Severe and Unusual Weather Exam 3

A

All thunderstorms require the presence of a lifting mechanism. What meteorological feature and product would you examine to determine if this were present?

A. fronts on a surface weather map

B. wind shear on a sounding

C. CAPE on a Stuve diagram

C

All thunderstorms require the presence of an unstable atmosphere. Which of the following items could you use to identify this?

A. water vapor on a satellite image

B. fronts on a surface weather map

C. CAPE on a sounding (Stuve diagram)

A

A meteorological term applied to a cellular pattern of pouches hanging underneath the anvil of a thunderstorm

A. mammatus cloud

B. pouch cloud

C. virga

D. wave cloud

E. lenticular cloud

B

A stream of decending air within a thunderstorm is called the

A. downpool

B. downdraft

C. downflow

D. downgust

B

A thunderstorm is approaching and you feel a cool air rushing out from the thunderstorm. What is this called?

A. warm pool

B. gust front

C. updraft

D. outburst

C

In which of the following cities would a person see on average the most thunderstorms in a year?

A. Norman, OK

B. New Orleans, LA

C. Orlando, FL

D. Iowa City, IA

B

Severe thunderstorms require the presence of vertical wind shear. Which of the following items could you use to identify this?

A. an animation of a visible satellite image

B. wind barbs on a Stuve diagram (sounding)

C. a loop of radar reflectivity images

B

What feature typically forms over the gust front when a warm air is lifted?

A. wall cloud

B. shelf cloud

C. mammatus cloud

D. lenticular cloud

A

What is the altitude in the atmosphere where a rising parcel of air first becomes saturated?

A. lifting condensation level

B. level of free convection

C. tropopause

D. inversion level

A

Which of the following thunderstorm types is least likely to produce 2 inch hail?

A. single cell thunderstorm

B. supercell thunderstorm

C. squall line

D. mesoscale convective complex

C

You are driving and encounter small hail. You check your iPhone and notice that your car is located in the position shown below with respect to a severe thunderstorm. What should you do to avoid having your car destroyed by large hail?

A. pull over to the side of the road and stay where you are

B. turn and drive toward location A (north)

C. turn and drive toward location B (west)

D. turn and drive toward location C (south)

C

Examine the radar reflectivity image shown below of a thunderstorm producing hail. Which car is in imminent danger of getting pummeled by the largest hailstones?

A. 1 (car to the left of the storm, in some red)

B. 2 (car at the bottom of the storm, in green)

C. 3 (car in the middle of the storm, in pink and black)

D. 4 (car in the top right of the storm, in some pink and red)

A

You hear on the news that penny size hail is being reported in a thunderstorm headed in your direction. What is the approximate size of this hail?

A. 0.75 inch diameter

B. 1 inch diameter

C. 1.5 inch diameter

D. 2 inch diameter

D

The figure below is a schematic of a hook echo. Which path through the storm would take you through the largest hail?

A. A1 to A2 (SW to NE, from bottom of hook)

B. B1 to B2 (NW to E, at the top of the big part)

C. C1 to C2 (S to N, through the big part)

D. D1 to D2 (S to NW, from the bottom of the hook through the big part)

D

You hear on the news that the largest size hailstone in the US has just been recovered. What is the approximate size of this hail?

A. softball

B. baseball

C. golf ball

D. volleyball

C

When you first barely hear thunder or see even a single, distant lightning flash at a golf course, you should

A. put down your cell phone

B. take off spiked golf shoes

C. seek shelter inside a substantial building where people live or work, or in a metal-topped vehicle

D. keep playing until you hear the thunder louder and see a close lightning flash

cloud to ground

"Bolt from the Blue" lightning flashes are a very dangerous type of ___ to ___ lightning flash

B

Why can you sometimes see lightning, but can't hear thunder? As the sound waves propagate into the warmer air at lower levels:

A. they stay at the same direction

B. the sound wave is refracted upward so you can't hear the thunder beyond a critical distance

C. the sound wave is refracted downward so you can't hear the thunder beyond a critical distance

lightning, expansion, contraction

Thunder is caused by ___. It is the rapid ___ and ___ of air causes a shockwave that we hear as thunder.

C

You are outside and hail begins falling. Of the following, which is a safe practice?

A. Run underneath a tree for protection from the hail

B. Lie down in a ditch

C. Cover your head with your arms while you seek nearby shelter

D. Call your mom on your cell phone and ask her for advice

E. Scram, "We're going to die!"

A

A hurricane is a name given to a strong tropical cyclone that has

A. sustained wind in excess of 74 mph

B. air pressure in the eye of the storm measured at a value lower than 1013 mb

C. the potential to produce a storm surge of at least 10 feet

D. a diameter of at least 200 miles

B

Hurricane categories are assigned based on

A. the diameter of the hurricane

B. an estimate of the fastest sustained winds

C. the potential height of the storm surge

D. the pressure in the eye

C

Storm surge is

A. a narrow, fast-moving current of water that flows offshore

B. inland flooding caused by the intense rainfall associated with a hurricane

C. the abnormal rise in sea level associated with the movement of a hurricane over a coastal region

D. the rise of sea level caused by the combined effects of the gravitational force exerted by the moon and the sun and the rotation of the earth

D

What is the difference between hurricane and typhoon?

A. the required sustained wind speed

B. the required minimum air pressure in the eye

C. typhoons are not given names

D. the location where they form

A

Hurricane season in the Northern Hemisphere officially occurs

A. from June 1 to November 30

B. all year round

C. from October 30 to March 1

D. from May 1 to October 30

D

What categories of hurricane are considered major hurricanes?

A. all categories

B. 2, 3, 4, and 5

C. 5

D. 3, 4, and 5

E. 4, 5

C

What part of the hurricane consists of a ring of convective clouds?

A. eye

B. funnel

C. eyewall

D. spiral rainband

B

Which of the following contributes to the location of tornado alley?

A. This region has access to warm, dry air from the Gulf of Mexico that is associated with the passage of drylines

B. This region aligns with the typical orientation of the jet stream during supercell outbreaks

C. This region has the highest number of mobile home parks per capita

D. This region has the largest number of scientists who study tornadoes

A

Which of the following is a precursor for a tornado?

A. mesocyclone

B. shelf cloud

C. weak updraft

D. microcyclone

right between the big part and the hook - B

Where is the mesocylone?

right between the big part and the hook - C

You're a storm chaser, where's the best unobstructed view of a tornado?

NW

Your house is on which side of the street?

Safe

Safe or unsafe strategy?

Watch the weather channel, if a tornado watch is issued

B

The NWS has just issued a tornado warning that includes your city. You are the manager of a movie theater and there are 200 people attending. What should you do?

A. Let the show go on but pay attention to weather reports for additional info

B. Interrupt the show ans take the crowd to a basement of the building or an interior room in an orderly manner

C. Stop the show and send everyone home

Unsafe

Safe or unsafe strategy?

When hearing a tornado warning, drive to your children's school to pick them up