Deck 19: Weather Patterns and Severe Storms

Question 1

On a weather map,___________ fronts are shown by a line with triangular points on one side.

A) stationary
B) occluded
C) cold
D) warm

Answer 1

cold

Question 2

The air masses that have the greatest influence on weather conditions in the central United States are___________ .

A) mP and mT
B) mP and cP
C) cP and mT
D) cT and cP

Answer 2

cP and mT

Question 3

This air mass may produce an occasional "nor'easter" in the winter.

A) mP
B) mT
C) cP
D) cT

Answer 3

mP

Question 4

A cT air mass is___________.

A) warm and humid
B) warm and dry
C) cold and humid
D) cold and dry

Question 5

If you were 200 kilometers ahead of the surface position of a warm front, you would find the frontal surface at a height of about ___________km overhead.

A) 2.0
B) 1.5
C) 0.5
D) 1.0

Question 6

"Rain long foretold, long last; short notice, soon past." The first five words of this weather proverb___________ .

A) refer to a warm front
B) refer to a cold front
C) have no basis in fact
D) refer to an anticyclone

Question 7

You are in mid- latitudes in winter. You experience heavy snow followed by a dramatic drop in temperature as a cold front passes, but for almost 24 hours the weather is clear. Then, high clouds appear in the west, thicken to stratus clouds and you receive a light new snowfall aka snow flurries. but the temperature remains cold. You have just seen the passage of ___________.

A) a warm front
B) a second cold front
C) a stationary front
D) an occluded front

Question 8

A continental Polar cP. air mass that originates in Siberia and is subsequently altered to___________ when crossing the north Pacific

A) mT
B) mP
C) cP
D) cT

Question 9

Continental tropical air masses are most prominent in what part of North America?

A) the Southeastern United States
B) the Pacific Northwest
C) the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico
D) the Midwestern United States and Canada

Question 10

In the Gulf Coast region of the United States cold fronts intense spring floods are often associated with a phenomenon known locally as "training" where thunderstorms form along a line and follow the same line for hours. This is a classic example of severe weather along a___________ .

A) hurricane
B) warm front
C) stationary front
D) cold front

Question 11

If you live in the Midwestern United States or Canada and you experience several days of winter temperatures below - 20°C with clear weather, you are undoubtedly experiencing ___________.

A) a Continental Tropical air mass
B) a Maritime Polar air mass
C) a Continental Polar air mass
D) a cyclonic storm

Question 12

Usually ___________fronts produce several hours to days of moderate- to- gentle precipitation over a large region.

A) cold
B) warm and cold
C) warm
D) none of these

Question 13

An air mass from the Gulf of Mexico is labeled___________ .

A) mT
B) cP
C) cT
D) mP

Question 14

Midwestern farmers used to say "mare's tail and mackerel scales bring the storm down on you head"; Mare's tails are cirrus clouds and mackerel scales are cirrostratus. When this sequence is followed by altostratus the old farmers were talking about an approaching ___________front.

A) cold
B) warm or cold
C) warm
D) none of these

Question 15

The southeastern United States lies in the heart of the "horse latitudes" where normally we would expect desert conditions. Why isn't this area a desert?

A) Maritime tropical air masses derived from the Gulf of Mexico disturb the pattern when these air masses are drawn northward by cyclonic storms.
B) Maritime polar air masses disturb the pattern by driving pacific moisture across North America.
C) Continental tropical air masses derived from Mexico disturb the pattern when these air masses are drawn northward by cyclonic storms.
D) Continental polar air masses disturb the pattern by periodic influxes of cold air.

Question 16

When an active cold front overtakes a warm front, ___________.

A) an occluded front forms
B) cloud formation ceases
C) the fronts cancel one another out
D) a stationary front is created

Question 17

A maritime Polar mP. air mass is___________ .

A) cold and humid
B) warm and dry
C) warm and humid
D) cold and dry

Question 18

When an area is experiencing several consecutive days of rather constant weather, it is probably___________ .

A) cold- front weather
B) occluded front weather
C) air- mass weather
D) warm- front weather

Question 19

A wind shift from south or southwest to northwest is commonly associated with the passage of a ___________front.

A) warm
B) neither warm nor cold
C) stationary
D) cold

Question 20

An air mass that forms in the North Atlantic Ocean in winter over cold water and then comes ashore is a___________ mass.

