Q&A Hero

Q: Scientists called the new phenomenon, witnessed in May 2009, of straight line, 100 mph winds with an eyelike structure and a path of destruction 100 miles wide a A) squall line. B) supercell. C) super derecho. D) macroburst.

Q: Which is not true of Derechos? A) They are caused by the same conditions that cause thunderstorms and tornadoes. B) They occur mainly from May to August. C) They have been measured at 57 m/s (128 mph). D) The winds travel in a curved path. E) They occur mainly in the Midwest and Southeast.

Q: Which of the following "ingredients" is not associated with thunderstorm formation? A) warm, moist air B) rising, unstable air C) a lifting mechanism D) strong high pressure cell

Q: In which of the following areas will thunderstorms not develop? A) in areas of orographic uplift B) in areas of surface convergence C) along frontal boundaries D) under areas of strong high pressure

Q: Prior to making landfall, Hurricane Sandy characteristics changed and it was classified as a A) midlatitude anticyclone. B) typhoon. C) tropical depression. D) post-tropical cyclone.

Q: Which of the following was the deadliest Atlantic hurricane of the last 100 years? A) Hurricane Mitch B) Hurricane Bonnie C) Hurricane Andrew D) Hurricane Camille

Q: The Saffir-Simpson scale estimates potential property damage from A) hurricanes. B) tornadoes. C) tropical depressions. D) storm surges.

Q: Which hurricane holds the western hemisphere records for lowest barometric pressure? A) Hurricane Camille B) Hurricane Hugo C) Hurricane Agnes D) Hurricane Wilma

Q: Cyclones in the southern Indian Ocean usually occur between A) November and May. B) April and December. C) June and October. D) August and December.

Q: Hurricanes die when they move over land because A) the Coriolis force is not sufficient to sustain them over land. B) the land temperature is not warm enough to sustain the low pressure system. C) evaporation and subsequent condensation are no longer sufficient to sustain them. D) anticyclonic forces overtake the cyclonic storm.

Q: Which of the following is not true regarding hurricanes and tornadoes? A) The pressure gradient is strong. B) The pressure at the center of the storm is very low. C) Tremendous amounts of condensation occur in the center of the storm. D) There is very limited wind shear.

Q: Which part of a hurricane consists of dry, subsiding air? A) eye B) spiral bands C) eye wall (collar clouds) D) easterly trade winds

Q: Which of the following is true of hurricanes in the western Atlantic? A) The peak months of occurrence are from August to October. B) They are generally called cyclones or typhoons in this part of the world. C) They are associated with the cool, southward-flowing Kuroshio current. D) They occur in association with local monsoonal winds.

Q: Uplift and storm development occur on the ________ side of an easterly wave. A) northern B) southern C) eastern D) western

Q: Easterly waves travel from ________ in the ________ belt. A) east to west; trade wind B) west to east; trade wind C) east to west; westerly D) west to east; westerly

Q: Before a hurricane forms, upper-level divergence above an easterly wave A) weakens vertical convective circulation. B) pulls moisture into the system. C) causes the system to dissipate. D) moves west to east.

Q: Hurricanes derive their energy from A) the latent heat of vaporization. B) the latent heat of fusion. C) the latent heat of condensation. D) the latent heat of sublimation.

Q: Which is the correct order of tropical cyclone classification, from weakest to strongest? A) tropical disturbancetropical depressiontropical stormhurricane B) tropical depressiontropical disturbancehurricanetropical storm C) tropical stormtropical disturbancetropical depressionhurricane D) hurricanetropical disturbancetropical depressiontropical storm

Q: Which of the following is not a regional name for the most powerful tropical cyclones? A) hurricane B) easterly wave C) typhoon D) cyclone

Q: Tropical cyclones A) are produced by the conflict between air masses and frontal activity. B) originate entirely within tropical air masses. C) usually form poleward of 23.5 latitude in either hemisphere. D) are called hurricanes worldwide.

Q: Between 1950 and 2010, approximately how many tornadoes were recorded in the United States? A) 5,000 B) 15,000 C) 33.000 D) 54.000

Q: Tornadoes are ranked in terms of wind speed and related property damage using the ________ scale. A) Beaufort B) Enhanced Fujita C) Mercalli D) Richter E) Saffir-Simpson

Q: The highest frequency of tornadoes per 10,000 in the United States occurs in A) Nebraska. B) South Dakota. C) Florida. D) Oklahoma.

