of a hurricane?

A)It is conducive to development of an easterly wave
B)It is not related to the location of a subtropical high.
C)It is not relevant to the development of a hurricane.
D)It is not conducive to development of a hurricane.

Question 33

Referring to the hurricane's path represented in the figure below, the storm is likely moving around which of the following centres of pressure? ​

A)high pressure centre
B)low pressure centre

Question 34

Which of the following terms refers to an intense storm of tropical origin that forms over the Pacific Ocean adjacent to the west coast of Mexico?

A)typhoon
B)hurricane
C)cyclone
D)willy willy

Question 35

Referring to the Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale, which of the following would be the classification of a hurricane with winds in excess of 249 km/h and a central pressure of 910 hPa?

A)Category 2
B)Category 3
C)Category 4
D)Category 5

Question 36

Which of the following is the main source of energy for a hurricane?

A)upper-level jet stream
B)warm ocean water and the release of latent heat of condensation
C)ocean currents and tides
D)warm air rising and cold air sinking in the vicinity of weather fronts

Question 37

Which of the following describes what happens to the immense amount of energy that is taken in by hurricanes?

A)It is converted to kinetic energy and lost through radiational cooling at the top.
B)It is lost through radiational cooling at the top and it is converted to potential energy.
C)It is used in chemical reactions and lost through radiational cooling at the top.
D)It is converted to kinetic energy lost through radiational warming at the top.

Question 38

Which of the following hurricanes was the most costly hurricane ever to hit North America?

A)Camille
B)Andrew
C)Katrina
D)Sandy

Question 39

In which of the following locations do the strongest winds occur in a hurricane?

A)in the eyewall
B)at the centre of the storm
C)at upper levels, above the centre of the hurricane
D)in the rain bands

Question 40

Which of the following statements applies to an easterly wave?

A)It moves from west to east.
B)It has converging winds on its eastern side.
C)It indicates a region of higher than average pressure.
D)It may have showers and thunderstorms on its western side.

Question 41

Because of the conservation of angular momentum, which of the following describes the speed of the air spiraling inward toward the centre of a hurricane?

A)It decreases.
B)It remains constant.
C)It increases.

Question 42

In which of the following areas do hurricane winds rotate in a clockwise direction?

A)in the southern hemisphere
B)near the Tropic of Capricorn
C)near the Antarctic Circle
D)in the northern hemisphere

Question 43

Which of the following forms only over water?

A)funnel clouds
B)hurricanes
C)tornadoes
D)thunderstorms

Question 44

Which of the following is the best indication that a hurricane will likely strike your area within 24 hours?

A)a hurricane watch issued by the Canadian Hurricane Centre
B)easterly or northeasterly winds with speeds in excess of 50 km/h
C)a hurricane warning issued by the Canadian Hurricane Centre
D)high cirrus clouds moving in from the east

Question 45

Which of the following gives the name for a weak trough of low pressure along which hurricanes occasionally form in the tropics?

A)permanent wave
B)baroclinic wave
C)easterly wave
D)open wave

Question 46

Which of the following statements explains why hurricanes cannot form along the equator?

A)The Coriolis force is too small along the equator.
B)There are no feedback mechanisms along the equator.
C)It's too humid for the ocean water to evaporate.
D)There isn't much water along the equator; it's mostly land.

Question 47

What approach do recent computer models of hurricanes use in their predictions of a hurricane's intensity?

A)They compare water temperature.
B)They compare latent heat content.
C)They compare present storms to similar tropical storms in the past.
D)They compare wind direction.

Question 48

Which of the following terms refers to the hurricanes that can travel into India and Australia?

A)extratropical cyclones
B)cyclones
C)hurricanes
D)typhoons

Question 49

Which of the following statements describes the similarity between hurricanes and middle-latitude cyclones that occur in the northern hemisphere?

A)They both have surface weather fronts.
B)They both have winds that blow counterclockwise around their centres.
C)They both intensify with increasing height above the ground.
D)They will both generally move from west to east.

Question 50

Which of the following factors cause most of the destruction that results from hurricanes?

A)high winds
B)flooding
C)tornadoes
D)hail

Question 51

Based on the Saffir-Simpson scale, which of the following would correspond to the highest possible intensity of a hurricane?

A)Category 2
B)Category 3
C)Category 4
D)Category 5

Question 52

Which of the following statements describes pressure at the centre of a hurricane?

