Deck 10: Hurricanes and Extratropical Cyclones

Question 1

What does the Saffir-Simpson Scale use to classify hurricanes?

A) Temperature of the seawater
B) Rain amount
C) Duration of Rain
D) Wind speed
E) Central core temperature of the hurricane

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Where are you NOT likely to see an extratropical cyclone?

A) Across Southern Canada
B) Eastern U.S. coast waters
C) Across the Midwest U.S.
D) Northeast U.S. coast
E) Very low latitudes over seawater that is at least 26°C (80°F)

Answer 2

E

Question 3

Which of the following is the correct classification for a Nor'easter?

A) A Nor'easter is a hurricane.
B) A Nor'easter is a typhoon.
C) A Nor'easter is an extratropical cyclone.
D) A Nor'easter is a tropical cyclone.
E) A Nor'easter is a Monsoon.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Why is the eye the calmest part of the storm?

A) The Coriolis Force causes the storms to stay in a ring around the eye.
B) The low atmospheric pressure dissipates clouds.
C) The warm central core burns off any humidity in the center.
D) Rotating air causes dry air to sink into the eye.
E) Air from the bottom of the storm enters the eye and is pushed upward.

Question 5

Why do you need a steep vertical temperature gradient in the atmosphere in order to get hurricane development?

A) If the atmosphere warms quickly with increasing altitude then the humidity will go up.
B) If the atmosphere warms quickly with increasing altitude then the clouds will grow higher.
C) If the atmosphere cools quickly with increasing altitude then the humidity of the air will decrease.
D) If the atmosphere cools quickly with increasing altitude then the clouds will grow higher.
E) If the temperature in the atmosphere changes continuously then it will cause turbulence in the air stream.

Question 6

Who names a hurricane?

A) The name is picked sequentially from a list of names for that year established by an international agreement.
B) The first person who sees it gets to name the hurricane.
C) A distinguished meteorologist names the hurricane.
D) Each country gets to name one hurricane each year.
E) The governor of the state most likely to be hit gets to name the hurricane.

Question 7

Which of the following statements is TRUE about a hurricane as it makes landfall?

A) The hurricane is cut off from the warm water and its strength decreases.
B) The friction of the coastline decreases the hurricane's strength.
C) Interactions with trees, houses and buildings decrease the hurricane's strength.
D) All energy is cut off to the hurricane and it immediately stops.
E) The hurricane increases in intensity as it causes damage.

Question 8

Which of the following is FALSE about tropical and extratropical cyclones?

A) Tropical cyclones form over warm water, extratropical cyclones form over land or water.
B) Tropical cyclones form at latitudes around the equator, extratropical cyclones form in mid-latitudes.
C) Tropical cyclones have warm central cores, extratropical cyclones have cool cores.
D) Tropical cyclones cause storm surges, but extratropical cyclones do not.

Question 9

What is the correct order of tropical cyclone development (least to most developed)?

A) Tropical depression, tropical disturbance, tropical storm, hurricane
B) Tropical storm, tropical depression, tropical disturbance, hurricane
C) Tropical disturbance, tropical depression, tropical storm, hurricane
D) Hurricane, tropical depression, tropical storm, tropical disturbance
E) Hurricane, tropical storm, tropical disturbance, tropical depression

Question 10

Which way do winds around a low pressure system in the Northern Hemisphere blow?

A) Clockwise
B) Counter-clockwise
C) Northeast
D) Northwest
E) Landward

Question 11

What is the lowest category number for a hurricane to be considered a major hurricane?

A) Category 1
B) Category 2
C) Category 3
D) Category 4
E) Category 5

Question 12

At which stage of hurricane development does the hurricane get a name?

A) When the winds start to spin
B) When the winds reach 63 km (39 mi) per hour
C) When the low pressure is formed
D) When the rain bands form
E) When the eye forms

Question 13

What are the rainbands made up of?

A) Cool air that swirls around the eye
B) Warm air that swirls around the eye
C) Thunderstorms that swirl around the eye
D) Thick sheets of liquid water that swirl around the eye
E) Winds associated with the high pressure system that swirl around the eye

Question 14

What is the primary difference between a tropical depression and a tropical storm?

A) Amount of spin
B) Wind speed
C) Amount of rain
D) Cloud Height
E) Storm surge amount

Question 15

Where is the most intense rain and wind in a hurricane?

A) Rain bands
B) Eye walls
C) Eye
D) Just outside the rain bands
E) In the northwest corner of the storm

Question 16

What is a typhoon?

A) A hurricane in the Western Pacific Ocean
B) An extratropical cyclone that moves up a coastline
C) A tropical cyclone in the Northern Atlantic Ocean
D) A name for a hurricane once it makes landfall
E) A tornado with hail

Question 17

Where is the calmest part of the storm?

A) Rain bands
B) Eye walls
C) Eye
D) Just outside the rain bands
E) In the northwest corner of the storm

Question 18

What is the primary difference between a tropical disturbance and a tropical depression?

A) Tropical depressions have a distinct central low pressure zone.
B) Tropical disturbances are larger.
C) Tropical disturbances have greater winds.
D) Tropical depressions are closer to the equator.
E) Tropical disturbances have higher pressures.

