Thunderstorms & Lightning

Thunderstorms & Ingredients

1. What type of cloud is primarily associated with thunderstorms?

A) Cirrus

B) Cumulonimbus

C) Stratus

D) Altocumulus

2. Which of the following is not an ingredient required for thunderstorm formation?

A) Warm, humid air

B) Instability

C) A cold air mass

D) Lifting mechanism

3. Which is not a lifting mechanism that helps form thunderstorms?

A) Convection

B) Conduction

C) Orographic lift

D) Convergence

4. Thunderstorms are most commonly associated with which air mass in the U.S.?

A) cP

B) mP

C) mT

D) cA

5. Which mechanism causes more thunderstorms near the western boundary currents (WBC)?

A) Cold water

B) Dry air

C) Warm water

D) High pressure

Types of Thunderstorms

6. What type of thunderstorm is isolated, short-lived, and often triggered by convection?

A) Multi-cell

B) Supercell

C) Air mass (single-cell)

D) MCC

7. What stage of an air mass thunderstorm is dominated by updrafts?

A) Mature

B) Dissipating

C) Cumulus

D) Mesoscale

8. During which stage of an air mass thunderstorm do downdrafts dominate?

A) Cumulus

B) Mature

C) Dissipating

D) Initiating

9. What type of thunderstorm forms a long line along or ahead of cold fronts?

A) Supercell

B) Squall line

C) MCC

D) Single-cell

10. Which of the following defines a severe thunderstorm?

A) Rainfall exceeding 1 inch

B) Winds > 50 knots or hail ≥ 1 inch or a tornado

C) Winds < 20 mph and light rain

D) Lightning strikes only

Supercells & MCCs

11. What percentage of U.S. thunderstorms are classified as supercells?

A) 1%

B) 2–3%

C) 10%

D) 25%

12. What is the rotating updraft in a supercell called?

A) Overshooting top

B) Gust front

C) Mesocyclone

D) Microburst

13. Supercells are often how tall?

A) Up to 20,000 ft

B) Up to 30,000 ft

C) Up to 65,000 ft

D) Up to 10,000 ft

14. Mesoscale Convective Complexes (MCCs) typically begin as:

A) Isolated storms

B) Tornadoes

C) Supercells

D) Squall lines

15. MCCs are hazardous mainly because they:

A) Last only a few minutes

B) Cause snowstorms

C) Are slow-moving and cause flooding

D) Form only over oceans

Thunderstorm Structure

16. What are warm, moist, rising air currents in a thunderstorm called?

A) Downdrafts

B) Updrafts

C) Gust fronts

D) Roll clouds

17. What happens when a thunderstorm updraft breaks through the tropopause?

A) Tornado formation

B) Gust front appears

C) Overshooting top develops

D) Thunder dissipates

18. What is formed by a cold downdraft hitting the surface and pushing warm air?

A) Mesocyclone

B) Gust front

C) Microburst

D) Roll cloud

19. Which feature appears at the top of a thunderstorm and is pushed by upper-level winds?

A) Mesocyclone

B) Anvil

C) Roll cloud

D) Mammatus

20. What is often triggered by gust fronts and can enhance thunderstorm activity?

A) Downburst

B) Surface divergence

C) New cell formation

D) Tornado

Hazards: Lightning, Hail, Winds

21. What percent of lightning occurs between clouds (cloud-cloud)?

A) 10%

B) 20%

C) 50%

D) 80%

22. The basic cause of lightning is:

A) Pressure difference

B) Charge separation

C) Magnetic force

D) Rapid condensation

23. Thunder is caused by:

A) Rain hitting the ground

B) Lightning heating air rapidly

C) Microbursts

D) Wind shear

24. The temperature of a lightning bolt can reach:

A) 2,000˚C

B) 6,000˚C

C) 20,000˚C

D) 33,000˚C

25. Which hazard is the number one thunderstorm killer?

A) Lightning

B) Hail

C) Flash flooding

D) Tornadoes

Hail & Winds

26. Hail formation requires:

A) Only freezing temperatures

B) Only low pressure

C) Strong vertical winds

D) High humidity alone

27. Which wind event is very dangerous for aircraft due to sudden downward motion?

A) Tornado

B) Microburst

C) Derecho

D) Roll cloud

28. A derecho is similar to a gust front but is:

A) Weaker and slower

B) Narrow and short-lived

C) Longer lasting and stronger

D) Caused by freezing rain

29. What results when ice particles repeatedly circulate within a thunderstorm?

A) Hail growth

B) Thunder

C) Lightning

D) Flooding

30. Which feature helps initiate additional thunderstorm cells from cold air outflow?

A) Anvil

B) Gust front

C) Overshooting top

D) Microburst