Deck 16: Hurricanes and nor Easters

Question 1

Which roofing design is the most hurricane-resistant?

A)sloped, clay tile
B)flat, wood shingle
C)flat, metal ​
D)flat, concrete tile
E)sloped, stucco

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Where does a tropical cyclone or hurricane get its energy?

A)in the heat and moisture rising from a low-pressure cell of the tropical ocean
B)from heat of the sun shining off a hot desert near the equator
C)from high temperatures of a humid high-pressure weather cell near the equator
D)from high summer temperatures over humid equatorial jungles
E)in the dry, cool air coming from a low-pressure cell of an adjacent ocean

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Which of these coastal effects is NOT caused by heavy rain during a hurricane?

A)flooded streams
B)landslides (from saturated slopes)
C)drowned people
D)contaminated groundwater
E)large storm surges

Answer 3

E

Question 4

What percentage people who die in hurricanes drown because of river floods near the coast?

A)less than 5 percent
B)around 20 percent
C)around 35 percent
D)around 60 percent
E)around 80 percent

Question 5

Ninety-five percent of ____ output from the Gulf of Mexico, the largest domestic source, was disrupted by Hurricane Katrina.

A)fisheries
B)hydroelectric power
C)nuclear power
D)coal
E)petroleum

Question 6

Where are the highest winds in a hurricane?

A)within the eye
B)along the edge of the eye wall
C)half-way between the eye and the outer edge
D)at the outer edge
E)winds speeds are about equal everywhere within a hurricane

Question 7

Why are lower, smaller sand dunes less desirable than higher, larger sand dunes?

A)Lower dunes promote more erosion because there is not as much dune sand to absorb wave energy.
B)Lower dunes cannot prevent waves washing over the dunes to strike the homes.
C)Lower dunes promote the formation of riptides.
D)Lower dunes block the wind in unnatural ways, causing more damage to surrounding homes.
E)Lower dunes are difficult to naturally revegetate.

Question 8

What local conditions will raise the height of a storm surge at the beach?

A)a surge moving into a bay
B)a fast-moving hurricane
C)a slow-moving hurricane
D)coastal vegetation, such as thick groves of mangroves
E)low sand dunes

Question 9

When do most hurricanes develop (which months), and why?

A)July, because that is the hottest month and rainfall is highest in the tropics
B)July, because winds are the highest over the normally stagnant doldrums of the equatorial ocean
C)July and August, because those are the hottest months
D)August and September, because it takes all summer to warm the ocean
E)November and December, because it takes all year to warm the ocean

Question 10

Why are hurricanes becoming more frequent?

A)Climate change is causing more rainfall in equatorial areas.
B)Climate change is causing more low pressure cells that cause hurricanes.
C)Climate change is causing ocean temperature to increase.
D)Climate change is causing increasing wind speed in the Pacific.
E)Actually, they are not; we are just better at detecting and reporting them. ​

Question 11

How does faster forward speed of a hurricane affect coastal areas?

A)higher-level surge and more rain
B)higher-level surge and less rain
C)lower-level surge and more rain
D)lower-level surge and less rain
E)more wind damage ​

Question 12

What shape of roof is most resistant to hurricane winds?

A)one shaped like an airplane wing
B)a gently sloping roof with one slope facing toward the wind
C)one with a large span
D)a roof that slopes to all sides with overhangs
E)a roof that slopes to all sides without overhangs

Question 13

Where do hurricanes striking North America originate?

A)the central Pacific Ocean, near the equator
B)in the Gulf of Mexico
C)off the northern coast of South America, near the equator
D)waters in near-equatorial latitudes off the west coast of Africa
E)in the steamy jungles of the Congo, in western Africa

Question 14

Which type of damage does NOT typically accompany a hurricane's storm surge?

A)Buildings, bridges, and piers are washed away.
B)Dunes are washed away.
C)Houses not on high posts are floated and carried farther onshore.
D)Heavy sand is deposited on beaches, partly burying some homes.
E)Saltwater invades and contaminates groundwater.

Question 15

Why are houses in hurricane-susceptible areas generally on tall posts?

A)to keep them above the high tide level
B)to keep them above the expected storm-surge level
C)to allow blowing sand to go under them
D)to keep them above the strongest winds
E)to provide less wind resistance

Question 16

Why are skies clear in the eye of a hurricane?

A)Warm air is rising.
B)Warm, dry air is descending.
C)Cold air is rising.
D)Cold, dry air is descending.
E)Any moisture is flung to the edge of the eye wall by centrifugal forces.

