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WorksheetsWeather and Storms Worksheet
Total questions: 94
Worksheet time: 47mins
What causes thunder?
Collision between two thunderstorm clouds.
A strong separation of electric charge that builds up between clouds and the ground.
A sudden change in pressure due to a strong downdraft.
The rapid expansion of super-heated air.
What scale measures hurricane intensity?
Enhanced Fujita Scale
Richter Scale
Mercalli Intensity Scale
Saffir-Simpson Intensity Scale
What is the deadliest hazard of a hurricane?
High winds
Heavy rainfall
Storm surge
Lightning strikes
Which ocean did the Bhola cyclone strike?
Pacific Ocean
Indian Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
Southern Ocean
What causes the rotating updraft in a supercell?
Coriolis effect
Magnetic fields
Wind shear turning a horizontal vortex vertical
Rapid cooling
What happens to warm, moist air when it rises?
It sinks and becomes denser
It holds more moisture
It evaporates into vapor
It expands and cools, forming clouds
What causes lightning?
Magnetic fields
Heat transfer from the Earth
Electrostatic discharge in clouds
What is the main energy source for hurricanes?
Warm ocean water
Jet stream winds
Cold air masses
Mountain updrafts
What causes storm surges during hurricanes?
Increased rainfall
Lightning and thunder
Hurricane winds pushing water onshore
Sudden temperature changes
Which is heavier?
Moist air
Dry air
They weigh the same
Air with equal temperature
How many tornadoes occur in the U.S. each year on average?
100
500
1,000
5,000
How does hail form?
Water droplets instantly freeze
Supercooled rain evaporates
Raindrops collide midair
Ice crystals cycle through updrafts above and below freezing levels
What happens when a cold air mass collides with a warm, moist air mass?
The cold air rises and cools
Warm air is pushed upward, causing thunderstorms
Air masses cancel each other out
The air stabilizes
When is the North Atlantic hurricane season?
August to October
May to July
January to March
November to December
What distinguishes a supercell from other thunderstorms?
Extra lightning
A rotating updraft (mesocyclone)
Heavy snowfall
Low-pressure zones
What direction does wind blow near a tornado?
Toward the tornado at the surface, outward at 100 ft elevation
Away from the tornado on all sides
Circulates downward in spirals
Parallel to the storm front
What scale is used to rate tornado intensity?
Richter Scale
Saffir-Simpson Scale
Enhanced Fujita Scale
Mercalli Scale
Can tornadoes contain multiple vortices?
No, only one vortex exists
Yes, multiple vortices rotate within the tornado
Only during thunderstorms
Only after merging with another tornado
What is the biggest danger during a tornado?
Lightning
Drowning
Flying debris
Collapsing roads
The total mass of the asteroid belt is how much of the Moon’s mass?
2%
5%
10%
4%
What is the best shelter option during a tornado while in traffic?
A) A low ditch away from the vehicle
B) Inside a barn
C) Under an overpass
D) Stay in the car with windows down
What is the difference between a hurricane and a typhoon?
Typhoons occur in the Atlantic
Hurricanes are weaker
Hurricanes occur in the eastern Pacific/Atlantic; typhoons in the western Pacific
There is no difference
What is a tropical depression?
Organized thunderstorms with wind speeds below 39 mph
A system with no rotation
Wind speeds of 74+ mph
Eye formation begins
What happens to hurricanes over land?
They strengthen
They lose energy and dissipate
They freeze
They turn into tornadoes
Why can’t cyclones form at the equator?
Lack of warm water
No jet stream
The Coriolis effect is absent
Too much wind shear
What conditions are found in the eye of a hurricane?
High pressure and fast winds
Low pressure and calm winds
High clouds and cold air
Lightning and turbulence
How are hurricane wind speeds and pressures measured?
Satellites only
Radar scans
What is a nor’easter?
A desert heatwave
A cold front from the west
A rare hurricane
A winter storm in the northeast U.S. from arctic and warm Gulf air
What does a fire weather watch mean?
Fire is burning nearby
Immediate evacuation
Conditions may allow fire in 12–72 hours
Smoke is present
What is the largest wildfire in U.S. history?