A) cyclonic storm
B) Continental Polar air mass
C) Continental Tropical air mass
D) Maritime Polar air mass

Question 21

Lightning is most prominent in ___________.

A) cumulus clouds
B) stratus clouds
C) altocumulus clouds
D) cumulonimbus clouds

Question 22

When the center of circulation of a midlatitude cyclone just passes to your south, you expect ___________.

A) a constantly rising barometer until the cyclone passes then falling barometer
B) warming conditions during light to moderate rain with a falling barometer followed by a northwest wind and rising barometer
C) winds shifting from the east or northeast to northwest during rainy or snowy. weather
D) winds shifting from the south or southeast to the west or northwest with abrupt cooling at the passage of a cold front

Question 23

On a weather map, ___________fronts are shown by a line with semicircles extending from one side.

A) occluded
B) cold
C) stationary
D) warm

Question 24

After the center of a mature wave cyclone passes, you should expect___________ .

A) warmer temperatures
B) barometric pressure to fall
C) barometric pressure to rise
D) barometric pressure to remain steady

Question 25

Norwegians originally named weather fronts as analogous to fronts of___________ .

A) mountains
B) animal herds
C) armies
D) ocean waves

Question 26

In which area of the United States are thunderstorms most common?

A) Southwest
B) Northeast
C) Southeast
D) Northwest

Question 27

Midlatitude anticyclones are typically centered on ___________.

A) a continental polar air mass
B) a continental tropical air mass
C) a maritime polar air mass
D) a maritime tropical air mass

Question 28

Cold fronts and warm fronts in the middle latitudes are often associated with a ___________.

A) low pressure
B) middle- latitude cyclone
C) hurricane
D) both B and C

Question 29

Because surface winds circulate around a midlatitude cyclone, why do they move from west to east across North America?

A) The Bermuda high in the Atlantic ocean forces circulation it, which steers the storm systems in North America.
B) The storm is forced toward the warm arm mass, which "pulls" the storm toward it to the east.
C) The winds aloft, particularly the jet stream, move from west to east and steer the storm system.
D) The continental polar air mass that "pushes" the cold front drive the storm east.

Question 30

The updrafts in thunderstorms are initiated by thermal instabilities at the surface. What process tends to increase the vertical instability that feeds the thunderstorm development?

A) low pressure aloft
B) a jet stream aloft
C) Coriolis forces
D) release of latent heat by condensation

Question 31

The precipitation associated with a warm front typically arrives ___________ the actual frontal boundary.

A) considerably ahead of
B) at about the same time as
C) considerably behind
D) none of these

Question 32

When a TV weather forecaster gives a forecast for "widely scattered afternoon thunderstorms," these storms are probably associated with___________ .

A) a cold front generating thunderstorms along it
B) a warm front generating thunderstorms along it
C) an unstable air mass, probably maritime tropical air with thunderstorms driven by thermals in an unstable air mass
D) the core of a midlatitude cyclone

Question 33

Thunderstorms form from what type of cloud?

A) cumulonimbus
B) stratus
C) cirrus
D) altostratus

Question 34

TV meteorologists often point at things labeled L on a map and describe them as low pressure centers. What are they?

A) low level pressure centers, hence the term L
B) midlatitude cyclones
C) low pressure centers that are mini- equivalents of hurricanes
D) severe weather systems with tornadoes

Question 35

Which of the following is typically not associated with the life cycle of a thunderstorm?

A) development of a cumulus cloud growing to a cumulonimbus
B) strong vertical airflow with vertical motions as high as 100 km/hr
C) the development of strong downdrafts with heavy rain
D) the development of stratus clouds

Question 36

Where is the most severe weather typically located in a midlatitude cyclone?

A) on the trailing cold front, south or west of the center of circulation
B) just north of the center of circulation
C) on the warm front preceding the center of circulation
D) just south of the center of circulation

Question 37

In the Northern Hemisphere, tornadoes are most frequent during the___________ .

A) month of September
B) April- June period
C) October- December period
D) January- March period

Question 38

Consider the below diagram of a pair of fronts associated with a mid- latitude cyclone. What is true of this diagram?

