Question 1

A weather warning indicates that ____.
A) the atmospheric conditions are favorable for hazardous weather over a particular region
B) hazardous weather is either imminent or actually occurring within the specified forecast area
C) hazardous weather is likely to occur within the forecast area during the next 24 hours
D) hazardous weather is frequently observed in a particular region

Accepted Answer

A weather warning is issued when hazardous weather is either about to occur or is already happening within the forecast area. It serves to alert people to take immediate action to protect themselves and their property. Option A indicates that the conditions are favorable for hazardous weather, but it does not necessarily mean hazardous weather is currently occurring. Option C implies that the hazardous weather may occur, but it is not an immediate warning. Option D suggests that hazardous weather is frequently observed in a particular region but does not indicate whether it is currently happening.

Question 2

A weather forecast that predicts that future weather will be the same as present weather is called ____.
A) a steady-state forecast
B) the trend method
C) a persistence forecast
D) the analogue method

Accepted Answer

A persistence forecast assumes that the current weather conditions will remain constant over time, making it the best fit for this scenario. A steady-state forecast refers to a constant weather pattern over a longer period of time, the trend method is based on analyzing historical weather data to determine patterns and tendencies, and the analogue method compares current weather patterns to past patterns and events to make a forecast.

Question 3

A chart that plots how air temperature has changed over the past five days at a given station would be a(n) ____.
A) sounding
B) meteogram
C) atmospheric model
D) ensemble forecast

Accepted Answer

A meteogram is a chart that displays changes in weather parameters, including air temperature, over a specific period of time at a given location. Soundings are vertical profiles of the atmosphere taken from a weather balloon. Atmospheric models are computer simulations used to forecast weather. Ensemble forecasts are a set of multiple forecasts run with slightly different initial conditions to account for uncertainty. None of these describe a chart that plots changes in air temperature over a specific time period at a given location.

Question 4

Suppose that where you live the middle of January is typically several degrees warmer than the rest of the month. If you forecast this "January thaw" for the middle of next January, you would have made a ____.
A) climatological forecast
B) persistence forecast
C) forecast based on weather types
D) statistical forecast

Accepted Answer

A climatological forecast is a prediction based on long-term averages of weather conditions over a given period. In this case, the "January thaw" is a known climatological phenomenon, and therefore forecasting it for the middle of next January would be a climatological forecast.

Question 5

An accurate forecast ____.
A) always shows skill
B) may or may not show skill
C) never shows skill
D) requires complex computer equipment

Accepted Answer

While an accurate forecast can indicate skill, it is not a guarantee. There may be instances where luck or chance factors into the accuracy of a forecast. Therefore, answer B is the best choice. Answers A, C, and D are all incorrect as they are too absolute in their statements.

Question 6

If you wanted to make a persistence forecast of minimum and maximum temperatures for a particular city, which type of chart would be most helpful?
A) surface chart
B) meteogram
C) 500-mb chart
D) Doppler radar display

Accepted Answer

A meteogram would be the most helpful because it displays both minimum and maximum temperatures over a period of time, allowing for a persistence forecast. A surface chart mainly displays pressure and frontal boundaries, a 500-mb chart shows upper-level wind patterns, and a Doppler radar display shows precipitation and storm movement.

Question 7

A weather watch would most likely issued for which condition?
A) There is a chance for tornadoes today.
B) Severe thunderstorms have been spotted in the forecast area.
C) Presently, extremely high winds are occurring at mountain summits.
D) A tornado has been sighted at the outskirts of town.

Accepted Answer

A weather watch is typically issued when there is a possibility of a severe weather event occurring, such as tornadoes, but one has not yet been confirmed.

Question 8

A forecast method that compares past weather maps and weather patterns to those of the present is ____.
A) the persistence forecast
B) the analogue method
C) the trend method
D) steady-state forecast

Accepted Answer

The analogue method involves comparing past weather maps and patterns to the present in order to make a forecast. The persistence forecast simply assumes that future weather will be the same as the current weather. The trend method looks at how weather patterns have been changing over time in order to make a forecast. The steady-state forecast assumes that weather will remain the same as it currently is. Therefore, the best choice is B, the analogue method.

Question 9

A probability forecast that calls for a "40 percent chance of rain" means that ____.
A) there is a 40 percent chance that it will not rain within the forecast area
B) there is a 40 percent chance that any random place in the forecast area will receive measurable rainfall
C) it will rain on 40 percent of the forecast area
D) it will rain 40 percent of the time over the forecast area

Accepted Answer

A probability forecast of "40 percent chance of rain" means that in the forecast area, there is a 40 percent chance that measurable precipitation will occur at any given point. It does not specify the amount of rainfall, how long it will last, or how widespread it will be.

Question 10

A nowcast is a weather forecast that extends for ____.
A) 1-2 days
B) usually not more than 6 hours
C) 3 days or more
D) 3 to 8 days

Accepted Answer

A nowcast is a weather forecast that typically extends for not more than 6 hours. It provides up-to-date information on current weather conditions and short-term changes that may occur.