Yellowstone Fire
Great Fire of 1910
Camp Fire
Dixie Fire
What’s the purpose of a fireline?
Evacuation route
Scraped land to prevent fire spread
Aerial flight line
Fuel injector line
What is a crown fire?
Fire that spreads through treetops
A small brush fire
A fire that burns under the ground
Fire controlled by barriers
What is a surface fire?
Tree canopy fire
High-altitude fire
Ground-level fire that spreads quickly
Fire inside buildings
What percent of wildfires are caused by humans?
(a)
What factors influence wildfire behavior?
Soil pH, latitude, fog
Vegetation, topography, and weather
Cloud type and ocean currents
Air pressure and humidity only
What’s the main role of a smokejumper?
Radio monitoring
Helicopter pilot
Fight remote fires early
Forest ranger
What are fire shelters designed to do?
Withstand direct flames
Provide a sleeping area
Reflect heat and trap breathable air
Withstand explosions
What are fire retardants colored red?
Heat resistant chemicals
Visibility for air crews
Contains antifreeze
Inhibits oxygen intake
What was one major factor in the Granite Mountain Hotshots tragedy?
No fire existed
A snowstorm hit
Sudden wind change and lack of GPS
Lightning struck their shelter
What is the composition of a comet?
Gas, ice, and dust
Molten metal
Solid rock
Carbon dioxide and lava
Why do comets have tails?
Collisions with planets
Gravitational stretching
Solar radiation vaporizes ice
Magnetic pull
What direction does a comet’s gas tail point?
Toward the sun
Random directions
Toward Earth
Away from the sun
What causes meteor showers?
Exploding stars
Passing through comet debris
Earth's core heating
Magnetic activity
What is regolith?
Lava field
Ice crust
Dust from repeated impacts
Plasma layer
Why are asteroid belt collisions rare?
Few objects exist
It’s too cold
The asteroids are very far apart
Most are magnetic
Where are most asteroids found?
Near the Sun
Between Mars and Jupiter
On the Moon
Near Earth
Why are impact craters round?
Erosion
Equal shockwave distribution
Lava melts shape
What causes the Moon to have more visible craters than Earth?
Less atmosphere and weathering
Larger impacts
It’s closer to asteroids
Magnetic shielding
What did the dinosaur extinction layer contain?
Lava ash
Frozen pollen
Iridium, shocked quartz, soot
Plant fossils
What is a kinetic impactor?
Space laser
Spacecraft hitting an asteroid to change course
Underwater explosion
Nuclear detonation
What are Milankovitch Cycles?
Patterns in Earth’s orbit affecting sunlight
Changes in solar flares
Ocean tides
Volcano rhythms
What is unique about the current rise in global temperatures?
Slow and steady over 800,000 years
Caused by volcanoes
Due to Earth’s orbit
Faster than at any point in the last 800,000 years
How has the amount of solar energy reaching Earth changed in the past 50 years?
Increased significantly
Decreased drastically
Remained the same or decreased
Doubled
How do greenhouse gases warm the planet?
They reflect visible light
They absorb and re-emit infrared radiation
They block ultraviolet rays
They increase cloud cover
What are good fire safety practices while camping?
Camp under tree canopies
Avoid dense logs and shrubs
Build fires on dry grass
Use plastic tents
What percentage of Earth’s atmosphere is made up of greenhouse gases?
20%
1%
0.05%
15%
What is the biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions?
Oceans
Volcanoes
Forests
Fossil fuel combustion
What effect do aerosols have on global temperature?
Increase it dramatically
Trap heat
Cool the planet by blocking sunlight
Change the orbit
What do ice cores tell us?
Earth's core temperature
Relationship between CO₂ and temperature
Length of the dinosaur era
Depth of ancient oceans
What conclusion do atmospheric models make about the current temperature rise?
Due to natural variability
Caused by asteroid impacts
Driven by human emissions
Volcanoes are responsible
What is the difference between global warming and climate change?
No difference
Climate change refers only to storms
Global warming is a temperature rise; climate change includes broader effects
Global warming is cooling
How can climate change influence weather patterns?