Q: Which of the following cloud types is associated with tornado development? A) cumulus B) nimbostratus C) altocumulus D) cumulonimbus

Q: Which of the following is true of tornadoes in the United States? A) They occur in every month except March and April. B) The peak month is November. C) The peak month is May. D) They develop within cP air masses.

Q: Tornadoes A) are rarely associated with hurricanes. B) are associated with mesocyclones. C) do not occur anywhere else in the world outside of the United States. D) are called funnel clouds after they come in contact with the ground.

Q: Derechos are A) named after the latin word for "hooked" or "curved." B) straight-line winds associated with thunderstorms. C) associated with gravity drainage. D) most common in the pacific northwest of the United States.

Q: Hail generally forms A) within nimbostratus clouds. B) in association with warm front activity. C) within cumulonimbus clouds. D) in altocumulus and cirrocumulus clouds.

Q: Hail forms A) when water falls from a cloud and freezes during its fall to the ground. B) every time water condenses onto dust particles. C) from repeated circulation of raindrops above and below the freezing level in a cloud. D) when water vapor sublimates (deposits) inside a cirrus cloud.

Q: An estimated ________ lightning strikes occur each day on Earth. A) 8,000 B) 80,000 C) 800,000 D) 8,000,000

Q: Which of the following is true? A) Lightning results from the buildup of electrical-energy polarity within clouds. B) Thunder is caused by rapid cooling of the air. C) Thunder is caused by rapid contraction of the air. D) Lightning is relatively uncommon on the Earth.

Q: ________ are the strongest thunderstorms. A) Supercells B) Multicell clusters C) Multicell lines D) Single-cells

Q: Variations of wind speed and direction with altitude is known as A) supercells. B) convection. C) wind shear. D) convergence.

Q: Ice storms occur when which of the following conditions prevail? A) Rain drops circulate repeatedly above and below the freezing level in a cloud. B) Moist, cool air is adiabatically cooled to the freezing point. C) A cold front pushes warm, moist air to the freezing level in a cloud. D) A layer of warm air is between two layers of cold air.

Q: Which of the following is false regarding wave-cyclone development, intensification, and strengthening? A) The process can occur along the polar front. B) Cyclogenesis is the name for this process. C) A midlatitude cyclone, from birth to maturity to dissolution, takes an average of a month. D) A midlatitude cyclone involves two fronts and three air masses.

Q: Which of the following is true of migrating centers of low pressure in the Northern Hemisphere? A) The winds diverge from the pressure system and spiral outward in a clockwise fashion. B) These pressure systems tend to move east to west along storm tracks. C) These pressure systems are characterized by converging, ascending air that spirals inward in a counterclockwise fashion. D) They form only a minor weather pattern in the middle and higher latitudes.

Q: Storms along ________ are more severe than storms along ________. A) warm fronts; cold fronts because warm fronts move more quickly B) warm fronts; cold fronts because uplift is more rapid along warm fronts C) cold fronts; warm fronts because cold air holds more moisture than warm air D) cold fronts; warm fronts because uplift is more rapid along cold fronts

Q: The severity of storm activity along a cold front is ________ than that along most warm fronts because the rate of uplift is ________ along a cold front. A) less; slower B) less; faster C) greater; slower D) greater; faster

Q: The severity of storm activity along a warm front is ________ than that along most cold fronts because the rate of uplift is ________ along a warm front. A) less; slower B) less; faster C) greater; slower D) greater; faster

Q: Which of the following is incorrectly matched? A) abruptly lifted warmer air cold front B) drizzly precipitation warm front C) cold front clear cold air and high clouds as the front approaches D) hard rain and possible lightning cold front E) squall line turbulent, changing wind patterns slightly ahead of a cold front

Q: After a warm front passes, the temperature ________ and the pressure ________ (relative to the conditions that existed prior to the passage of the front). A) increases; increases B) increases; decreases C) decreases; increases D) decreases; decreases

Q: After a cold front passes, the temperature ________ and the pressure ________ (relative to the conditions that existed prior to the passage of the front). A) increases; increases B) increases; decreases C) decreases; increases D) decreases; decreases

Q: When a cold front approaches, air pressure will initially ________ due to the displacement and uplift of ________ air. A) increase; cold B) increase; warm C) decrease; cold D) decrease; warm

Q: The weather station symbol symbolized by D is a(n) A) cold front. B) warm front. C) stationary front. D) occluded front.

