Deck 11: Hurricanes

Question 1

A hurricane acts as a heat engine,transferring heat from ________________________.

A)the warm,moist air above tropical seas into the core of the hurricane
B)the core of the hurricane into the warm,moist air above tropical seas
C)the warm,moist air above tropical seas into the bottom of the sea,where it stirs up turbulence
D)the core of the hurricane into the tropical seas,where additional energy is picked up from water depths below 200 feet,amplifying the strength of the storm
E)low pressure zones in the core to low pressure zone on the perifery

Answer 1

A

Question 2

As a hurricane forms,the air ____________________.

A)rises,cools,and releases latent heat,cooling down the hurricane's core
B)rises,cools,and releases latent heat,heating up the hurricane's core
C)rises,warms,and releases latent heat,heating up the core and adding energy to the storm
D)falls,cools,and releases latent heat,heating up the core and adding energy to the storm

Answer 2

B

Question 3

As a hurricane forms,converging surface winds meet at the central core,which acts like a chimney sending ______________.

A)warm,moist air flowing rapidly upward
B)warm,moist air flowing rapidly downward
C)cool,dry air flowing rapidly upward
D)cool,dry air flowing rapidly downward

Answer 3

A

Question 4

When approaching the Western Hemisphere,hurricanes commonly move north on clockwise-curving paths due to the _________________.

A)Coriolis effect
B)pressure of frontal systems in the United States moving northward
C)Hadley cells
D)Bermuda triangle
E)fact that land areas get in the way and deflect the storms sideways to the north

Question 5

Inside the eye of a well-developed hurricane ________________.

A)air rises
B)there is heavy rain
C)there is a near-perfect vacuum
D)air sinks
E)there are strong winds

Question 6

The 2005 Atlantic hurricane season broke many all-time records,including all but which of the following?

A)greatest number of named tropical storms in one season
B)greatest number of named tropical storms before August 1
C)greatest number of hurricanes in one season
D)greatest number of major hurricanes making landfall in U.S.
E)greatest number of deaths in one season

Question 7

The air in the eye of a hurricane ______________________.

A)sinks,warms,and absorbs moisture,leaving the core clear and cloud-free
B)rises,cools,and absorbs moisture,leaving the core clear and cloud-free
C)rises,cools,and expels moisture,leaving the core clear and cloud-free
D)sinks,warms,and expels moisture,leaving the core clear and cloud-free
E)is stable,neither moving up nor down

Question 8

Hurricane Katrina (2005)ranks number ________ in a list of the 13 deadliest hurricanes in the United States since 1900.

A)one
B)two
C)three
D)four
E)five

Question 9

The Saffir-Simpson scale is used to measure the intensity of __________________.

A)tropospheric jet streams
B)hurricanes
C)earthquakes
D)dust storms
E)tornadoes

Question 10

A hurricane is defined as a large area of sustained winds greater than 74 miles per hour.This is the wind speed at which ______________________.

A)canvas sails on sail boats start to rip
B)storm surge starts to be a problem
C)Saffir and Simpson agreed to compromise (Saffir wanted 72 mph,and Simpson wanted 76 mph)
D)the center of the storm develops a calm area known as the eye
E)atmospheric particles collide and coalesce

Question 11

Which of the following is a rotating,low-pressure weather system with a warm core that generally forms over warm seawater between 5 ^$\circ$ and 20 ^$\circ$ latitude and then travels off to deliver its heat to higher latitudes?

A)hurricanes
B)typhoons
C)southern hemisphere cyclones
D)All of the choices are correct.

Question 12

Of the disaster scales discussed in the book (Richter,Modified Mercalli,Fujita,Saffir-Simpson)

A)all use larger numbers to describe larger disasters.
B)all use smaller numbers to describe larger disasters.
C)some use smaller numbers and some use larger numbers to describe larger disasters.
D)some use alphabetic abbreviations and some use numbers to denote the size of disasters.

Question 13

Rank the following in order of increasing strength:

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

Question 14

The main influences on tropical cyclone paths include all but which of the following?

A)Trade winds blow the tropical cyclone toward the west.
B)The Coriolis effect adds a curve to the right that progressively increases in strength with increasing distance to the equator.
C)Hurricane paths vary depending on the size and position of the Bermuda High.
D)Hurricane paths vary depending on the size and position of the Bermuda Triangle.
E)Trade winds blow the tropical cyclone toward the west and hurricane paths vary depending on the size and position of the Bermuda Triangle influence the path of a tropical cyclone.

Question 15

A large mound of seawater (storm surge)builds up beneath the eye of a hurricane because ____________________.

A)the eye is a very low-pressure zone,so local sea "level" rises higher
B)the winds race into the chimney of the eye,pushing seawater into a tall mound
C)Both the eye is a very low-pressure zone,so local sea "level" rises higher and the winds race into the chimney of the eye,pushing seawater into a tall mound are correct
D)Neither the eye is a very low-pressure zone,so local sea "level" rises higher nor the winds race into the chimney of the eye,pushing seawater into a tall mound is correct

Question 16

The deadliest hurricane in U.S.history struck ________________ in 1900 killing 8,000 people.