Question 17

Why is storm damage of a westward-moving hurricane generally less on the south side of the eye?

A)It isn't. The storm surge is highest right under the eye where the atmospheric pressure is lowest.
B)It isn't. The hurricane winds are highest both just north and just south of the eye.
C)The winds are moving offshore there, so there is no onshore surge or wave effects.
D)The winds are moving offshore there, so the debris travels over open water rather than colliding with buildings.
E)Winds in the left-front quadrant point most directly at the shore, causing the greatest surge and wind effects.

Question 18

What is the average forward speed of a hurricane (how fast does it approach the coast)?

A)about 5 km/hour
B)about 25 km/hour
C)about 100 km/hour
D)about 200 km/hour
E)about 500 km/hour

Question 19

Where in a hurricane is the atmospheric pressure lowest, and approximately what is that pressure?

A)lowest in the zone of high winds, just outside the eye; about 950 millibars
B)lowest just outside the eye wall; about 920 millibars
C)lowest in the eye; about 960-970 millibars
D)lowest in the eye; about 1200-1300 millibars
E)lowest in the zone of high winds, midway between the eye and its outer fringes; about 900-910 millibars ​

Question 20

Which factor does NOT contribute to increased height of a storm surge?

A)low atmospheric pressure
B)strong hurricane winds
C)fetch
D)shallow water
E)deep water

Question 21

Air in the eye of a hurricane is warmer than the surrounding air.

Question 22

A hurricane _______________ indicates that a hurricane is possible in the area within 36 hours.

Question 23

Hurricane strength in any given year appears to correlate quite well with Atlantic Ocean sea-surface _____.

Question 24

A hurricane _______________ indicates that a hurricane is expected in the area within 24 hours.

Question 25

The decline in the number of hurricane-related deaths since the 1920s is due to the decreasing frequency of hurricanes.

Question 26

Hurricane _______________, which hit Galveston, Texas in 2008, was the third costliest storm in U.S. history, illustrating the damage a moderate hurricane can cause.

Question 27

Homeowners insurance does not cover wind damage or flood damage due to a hurricane.

Question 28

Hurricanes in the northern hemisphere both rotate and track in the same direction as the ocean currents.

Question 29

The strongest hurricane ever measured was Hurricane Katrina, in 2005.

Question 30

The _______________ Hurricane Wind Scale divides hurricanes into five categories based on average wind speed, with Category 1 storms being the weakest and Category 5 the strongest.

Question 31

The cost of evacuations is large-roughly $5 million per coastal mile evacuated, exclusive of any damages from the hurricane.

Question 32

A series of arson fires after Hurricane Katrina led authorities to suspect that people were setting fire to their flood-damaged homes in order to receive _______________ benefits.

Question 33

Extratropical cyclones that strike the northeastern coast, especially New England and Nova Scotia, are known as _______________.

Question 34

Hurricanes maintain roughly constant intensity until they reach land, when they gradually dissipate.

Question 35

The greatest coastal damage from a hurricane is directly in line with the center of the hurricane path as it reaches land.

Question 36

Lower-category, large-diameter, or slow-moving hurricanes usually cause more extensive and prolonged flooding than higher-category, smaller diameter storms.

Question 37

The deadliest Atlantic hurricanes have affected the _____ islands with 64% of total storm losses.

Question 38

Coastal building standards for the NFIP require that all new construction be _______________ of mean high tide.

Question 39

Cold-weather storms that behave much like hurricanes are known as _______________.

Question 40

Raising the floor of a building above the 100-year flood level prevents most erosion that occurs.

Question 41

Hurricane Sandy in 2012 was a Category _______________ storm.

Question 42

Hurricanes generally curve northward as they approach the southeastern coast of the United States because of the _______________ effect.

Question 43

An average of _______________ named hurricanes form annually in the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico.

Question 44

Explain why death tolls from hurricanes are much higher in poor countries.

Question 45

List some precautionary measures to take before evacuating because of a hurricane.

Question 46

Of the main hazards in a hurricane, which causes the greatest dollar amount of damage? Why?

Question 47

One future prospect for predicting hurricane behavior is to monitor thermal anomalies in the ocean with _______________ sensors.

Question 48

What are nor'easters? Describe how nor'easters differ from hurricanes.

Question 49

North Carolina's _______________ extends farther into the path of many Atlantic hurricanes than anywhere else on the East Coast.

Question 50

What are some examples of natural protections against hurricanes? What can people do to preserve these protections?