Q: The weather station symbol symbolized by C is a(n) A) cold front. B) warm front. C) stationary front. D) occluded front.

Q: The weather station symbol symbolized by B is a(n) A) cold front. B) warm front. C) stationary front. D) occluded front.

Q: The weather station symbol symbolized by A is a(n) A) cold front. B) warm front. C) stationary front. D) occluded front.

Q: Occlusion in a midlatitude wave cyclone can occur because A) warm fronts travel more quickly than cold fronts. B) cold fronts travel more quickly than warm fronts. C) warm and cold fronts travel at the same speed. D) warm air sinks in low pressure areas.

Q: Which of the following is true of the occluded stage of a midlatitude cyclone? A) It occurs when the cold front overruns the slower moving warm front. B) It occurs as soon as air begins to be uplifted along the cold front. C) It occurs at the time when the cold front and warm front are clearly and distinctly separated from one another. D) This stage is characteristic of an early stage of cyclone development.

Q: Which of the following is true of the open stage of a midlatitude cyclone in the Northern Hemisphere? A) A disturbance develops along the polar front with warm air converging and rising near the surface. B) The faster moving cold front overtakes the slower warm front and wedges beneath it. C) Warm air moves northward along an advancing front, while cold air advances southward. D) The lifting mechanism is completely cut off from the warm air mass.

Q: Cyclonic storm tracks across the United States and Canada generally A) shift to the south in winter, and toward the north in summer. B) move east to west. C) move south to north. D) exist in spring and fall only.

Q: The wetter, intercepting slope of a mountain is termed the ________ slope, whereas the drier, downwind slope is termed the ________ slope. A) left side; right side B) west side; east side C) windward; leeward D) leeward; windward

Q: The highest rainfall in the world occurs in an area whose rainfall is generated by A) advectional cooling of air masses over cold ocean currents. B) orographic uplift of warm, moist air. C) convectional uplift of warm, moist air. D) radiative cooling of cold, moist air.

Q: The term "rain shadow" refers to A) periods of time during which there is a lack of rainfall. B) dry regions on the leeward side of mountain ranges. C) windward slopes of mountains. D) wet areas on the downwind sides of mountains.

Q: The record precipitation received in a single year was A) in the United States. B) in the Amazon in Brazil. C) in the Assam Hills in India, south of the Himalyas. D) in Southeast Asia.

Q: The place on Earth with the highest annual average rainfall is located in A) the United States. B) the Amazon Basin. C) Southeast Asia. D) equatorial Africa.

Q: In the state of Washington, the western portion of the state receives far more rainfall than the eastern portion of the state. What accounts for this stark contrast? A) The western portion of the state see a great deal of frontal lifting, while the eastern portion is under a high pressure cell. B) The western portion of the state experiences orographic precipitation, while the eastern portion is in the rain shadow. C) The western portion of the state has much more moderate temperatures due to the maritime effect and, therefore, experiences convectional uplift, while the eastern portion is governed by continentality. D) The western potion of the state is under the ITCZ during the summer and experiences convergent uplift, while the eastern portion is under the Azores High and experiences subsiding air.

Q: The term "orographic" refers to A) convection stimulated principally by local heating. B) lifting along the edges of conflicting air masses. C) air mass modification and the formation of secondary air masses. D) forced uplift due to the presence of a physical barrier. E) vertical lifting due to converging air masses.

Q: Summer afternoon thundershowers in the southeastern United States are more than likely a result of A) convectional lifting. B) orographic lifting. C) frontal lifting. D) subtropical high pressure disturbance.

Q: The Intertropical Convergence Zone is characterized by A) cold, dry rising air. B) cold, dry sinking air. C) warm dry rising air. D) warm, wet rising air.