A)New Orleans,Louisiana
B)Galveston,Texas
C)Charleston,South Carolina
D)Palm Beach,Florida
E)Key Largo,Florida

Question 17

Hurricanes rotate in a ________________ around a central core in the Northern Hemisphere.

A)clockwise direction
B)counterclockwise direction
C)back and forth motion
D)random pattern
E)zigzag pattern

Question 18

The Saffir-Simpson scale is numbered 1-5 with _______________________.

A)smaller numbers indicating bigger hurricanes
B)larger numbers indicating bigger hurricanes
C)numbers indicating size of tornadoes
D)numbers indicating risk conditions for forest fires

Question 19

The strongest winds in a hurricane are ____________________.

A)in the eye
B)in the eye wall
C)typically about 100 miles away from the eye
D)on the left-hand side of the storm (looking in the direction the hurricane is moving)

Question 20

Requirements for a hurricane to develop include all but which of the following?

A)seawater with a temperature of at least 80 ^$\circ$ F in the upper 200 ft of the ocean
B)air must be unstable,warm,and humid
C)weak upper-level winds,preferably blowing in the same direction the developing storm is moving
D)tornado serving as triggering mechanism,spreading out and slowing as storm grows

Question 21

Because the distinctive eye forms at wind speeds of about 74 mph,this wind speed defines the threshold where a tropical storm has grown strong enough to be called a hurricane.

Question 22

Most deaths in tropical cyclones (hurricanes,typhoons,etc. )are the result of ____________________.

A)wind blown debris
B)direct hit by tornadoes
C)inland flooding
D)coastal storm surge
E)coastal subsidence

Question 23

The Fujita scale describes the magnitude of hurricanes.

Question 24

The development of a hurricane begins with an Arctic disturbance which is a low-pressure zone that draws in a poorly organized cluster of thunderstorms with weak surface winds.

Question 25

The deadliest natural disaster in U.S.history was ____________________ which killed more than 8000 people.

A)Hurricane Katrina in 2005
B)the Mt.St.Helens eruption in 1980
C)the Great Flood of 1993 on the Mississippi River
D)the San Francisco earthquake of 1906
E)the Galveston,Texas,hurricane of 1900

Question 26

The month that historically has more hurricanes than any other month is _______________.

A)October
B)July
C)August
D)September
E)June

Question 27

Which of the following variables has been of assistance in forecasting the number of named tropical storms in the North Atlantic region?

A)when the western Sahel region of Africa is wet with an abnormally large number of thunderstorms
B)abnormally warm sea-surface temperatures west of the Sahel region of Africa
C)the presence of an El Ni-o which tends to disrupt and break apart tropical cyclone
D)low atmospheric pressure in the Caribbean region
E)All of the choices are correct.

Question 28

A tropical depression is more intense than a tropical disturbance.

Question 29

Andrew was the most destructive hurricane in U.S.history in terms of both monetary losses and human lives.

Question 30

If you are on the "right-hand side" of the tropical cyclone in the Northern Hemisphere you experience ____________________.

A)the speed of the storm body plus the wind speed
B)the wind speed minus the storm motion
C)the storm motion only
D)the wind speed but not the storm motion
E)eye-born pressure fluctuations

Question 31

The rate of global sea-level rise is currently averaging about ________ per century.

A)0.01 ft
B)0.1 ft
C)1 ft
D)10 ft
E)100 ft

Question 32

Hurricane centers are colder than their surroundings.

Question 33

The danger of (northern hemisphere)storm surge is most extreme _____________ of a hurricane,due to the forward motion of the storm motion and the direction of rotating winds.

A)on the front-left side
B)on the front-right side
C)on the rear-left side
D)on the rear-right side
E)in the center

Question 34

Fronts are not associated with hurricanes.

Question 35

The energy released in a hurricane by forming clouds and rain is greater than the energy of its winds.

Question 36

The only hurricanes that hit the United States in the twentieth century that were stronger than Andrew were one on Labor Day,1935,that crossed the Florida Keys,killing 405 people,and Camille,which slammed into Mississippi in mid-August 1969.

Question 37

Hurricanes can push high mounds of seawater onshore as surges that temporarily raise sea level over 20 feet.

Question 38

Along many low-lying sections of the U.S.Atlantic and Gulf coasts,a 1 ft rise in sea level may equate to as much as ________________ of inland movement of the beach.

A)1 ft
B)10 ft
C)100 ft
D)1000 ft
E)10,000 ft

Question 39

The most important energy source for a hurricane is heat released by condensation of water vapor inside the storm.

Question 40

Hurricanes that move onto land with high temperatures strengthen rapidly.

Question 41

Most U.S.hurricane deaths have been associated with sea surges occurring when a hurricane moves on land.

Question 42

The number of people killed by hurricanes in the United States increased in the latter part of the 20^th century.

Question 43

As a hurricane moves farther north,it weakens because the Coriolis effect decreases with distance from the equator.

Question 44

A typhoon is more like a tornado than a hurricane.

Question 45

Hurricanes often form right on the equator,because the ocean water is warmest there.

Question 46

In Bangladesh in November 1970,during the high tides of a full moon,a typhoon arrived with a surge of 23 feet height and winds of 155 mph,killing about 400,000 people.