Question 19

What is different about an extratropical cyclone as compared to a tropical cyclone?

A) Extratropical cyclones are associated with frontal activity.
B) Extratropical cyclones are associated with low pressures.
C) Extratropical cyclones are associated with storm surges.
D) Extratropical cyclones spin counter-clockwise.
E) Extratropical cyclones have distinct areas of calm called eyes.

Question 20

What conditions are NOT associated with development of a hurricane?

A) Thick layer of warm water at the ocean surface
B) Atmosphere that allows warm air to cool quickly in atmosphere
C) Weak upper level winds
D) The formation of a tropical storm
E) A tornado that acts a nucleus for a hurricane to form

Question 21

Which of the following is NOT normally an example of how hurricanes are beneficial to ecosystems?

A) Winds carry plants, animals, and microorganisms, which helps to populate remote volcanic islands with plants and animals.
B) Waves stir up deeper, nutrient-rich waters for plant growth.
C) Winds topple weak and diseased trees in forests.
D) Waves break apart some corals.
E) Winds carry eroded sand into agricultural fields and increase their fertility.

Question 22

Why are hurricanes uncommon on the equator?

A) It is too hot there.
B) The upper atmosphere is too cold there.
C) There is too much wind there.
D) There is not enough evaporation there.
E) There is too little Coriolis Effect there.

Question 23

Which of the following will NOT affect the amount of storm surge on a coastline?

A) Fetch
B) Atmospheric pressure
C) Shape of coastline
D) Age of the storm
E) Wind speed

Question 24

When the extratropical cyclone dissipates, where is the air?

A) Cold air is aloft and warm air is beneath.
B) Cold air is beneath and warm air is aloft.
C) Cold air is to the east and warm air is to the west.
D) Cold air is to the west and warm air is to the east.
E) Cold and warm air is mixed to make air whose temperature is an average of the two.

Question 25

Which of the following is NOT normally a reason why coastal erosion from cyclones is a problem?

A) Valuable beach may be eroded causing economic problems.
B) Vegetation and sand dunes may be eroded causing inland structures to become more vulnerable to storms.
C) Boats on inland bays may be cut off from the ocean by sediment blocking inlets.
D) Ground may become eroded bringing down structures.
E) Sand from coastal erosion gets airborne and becomes an air pollutant.

Question 26

Which of the following is NOT something that you should do in preparation for a hurricane?

A) Open all windows on your house in the path of the storm
B) Obtain flood insurance
C) Learn an evacuation route
D) Install heavy shutters on windows and latch them during the hurricane
E) Make a family emergency plan

Question 27

What is storm surge?

A) A large amount of rainfall
B) A large increase in sea level
C) A large amount of wind
D) A sudden increase in rainfall
E) A sudden increase in wind

Question 28

What likely hazard would an extratropical cyclone bring to the Northeast United States in January?

A) Rain
B) Tornadoes
C) Thunderstorms
D) Snow
E) None, extratropical cyclones do not form in winter.

Question 29

Which of the following U.S. states has the highest risk for hurricanes?

A) Texas
B) California
C) Florida
D) New Jersey
E) Maine

Question 30

Where in the world are you LEAST likely to get hurricanes (also called typhoons and tropical cyclones)?

A) Northwest Pacific Ocean
B) Indian Ocean
C) Northwest Atlantic Ocean
D) Southwest Pacific Ocean
E) Southeast Atlantic

Question 31

Why do extratropical cyclones form?

A) Cold air moving towards the tropics meets with warm air moving towards the poles.
B) Cold fronts moving eastward meet with warm fronts moving westward.
C) Polar jet stream meets with a barrier.
D) Tropical jet stream meets with warm ocean water.
E) Hurricanes cross over small islands in the North Pacific.

Question 32

Which of the following is NOT a tool used to make forecasts for hurricanes?

A) Weather satellites
B) Aircraft
C) Doppler Radar
D) Weather buoys
E) Side-scan sonar

Question 33

Which of the following may NOT necessarily increase with increasing category on the Saffir-Simpson scale?

A) Wind speed
B) Storm surge height
C) Damage due to wind (assuming similar construction)
D) Rainfall amount

Question 34

When is hurricane season for the Eastern and Gulf Coasts of the U.S.?

A) September through October
B) June through November
C) July through September
D) August through October
E) It varies each year.

Question 35

Which of the following locations has the lowest risk for hurricanes?

A) Texas
B) California
C) Florida
D) New Jersey
E) Maine

Question 36

What does it mean if a hurricane warning has been issued?

A) Conditions are good for a hurricane to form in your area.
B) You should open your windows and doors for the hurricane winds to blow through.
C) A hurricane is likely to make landfall in the next 24 hours.
D) Meteorologists have spotted a tropical storm and they are watching to see if it will turn into a hurricane.

Question 37

Which of the following is NOT a way in which human activity impacts the effects of cyclones?