Q: The dry leeward side of a mountain is often termed a (n) A) rain shadow. B) chinook. C) front. D) orogeny.

Q: Air displacement at a zone of discontinuity between two air masses of different temperature, pressure, humidity, wind speed and direction, and cloud development is an example of ________ lifting. A) convergent B) convectional C) orographic D) frontal

Q: Air rising forcibly lifted upslope when it meets a topographic barrier such as a mountain is an example of ________ lifting. A) convergent B) convectional C) orographic D) frontal

Q: Air rising as a result of being stimulated by local surface heating is an example of ________ lifting. A) convergent B) convectional C) orographic D) frontal

Q: Air flowing from different directions to an area of low pressure, coming together, and being displaced upward is an example of ________ lifting. A) convergent B) convectional C) orographic D) frontal

Q: When a cold cP air mass passes over the warmer Great Lakes, it absorbs heat energy and moisture and becomes humidified. This is known as the A) continental effect. B) maritime effect. C) humidity effect. D) lake effect.

Q: Which is incorrectly matched? A) cPcold, dense air B) mPwarm, moist, stable conditions C) mTwarm, humid, variable stability depending on source region D) cAvery cold, very dry, stable

Q: Which of the following would not result in the modification of the air mass? A) A mT air mass moving across Texas B) A cP air mass moving across the Great Lakes C) A cT air mass moving across the Gulf of Mexico D) An cA air mass moving across the Gulf of Alaska E) An cP air mass remaining stationary over central Canada

Q: A mT air mass ________ than a cT air mass. A) forms over tropical rainforests and is usually more humid B) forms over an ocean and is usually more humid C) forms over an ocean and is usually less humid D) forms under the equatorial low and is usually less humid E) forms over tropical rainforests and is usually less humid

Q: A mT air mass is likely to be ________ than a cT air mass because the mT air mass ________. A) wetter; is warmer than the cT air mass B) wetter; forms over the ocean C) drier; is a cold air mass D) drier; forms under the equatorial low E) hotter; forms over the ocean

Q: The maritime tropical Pacific (mT) and maritime tropical Gulf and Atlantic (mT) air masses are A) different from one another because the Pacific air mass usually has lower specific humidity than the Gulf/Atlantic air mass. B) both usually extremely unstable. C) very different because the Pacific air mass is very unstable and the Gulf/Atlantic air mass is usually stable. D) both less active during summer months.

Q: Which of the following pressure systems reside within the source region for mP air masses? A) Bermuda high and Pacific high B) Aleutian low and Icelandic low C) Bermuda high and Icelandic low D) Aleutian low and Pacific high

Q: Which of the following characteristics is not associated with a well-developed newly formed cP air mass? A) cold temperatures B) clear skies C) high pressure D) formation in the Southern Hemisphere E) anticyclonic wind flow

Q: Given a cP air mass and cT air mass with the same relative humidity, which air mass would have higher specific humidity? A) The cP air mass would have the higher specific humidity. B) The cT air mass would have the higher specific humidity. C) The specific humidity of both would be the same because their relative humidities are the same. D) It is impossible to say what would usually be true of their specific humidities.

Q: Which of the following matches is true? A) specific humidity of 17 g/kg = average moisture content of mT Gulf air mass in the summer B) very cold, dry, and stable air mass = mT Pacific air mass C) warm, humid, very unstable air mass = mT Pacific air mass D) tropical air mass source region = 40 to 55 N or S

Q: Air masses which develop over Canada are examples of ________ air masses. A) mT B) mP C) cT D) cP

Q: Which of the following is false regarding air masses? A) An air mass initially reflects the characteristics of its source region. B) They are homogenous in terms of temperature and humidity. C) They may dominate half the depth of the troposphere. D) Air masses tend to maintain their original characteristics as they migrate from their source regions.

Q: A(n)________ is a homogenous volume of air defined based on its temperature, and moisture characteristics. A) cyclone B) air mass C) front D) parcel

Q: The scientific study of the short-term condition of the atmosphere is A) weather. B) climate. C) meteorology. D) geography.

Q: Weather is A) the climate of a region. B) the short-term condition of the atmosphere. C) the long-term atmospheric condition, including extremes that may occur. D) a reference to temperature patterns only.