A) The front on the left is a warm front.
B) The front on the right is faster moving.
C) The front on the right has an easier time wedging ambient air out of the way.
D) The rain in the front on the left will end sooner.

Question 39

Which one of the following statements is not true of tornadoes?

A) associated with cumulonimbus clouds
B) occur most frequently in the spring of the year
C) usually occur along the warm front of a mid- latitude cyclone
D) most common in the Midwest and Great Plains

Question 40

Which of the following should have the steepest pressure gradient?

A) hurricane
B) middle- latitude cyclone
C) tornado
D) All should have equally steep pressure gradients.

Question 41

Tropical cyclones, which are called hurricanes in the Atlantic, are called___________ in the western Pacific

A) typhoons
B) willy willy's
C) tornadoes
D) cyclones

Question 42

Examine the words and/or phrases below and determine the relationship among the majority of words/phrases. Choose the option that does not fit the pattern.

A) stationary front
B) cold front
C) warm front
D) occluded front

Question 43

The eye of a hurricane is ___________.

A) along the leading edge of the storm
B) the portion with the highest wind speeds
C) the area of most intense rainfall
D) warmer than the rest of the storm

Question 44

Examine the words and/or phrases below and determine the relationship among the majority of words/phrases. Choose the option that does not fit the pattern.

A) anticyclone
B) tornado
C) cyclone
D) hurricane

Question 45

When a hurricane moves onto land, it rapidly loses its punch; that is, the storm declines in intensity. Which of the factors listed below contribute to this loss of punch?

A) lack of warm, moist air to feed latent heat driven convection
B) formations of mesocyclones within the storm disrupt the circulation
C) disruption of outflow by strong winds aloft from the jet stream
D) heating from below by the land surface

Question 46

A Category 5 hurricane in the open water can obtain top wind speed comparable to ___________.

A) an F4 tornado
B) the top speed of an old style Volkswagen beetle
C) an F1 tornado
D) a plane flying near supersonic speed

Question 47

Tornadoes of F1 to F2 in strength account for___________ .

A) most of the tornadoes observed
B) most of the property destruction caused by tornadoes
C) most of the weird phenomena ascribed to tornadoes
D) most of the deaths by tornadoes

Question 48

Examine the words and/or phrases below and determine the relationship among the majority of words/phrases. Choose the option that does not fit the pattern.

A) mP
B) cA
C) mT
D) cP

Question 49

Hurricanes generally are ___________.

A) areas of heavy rainfall and strong winds
B) smaller than mid- latitude cyclones
C) larger than tornadoes
D) all of these

Question 50

Most hurricanes occur on the ___________side of oceans.

A) northern
B) western
C) eastern
D) southern

Question 51

Each tornado is very commonly accompanied by several of these.

A) storm surge
B) suction vortex
C) dissipating stages
D) intense high pressure cells

Question 52

A cT air mass is ___________ and___________ .

A) dry; warm
B) wet; warm
C) dry; cool
D) wet; cool

Question 53

In the folk song "Wasn't That a Mighty Storm," the singer describes an event during the Galveston hurricane of 1900: "The trains they were loaded, with people leaving town, but the tracks gave way with the water, the trains they went on down." What hurricane phenomena was the author of this song describing?

A) heavy rain and winds blowing a trestle over
B) tornadoes embedded in the eye wall
C) river flooding washing out train trestles
D) storm surge

Question 54

Tornadoes most often move towards what direction?

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

Question 55

In Hurricane Katrina, the storm came ashore heading almost due north and the eye passed between the towns of Slidell, Louisiana and Waveland, Mississippi. Slidell, LA suffered heavy flooding and moderate wind damage while Waveland, MS was totally destroyed without a single building standing within 200m of the coastline. Both cities experienced the eyewall of the storm where the winds are strongest, so why was the destruction so different?

A) Slidell must be a sheltered coastline, or protected behind a levee system.
B) Slidell was just lucky and experienced a temporary lull in the storm.
C) Waveland caught the right front quadrant of the storm, with maximum storm surge and wind.
D) Waveland must have been at a lower elevation than Slidell.

Question 56

Examine the words and/or phrases below and determine the relationship among the majority of words/phrases. Choose the option that does not fit the pattern.

A) tropical storm
B) tornado
C) hurricane
D) tropical depression

Question 57

Why has Doppler radar been very valuable in preventing loss of life by tornadoes?

