Download Chapter 10: Thunderstorms and Tornadoes

Chapter 10: Thunderstorms and Tornadoes
1) Prediction success and observation of severe thunderstorms and tornadoes by the
National Weather Service is limited because
A) wind speeds are too fast to measure
B) weather stations are widely spaced compared to the size of the storm
C) lightning activity prevents accurate radar detection
D) observers are not always well trained
E) the structure of thunderstorms is not well known
2) The Fujita Intensity Scale (F-scale) is applied to:
A) lightning B) typhoons C) thunderstorms D) tornadoes
Answer: D
4) This type of cloud brings thunderstorms:
A) cumulus
B) stratocumulus
C) altostratus
D) cumulonimbus
E) nimbostratus
5) At what time of day is an air-mass thunderstorm more likely to develop?
A) midafternoon
B) midnight
C) midmorning
D) these storms are equally common at all of these times
6) The formation of tornadoes is associated with:
A) middle-latitude cyclones B) severe thunderstorms
C) cold fronts D) all of the above
Answer: D
7) Thunderstorms can be associated with these weather activities:
A) hurricanes
B) cyclones
C) tornadoes
D) a, b, and c
E) none of these
10) Tornadoes most often move toward what direction?
A) southeast B) west C) northwest D) southwest E) northeast
13) Thunderstorms and large cumulus clouds are characteristic of
A) isothermal lapse rates
B) stable air
C) all polar air masses
D) unstable air
E) all warm fronts
16) A tornado is a small, very intense example of the
A) geostrophic wind
B) jet stream
C) cyclone
D) anticyclone
E) coriolis effect
17) Which of the following statements is not true of tornadoes?
A) generally move from the southwest toward the northeast
B) usually occur along the warm front of a midlatitude cyclone
C) most common in the Midwest and Great Plains
D) associated with cumulonimbus clouds
E) occur most frequently in the spring of the year
18) Why do most tornadoes in the central U.S. occur during the spring months?
A) surface air is most humid
B) air-mass contrasts are greatest
C) divergence of air aloft is greatest
D) solar energy is a maximum
E) upper-air temperatures are warmest
26) Tornadoes and midlatitude cyclones are similar in that:
A) both form in the trade-wind belt
B) both are most common and well-developed in the winter season
C) both are areas of low pressure
D) both have conspicuous surface fronts
33) Why is strong heating of the ground by the sun associated with thunderstorms?
A) increases the pressure gradient
B) increases the wind speed
C) leads to greater instability
D) reduces the dew point
E) reduces the relative humidity
37) Why is very humid air near the surface a necessary ingredient for severe
thunderstorms?
A) more latent heat is then available as energy for the storm
B) high humidity makes the air more dense
C) high humidity strengthens the cold front
D) high humidity makes the rising air cool more rapidly
E) lapse rates are larger in humid air
38) Why are thunderstorms most likely to occur in the afternoon and early evening?
A) upper-level winds are too fast at night and in morning
B) water-vapor contents are too low at night
C) it takes all day for them to mature
D) atmosphere is most unstable at that time
E) lower atmosphere is too unstable in the morning
40) In which of the following places are thunderstorms most common?
A) the occurrence of thunderstorms at all of these places should be about the same
B) west of Hudson Bay (Canada)
C) central Nevada
D) southern Mississippi
E) northern Wisconsin