A) Humans contribute to global warming that may make hurricanes more intense.
B) Urbanization of the coastline puts more people at risk from hurricane hazards.
C) Exhaust from jet engines can make thunderstorm intensity increase and become hurricanes.
D) Leveling of sand dunes makes the shoreline more vulnerable to erosion.
E) Construction of seawalls can reflect wave action and increase erosion.

Question 38

Which is NOT an effect of hurricanes?

A) High winds
B) Storm surge
C) Flooding
D) Mudslides
E) Gradual subsidence of land

Question 39

Hurricanes in the North Atlantic Ocean initially go from East to West due to the prevailing winds, the Trade Winds. Why do they then turn Northward?

A) The Coriolis effect deflects their motion northward.
B) Water temperatures push them towards colder water.
C) The Gulf Stream (ocean) current pushes them to the north.
D) Winds blowing from North America keep them from moving onto land.
E) The Trade Winds stop blowing once they reach North America.

Question 40

Why does an occluded front form?

A) Slow moving cold fronts push warm fronts downward.
B) Slow moving cold fronts are overtaken by warm fronts.
C) Fast moving cold fronts overtake other cold fronts.
D) Fast moving cold fronts push warm air downward.
E) Fast moving cold fronts overtake warm fronts and push warm air aloft.

Question 41

Extratropical cyclones are rarer than tropical cyclones and an extratropical cyclone has not been seen in the U.S. in over 100 years.

Question 42

Cyclone is a word used to describe storms that are particularly intense.

Question 43

Extratropical cyclones usually don't have wind or storm surge associated with them.

Question 44

Tropical disturbances for the Atlantic Ocean are caused by easterly waves off of the coast of Africa.

Question 45

Which of the following is NOT a way in which communities should prepare for a hurricane?

A) Install accurate warning systems
B) Plan and publicize evacuation routes
C) Make flooding insurance available to potential victims
D) Use effective building designs for structures in the hurricane zone
E) Emphasize that hurricane prediction is a very inexact science and residents should stay with their property to prevent looting

Question 46

Names for especially deadly or damaging hurricanes, like Hurricane Katrina, are retired and never will be used again.

Question 47

Hurricanes can spawn tornadoes once they make landfall.

Question 48

The eye of the hurricane is an area of relative calm.

Question 49

Extratropical cyclones are associated with cold, warm, and occluded fronts.

Question 50

Increasing wind speed will result in a larger storm surge.

Question 51

Hurricanes usually dissipate when they make landfall mainly due to the increased friction of the land.

Question 52

All of the U.S. East Coast has some risk of hurricanes.

Question 53

Storm surges usually resemble tsunamis in that it is a sudden rise in sea level from a storm.

Question 54

The strongest recorded winds in U.S. came from a hurricane.

Question 55

Extratropical cyclones are responsible for most of the snow and blizzards that occur across the U.S. and Canada.

Question 56

Before becoming hurricanes, they start out as tropical depressions and then tropical storms.

Question 57

Extratropical cyclones are associated with both blizzards and thunderstorms.

Question 58

Once a storm is assigned a category on the Saffir-Simpson Scale, it pretty much stays that way.

Question 59

Cyclones spin in opposite directions in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres due to the Coriolis Effect.

Question 60

Extratropical cyclones always move over water before making landfall.

Question 61

Describe the stages of development of a hurricane starting with a tropical disturbance.

Question 62

Cyclones can dramatically increase the amount of coastal erosion that takes place.

Question 63

List the three environmental conditions for a hurricane and explain why each is important.

Question 64

In thinking about the effects of hurricanes for the future, there are two things to consider. First, the ability to predict hurricanes is getting better. Second, there are more people moving to coastal areas. In your opinion, which is the more important issue for a hurricane disaster? What are the limitations of hurricane prediction and what are the problems associated with people living on the shoreline? Which do you think has the greater effect on the problem?

Question 65

People who have experienced hurricanes are usually more likely to take appropriate action than those who have not.

Question 66

Name the areas of the United States (including Alaska and Canada) that are not at risk for hurricanes. Explain why these are not at risk.

Question 67

If a hurricane warning is issued for your area, you should wait until you hear more information before deciding to evacuate.

Question 68

Computer models and satellites make it unnecessary for aircraft to collect hurricane data from the storm.

Question 69

Name the areas of the United States (including Alaska and Canada) that are at risk for hurricanes. Explain why these are at risk.

Question 70

What are some human activities that increase the negative effects of hurricanes?

Question 71

The destruction of sand dunes can increase the damage from cyclones on a coastline.

Question 72

Describe the development of the extratropical cyclone.

Question 73

What are the similarities and differences between a tropical and extratropical cyclone?

Question 74

Warning systems and insurance are important in mitigating the hazard from hurricanes.

Question 75

Describe two situations in which hurricanes will lose their energy and start to decrease in energy. Explain why these situations result in a loss of energy for the hurricane.

Question 76

Weather satellites can give information about the early signs of hurricane formation, but can't show wind speed directly.

Question 77

Just like in the case of an earthquake, people in hurricane-prone areas should have emergency supplies and should make a family plan.

Question 78

Weather buoys are an outdated source of weather information that are not used currently.

Question 79

Explain how and when a hurricane gets its name.