A) It can detect development of thunderstorm rotation and mesocyclone formation associated with tornadoes.
B) It can detect the speed of a thunderstorm to allow accurate forecasting of arrival time of a tornado and its track.
C) It can "see through" heavy rain and directly image tornadoes embedded in thunderstorms with heavy rain.
D) It can detect hail moving through the thunderstorm, allowing hail forecasts and its association with tornadoes.

Question 58

Tornadoes have embedded secondary vortices called suction vortices. Hurricanes also have embedded secondary vortices, they are called___________ .

A) tropical cyclone secondary vortices
B) hurricane suction vortices
C) tornadoes
D) storm surge vortices

Question 59

The greatest loss of life during a natural disaster occurred during___________ .

A) a tornado in the Midwest
B) Hurricane Katrina
C) a 1959 blizzard in the Midwest
D) the 1900 Galveston hurricane

Question 60

Air masses that form in the Gulf of Mexico are classified as ___________.

A) mT
B) cT
C) cP
D) mP

Question 61

At any given moment on Earth, there are about ___________active thunderstorms.

A) 3000
B) 2000
C) 1000
D) 4000

Question 62

Vortices within a tornado vortex, called___________ vortices, often cause the greatest destruction within a given tornado.

A) mesocyclone
B) shear
C) polar
D) suction

Question 63

Thunder is produced by___________ .

A) lightning
B) wind
C) rain
D) hail

Question 64

Lightning rarely occurs in the___________ .

A) polar regions
B) ocean
C) tropics
D) mid latitudes

Question 65

Continental polar air masses can affect weather as far south as___________ .

A) the Texas panhandle
B) the Dakotas
C) the Great Plains
D) These air masses can affect weather throughout the entire United States.

Question 66

Warm fronts generally have ___________than cold fronts.

A) steeper slopes and less intense rainfall
B) steeper slopes and more intense rainfall
C) gentler slopes and more intense rainfall
D) gentler slopes and less intense rainfall

Question 67

Intense tropical cyclones with winds above ___________kph are called hurricanes, typhoons, or cyclones, depending on the part of the world where they form.

A) 109
B) 159
C) 184
D) 134

Question 68

Surface cyclones are accompanied by ___________aloft.

A) convergence
B) divergence
C) suction vortexes
D) high pressure systems

Question 69

Cold fronts usually move___________ warm fronts.

A) at the same speeds as
B) faster than
C) slower than
D) at varying speeds in relation to

Question 70

When an___________ front passes, the temperature drops dramatically.

A) occluded
B) warm
C) stationary
D) cold

Question 71

Convergence aloft helps maintain surface ___________.

A) lows
B) wind gusts
C) tornadoes
D) highs

Question 72

The months of___________ in the Northern Hemisphere. are the period of greatest tornado frequency.

A) March- June
B) January- March
C) October- December
D) June- August

Question 73

An occluded front is depicted on a weather map as a line with___________ .

A) triangular points on one side
B) semicircles on one side and triangular points on the other side.
C) circular points on one side
D) circular and triangular points on the same side

Question 74

A tornado watch is issued by the National Weather Service ___________ .

A) if the weather conditions indicate that tornadoes could occur
B) after a tornado has been sighted in an area
C) only if a tornado has been sighted but before it has touched down
D) the day after a tornado has touched down

Question 75

Thunderstorms are usually associated with ___________clouds.

A) nimbostratus
B) cirrostratus
C) cumulonimbus
D) cirrus

Question 76

Precipitation associated with a cold front is usually ___________intense and___________ in duration than precipitation generated by a warm front.

A) less; longer
B) more; longer
C) more; shorter
D) less; shorter

Question 77

Most severe thunderstorms that occur in the middle latitudes form along or ahead of ___________fronts.

A) cold
B) stationary
C) occluded
D) warm

Question 78

Tornadoes are most often generated along the ___________front of a middle- latitude cyclone.

A) cold
B) stationary
C) warm
D) occluded

Question 79

A tropical depression has ___________winds than a tropical storm.

A) as strong
B) weaker
C) stronger
D) different direction

Question 80

Doppler radar aids tornado detection by detecting ___________.

A) wind gusts at ground level
B) ice particles in clouds
C) high pressure in a region
D) motion within clouds