Severe Weather

What should you do to stay safe during a thunderstorm or severe thunderstorm?

• Flee the area where the thunderstorm or severe thunderstorm has been spotted.

• Find a low area outside and lie down n it until the storm passes.

• Stay inside your car and do not drink water or touch anything metal.

• Seek shelter and avoid windows, trees, water, and electrical devices with cords.

The damage done by a tornado is proportional to wind speed, so

• The higher the winds, the more destructive the winds are over a relatively small area.

• Damage and wind speed are unrelated and result in little to no damage.

• The higher the winds, the less destructive they are since the winds are spread out.

• The lighter the winds, the more destructive they are over a relatively large area.

Specific patterns such as the characteristic _?_ in radar images may indicate a tornado is forming.

• bright spots

• hook echo

• zig zag lines

• cloud echo

A normal thunderstorm includes lightning, thunder, and rain. A severe thunderstorm includes...

• lightning, thunder, and rain that lasts all week

• a mix of rain and snow

• strong winds, hail, and possible tornado

• extra-large bolts of lightning and heavy claps of thunder

A hurricane is a huge, rotating low-pressure system with sustained high winds that forms

• from the buildup of severe winter storms

• from continuous large wave action in the ocean

• over warm water near the equator

• over cold water near either of the polar regions

What time of the year are hurricanes most likely to form?

• in January and February, only during the coldest winter months

• in July and August, only during the hottest summer months

• from December to April in the Atlantic Ocean when the water is coldest

• from June to November in the Atlantic Ocean when the water is warmest

For regions that have a history of tornadoes, a warning system is ...

• especially important to give people time to get to a safe place.

• not bad to have, but only if it is not too expensive

• no longer necessary since the advent of TV and the internet

• useless. People should depend on their own observations instead.

Historical maps that show the formation and movement of past hurricanes are also used to ...

• show where to build new homes

• help forecast future storms

• aid in preparing the weekly weather forecast

• compare damage from hurricanes against damage caused by tornadoes

What are scientists doing to develop a faster and more accurate way to forecast severe weather

• They are training new scientists to read radar and satellite images quicker.

• They are buying more computers and sending up more weather satellites

• They are continuing to develop and improve computer-modeling systems.

• They are hiring more scientists to cover more regions where severe weather occurs.

Computer modeling systems must be tested using real-time weather data at the ...

• on-site weather station

• Hazardous Weather Testbed

• Severe Weather Event Laboratory

• local news station weather department