wayground logo

Free Printable Worksheets

NEW

Font size

S
M
L
XL
Worksheets

Severe Weather

Total questions: 18

Worksheet time: 9mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

What is a tornado?

a)

a violently rotating column of air

b)

a rotating tropical storm

c)

a winter storm characterized by high winds and snow

d)

a storm that occurs in cumulonimbus clouds

2.

Which state has the most twisters per year? How many?

a)

Texas, 120

b)

Oklahoma, 120

c)

Texas, 1000

d)

Kansas, 500

3.

What are large thunderstorms that have winds already in rotation called?

a)

supercells

b)

blizzards

c)

hurricanes

d)

tornadoes

4.

Why do most tornadoes occur in the afternoon?

a)

the sun has had more time to heat the ground/atmosphere & produce thunderstorms

b)

the winds need a few hours to build up before they can become a tornado

c)

there aren't any clouds in the morning to form tornadoes

d)

the ground has had time to cool off and produce ideal conditions for tornadoes

5.

When do tornadoes form?

a)

when warm, humid air collides with cold, dry air

b)

when cold, humid air collides with warm, dry air

c)

when cold air rises through warm air

d)

when the air cools rapidly and forms storm clouds

6.

What is a funnel cloud?

a)

the cloud that forms before a storm turns into a tornado

b)

another name for a tornado

c)

a rotating updraft

d)

when warm air rises through cold air

7.

How does the Fujita scale measure a tornado's intensity?

a)

by analyzing the damage the tornado has done & matching that to wind speeds

b)

by only looking at the wind speed

c)

by looking at the number of buildings the tornado destroys

d)

by analyzing the wind speeds and width of the tornado

8.

Which level on the Fujita scale corresponds to incredible damage and wind speeds of 261 mph?

a)

F5

b)

F1

c)

F3

d)

F2

9.

What is the difference between a tornado watch and a tornado warning?

a)

A watch is when a tornado has been sighted & a warning is when the weather is conducive to a tornado

b)

A warning is when a tornado has been sighted & a watch is when the weather is conducive to a tornado

c)

They are both the same thing

d)

A watch is when there is a tornado is within 5 miles, & a warning is when there is a tornado within 1 mile

10.

What are the perfect atmospheric conditions for a tornado?

a)

When a cold/dry air mass and a warm/moist air mass meet in addition to falling pressure & variable winds.

b)

When a cold/moist air mass and a warm/dry air mass meet in addition to falling pressure & variable winds.

c)

When a cold/dry air mass and a warm/moist air mass meet in addition to rising pressure & steady winds.

d)

When a cold/moist air mass and a warm/moist air mass meet in addition to rising pressure & variable winds.

11.

What speed must the winds be in order for a tropical storm to be a hurricane?

a)

74 mph

b)

119 mph

c)

47 mph

d)

39 mph

12.

Do the center of hurricanes have high or low pressure?

a)

high

b)

low

13.

Where are a hurricanes most violent winds?

a)

Eye wall

b)

Feeder bands

c)

left side

d)

right side

14.

Which direction do hurricanes turn in the Northern Hemisphere?

a)

clockwise

b)

counterclockwise

15.

What are usually the most dangerous part of a hurricane?

a)

storm surge

b)

floods

c)

landslides

d)

wind

16.

What atmospheric conditions are necessary to form hurricanes?

a)

warm water, high humidity, and low pressure

b)

cool water, high humidity, and low pressure

c)

cool water, low humidity, and high pressure

d)

warm water, low humidity, and low pressure

17.

What are the 3 ingredients necessary for a thunderstorm?

a)

moisture, instability, & a lifting mechanism

b)

dry air, high pressure, & a lifting mechanism

c)

moisture, instability, & cool air

d)

moist cool air, high pressure, and differential heating

18.

What is the mature cumulus stage of a thunderstorm?

a)

Strong updrafts & downdrafts coexist

b)

Air within the cloud is dominated by updraft

c)

The downdraft cuts off the updraft and the storm no longer has a supply of warm moist air

d)

When cloud height reaches up to 20,000 feet