Essentials of Meteorology Lesson 10 Thunderstorms and Tornadoes

Which of the following conditions are favorable for the development of tornadic thunderstorms in a given area?

All of the above conditions occurring (more or less) simultaneously.

Multicell thunderstorms owe their existence to:

All of the above can lead to multicell thunderstorms.

Which of the following statements is false?

Lightning strikes are always fatal.

How does a cumulonimbus cloud achieve charge separation?

The exact mechanism is as yet unknown.

The so-called Tornado Belt of the United States is located

in the central plains

The onset of precipitation marks the beginning of a thunderstorm's _______ stage.

mature

Which of the following is not a requirement for thunderstorm development?

Strong vertical wind shear.

Which below is the best indication that a severe thunderstorm is about to produce a tornado?

a wall cloud

Cars are often good protection from lightning. What makes them so?

The steel skin of the body conducts the electricity away from the car's inhabitants.

Most tornadoes have wind speeds:

less than 97 kts.

Thunderstorms which produce tornadoes

have rotating updrafts

What differentiates a multicell thunderstorm from a supercell thunderstorm?

Supercells are characterized by rotating updrafts.

A hook-shaped echo on a radar screen often indicates

the possible presence of a tornado-producing thunderstorm

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of lightning?

Lightning is a form of alternating current.

A tornado-like event that forms over water is a

waterspout

The Enhanced Fujita scale pertains to

the strength of a tornado.

A Doppler radar determines precipitation ____ by measuring changes in the ____ of the reflected radiowave

velocity, frequency

The morning forecast for your area calls for hot, humid conditions during the afternoon, followed much cooler temperatures after the passage of a cold front. Which of the following would most likely be issued that morning for your area?

Severe thunderstorm watch.

Lightning may occur

• within a cloud

• from a cloud to the ground

• from one cloud to another cloud

What differentiates air mass thunderstorms from severe thunderstorms?

Strong vertical wind shear.

Which of the following factors is most important in determining the strength of a tornado?

central pressure

Most tornadoes move from:

southwest to northeast

SW toward the NE

A tornado cloud that does not touch the ground is called

a funnel cloud.

A typical diameter of a tornado would be:

250 meters

On a surface weather map, this marks the boundary where a warm, dry air mass encounters a warm, moist air mass.

dry line