Question 11

An ensemble forecast is considered robust when the ____.
A) weather situation is rather complicated
B) progs match each other fairly well
C) ensemble forecast chart looks like scrambled spaghetti
D) progs have many different contour lines

Accepted Answer

A robust ensemble forecast occurs when the various progs in the ensemble match each other fairly well, suggesting that the model's predictions are consistent and reliable. A scrambled spaghetti chart signifies a significant degree of variation among the model's output, which reduces the confidence of the prediction. A complicated weather situation or many contour lines do not necessarily indicate the robustness of an ensemble forecast.

Question 12

A weather prediction for the United States based on El Niño events is an example of forecasting using ____.
A) persistence
B) teleconnections
C) statistics
D) probabilities

Accepted Answer

El Niño is a climate phenomenon that affects weather patterns around the world, including the United States. Teleconnections refer to the connections between distant climate events, such as El Niño, and their effects on weather patterns in other regions. Therefore, a weather prediction for the United States based on El Niño events would be an example of forecasting using teleconnections. Persistence refers to the assumption that current weather conditions will continue unchanged in the short term, while statistics and probabilities refer to methods of analyzing past weather data to make predictions about future weather patterns.

Question 13

What is one of the greatest improvements in forecasting skill over the past decade?
A) predicting the strength and path of snowstorms along the eastern seaboard
B) increasing the lead time for watches and warnings for severe storms
C) predicting the movement of warm and cold fronts
D) estimating maximum and minimum temperatures 6 to 10 days in the future

Accepted Answer

Increasing the lead time for watches and warnings for severe storms has been one of the greatest improvements in forecasting skill over the past decade. With advancements in technology and modeling, forecasters can now provide longer lead times for severe weather events, allowing for better preparation and response to potentially dangerous situations. The other options are important aspects of weather forecasting, but have not seen as significant improvements in skill over the past decade.

Question 14

Probability forecasts use climatological data that are typically averaged over ___ years.
A) 2
B) 30
C) 10
D) 16

Accepted Answer

Probability forecasts use long-term climatological data that are typically averaged over a period of 30 years. This period is long enough to capture the natural variability of the climate while minimizing the effects of short-term fluctuations.

Question 15

Smaller grid spacing ____ the resolution of computer forecasting models.
A) can decrease
B) does not change
C) can increase
D) can vary

Accepted Answer

Smaller grid spacing allows for more detail to be included in the model, which can increase its resolution.

Question 16

Predicting the weather by weather types employs which forecasting method?
A) probability
B) steady-state
C) analogue
D) persistence

Accepted Answer

Predicting the weather by weather types employs the analogue forecasting method, which involves comparing past weather events to the current conditions to make a forecast. This method assumes that weather patterns will repeat themselves over time.

Question 17

Forecast models have a hard time predicting ____.
A) temperature
B) jet stream patterns
C) precipitation
D) surface pressure

Accepted Answer

The answer of Forecast models have a hard time predicting...

Question 18

Which forecasting method assumes that weather systems will move in the same direction and at approximately the same speed as they have been moving?
A) persistence forecast
B) probability forecast
C) steady-state (trend) forecast
D) climatological forecast

Accepted Answer

The steady-state (trend) forecast method assumes that weather systems will continue to move in the same direction and at the same speed as they have been, making it the correct choice.

Question 19

Large-scale computer models would typically have ____ grid spacing compared to small-scale models.
A) shorter
B) longer
C) the same
D) varied

Accepted Answer

Large-scale computer models usually cover a larger area and require a coarser resolution to reduce computational requirements. Therefore, they have longer grid spacing compared to small-scale models.

Question 20

The forecasting technique that produces several versions of a forecast model, each beginning with slightly different weather information to reflect errors in the measurements, is called ____.
A) climatology forecasting
B) probability forecasting
C) persistence forecasting
D) ensemble forecasting

Accepted Answer

The forecasting technique that produces several versions of a forecast model, each beginning with slightly different weather information to reflect errors in the measurements, is called ensemble forecasting. Options A, B, and C do not describe this technique.

Quiz 9: Weather Forecasting

A weather warning indicates that ____.

A weather forecast that predicts that future weather will be the same as present weather is called ____.

A chart that plots how air temperature has changed over the past five days at a given station would be a(n) ____.

Suppose that where you live the middle of January is typically several degrees warmer than the rest of the month. If you forecast this "January thaw" for the middle of next January, you would have made a ____.

An accurate forecast ____.

If you wanted to make a persistence forecast of minimum and maximum temperatures for a particular city, which type of chart would be most helpful?

A weather watch would most likely issued for which condition?

A forecast method that compares past weather maps and weather patterns to those of the present is ____.

A probability forecast that calls for a "40 percent chance of rain" means that ____.

A nowcast is a weather forecast that extends for ____.

An ensemble forecast is considered robust when the ____.

A weather prediction for the United States based on El Niño events is an example of forecasting using ____.

What is one of the greatest improvements in forecasting skill over the past decade?

Probability forecasts use climatological data that are typically averaged over ___ years.

Smaller grid spacing ____ the resolution of computer forecasting models.

Predicting the weather by weather types employs which forecasting method?

Forecast models have a hard time predicting ____.

Which forecasting method assumes that weather systems will move in the same direction and at approximately the same speed as they have been moving?

Large-scale computer models would typically have ____ grid spacing compared to small-scale models.

The forecasting technique that produces several versions of a forecast model, each beginning with slightly different weather information to reflect errors in the measurements, is called ____.