A)It is lower than the surroundings at the surface and higher than the surroundings aloft.
B)It is lower than the surroundings at the surface and lower than the surroundings aloft.
C)It is higher than the surroundings at the surface and lower than the surroundings aloft.
D)It is higher than the surroundings at the surface and higher than the surroundings aloft.

Question 53

Which of the following describes where most hurricanes that hit the eastern U.S. originate?

A)Gulf of Mexico
B)Caribbean Sea
C)northern Pacific
D)eastern Atlantic

Question 54

Which of the following describes the changing directions of the surface winds as a northward-moving hurricane passes to the east of an area?

A)from NE to N to NW
B)from NW to N to NE
C)from S to SW to W
D)from W to SW to S

Question 55

Which of the following gives the main difference between a hurricane and a tropical storm?

A)Hurricanes are larger.
B)Hurricanes have a clearly defined eye on satellite photographs.
C)Wind speeds are greater in a hurricane.
D)Tropical storms are more than 500 km from the Canadian coastline.

Question 56

By which of the following methods have scientists tried to modify hurricanes?

A)seeding the hurricanes with silver iodide
B)igniting huge smoke bombs in the eye of the storm
C)putting an oil slick over the ocean water and igniting it
D)seeding the hurricanes with hair-thin pieces of aluminum called chaff

Question 57

Which of the following characterizes the top of hurricanes?

A)strong divergence
B)weak convergence
C)strong convergence
D)weak divergence

Question 58

Assume a hurricane in the North Atlantic is travelling toward the north at 25 km/h and its average wind speed is 180 km/h. In this scenario, what is the wind speed on the eastern side of the hurricane?

A)180 km/h
B)205 km/h
C)230 km/h
D)155 km/h

Question 59

Which of the following describes the stage just before a storm becomes a fully developed hurricane?

A)cyclone
B)tropical depression
C)tropical disturbance
D)tropical storm

Question 60

Under which of the following conditions do hurricanes dissipate?

A)when they move over land
B)when upper-level outflow of air exceeds surface inflow of air
C)when they move over warm water
D)when they move into a region of weak vertical wind shear

Question 61

Explain why calm weather typically exists in the eye of a hurricane.

Question 62

Why are the measurements made by reconnaissance aircraft so important to forecasting a hurricane's movement?

Question 63

Make sketches to show the structure of a mature hurricane as it appears from the side and from above. Indicate and label the major features.

Question 64

List and describe some of the conditions that are favourable to hurricane development. What atmospheric conditions inhibit hurricane formation and growth?

Question 65

What is a storm surge? How does a storm surge form?

Question 66

Why are hurricanes so destructive? List some of the hazards associated with a hurricane.

Question 67

In terms of their formation and impacts, would you expect hurricanes in the southern hemisphere to be any different from hurricanes in the northern hemisphere? Why or why not?

Question 68

In recent years, the number of deaths caused by hurricanes has decreased, but the cost of hurricane damage has increased. How can this be explained?

Question 69

Where is the Bermuda High located during the summer and fall? How might the path of a hurricane, moving toward the west from Africa, be affected by the Bermuda High as the hurricane approaches the United States?

Question 70

Compare and contrast the main features of a hurricane with those of a strong middle-latitude cyclone.

Question 71

Even though more hurricanes form, on average, over the eastern Pacific Ocean than over the tropical North Atlantic, we generally hear less about them. Why do you think this is so?

Question 72

Frequently, very heavy amounts of rainfall are recorded when a hurricane or tropical storm moves over land. Why do these storms produce so much rain?

Question 73

In what ways are weather conditions in the tropics and at middle latitudes different?

Question 74

Which of the following describes the favourable stability condition for hurricane development?

A)a shallow layer of conditionally unstable air
B)a shallow layer of absolutely unstable air
C)a deep layer of conditionally unstable air
D)a deep layer of stable air

Question 75

Hurricane season for the tropical North Atlantic and North Pacific oceans normally runs from June through November. Why don't hurricanes form in these locations at other times of the year?

Question 76

Compare the size of an average hurricane to that of an average tornado. Given the size and intensity of each, which do you think is the more destructive storm? Why?

Question 77

Do you believe hurricanes pose the greatest threat to the East or West Coast of Canada? Explain.

Question 78

Why can't hurricanes form in the middle latitudes?

Question 79

Describe a hurricane as completely as you can by giving typical values for the following characteristics: diameter, location and size of the eye, direction of rotation, speed of winds, central pressure, direction and speed of movement, and duration. When and where do hurricanes form?