Pushes warm arctic air south, causing cold spells
Makes them less variable
Prevents rainfall
Increases tectonic activity
What are some effects already caused by climate change?
Slower hurricanes
Shorter droughts
More storms, melting glaciers, severe droughts
Longer winters only
What percent of peer-reviewed studies support human-caused climate change?
10%
50%
97%
100%
What is confirmation bias?
Reviewing contradictory evidence
Scientific consensus
Validating data
Believing only what confirms your current beliefs
What areas of climate science still contain legitimate uncertainty?
Whether CO₂ traps heat
Whether warming is occurring
How much Earth will warm, and how to respond
If greenhouse gases exist
What is a fire weather warning?
Fire danger is present now or will occur soon
Fire danger is likely in 72 hours
Which one of the following sentences is TRUE
Warm fronts give rise to strong thunderstorms because they rapidly push cold air high into the atmosphere, forming cumulonimbus clouds
Cold fronts give rise to strong thunderstorms because they rapidly push moist air high into the atmosphere, forming cumulonimbus clouds.
Warm fronts, moving towards a cold air mass, give rise to severe thunderstorm clouds as warm air rapidly gains altitude.
Cold air mass, moving towards a warm air mass, gives rise to scattered clouds as cold air gradually gains altitude.
What are good fire safety practices at home?
Use fire-resistant materials and maintain space
Store firewood next to house
Plant dense shrubs
Have many tall trees
What would Earth’s average temperature be without greenhouse gases?
0ºF
32ºF
50ºF
70ºF
What’s a backburn?
Wind defense
Water line
A shelter system
Fire set ahead of wildfire to remove fuel
What is the advantage of a helitanker over an air tanker?
Larger tank
Higher altitude
Can refill quickly in small lakes and has precision
Longer range
Why are comets called “dirty ice balls”?
Made of sand
Mixture of rock and ice
Made of molten rock
Why are lunar crater basins smooth and black?
Frozen water
Covered in metal
Filled with lava called “mare”
Polished by wind
How big is a crater compared to the object that made it?
Equal in size
Smaller
Twice as deep
15–30 times larger
How do we know the Oort Cloud is spherical?
It’s visible from telescopes
Comets arrive from all directions
Sunlight reflects it
It’s close to Mars
Can a hurricane change into a typhoon?
No
Only near the equator
Yes, if it travels into the typhoon region
Only during La Niña
What are the wind and pressure conditions in the eyewall of a hurricane?
High pressure and low winds
Low pressure and low winds
High pressure and high winds
Low pressure and high winds
What is the main cause of a nor’easter?
Warm water from the Gulf colliding with Arctic air
Cold front over the Pacific
Tornado meeting a cyclone
Low-pressure troughs in summer
What were the major components of the 1991 Perfect Storm?
Tropical storm, Arctic blast, tornado
Hurricane Grace, cold front, and nor’easter
Tornado, hurricane, and blizzard
Typhoon, cold front, and tornado
Which of the following is NOT a good hurricane safety practice?
Evacuate if you live in a storm surge zone
Bring outside furniture indoors
Secure valuables in waterproof containers
Shelter in place in a mobile home
What makes the Midwest highly productive for tornadoes?
High elevation and low rainfall
Convergence of warm moist air, cold dry air, and jet stream wind shear
Monsoon rains from the east
Volcanic heat updrafts
When is prime tornado season in the U.S.?
Winter, early morning
Fall, late morning
Spring and summer, late afternoon/evening
Summer only, midnight
How does the Enhanced Fujita Scale classify tornadoes?
Based on temperature drops
Based on funnel width
Based on lightning frequency
Based on damage estimates used to infer wind speed
Why can't fixed Doppler radar measure tornado wind speeds well?
It uses optical lasers
It’s affected by rain scatter
It only measures several km above the ground
It cannot detect rotation
What are the three stages of a wildfire?
Preignition, combustion, extinction
Combustion, rotation, extinction
Combustion, ignition, decay
Photosynthesis, ignition, collapse
What is the difference between U.S. Forest Service fire policy past and present?
They always let fires burn
Previously aggressive suppression, now strategic management
No change in policy
Now only suppress fires in national parks
What is one ecological benefit of forest fires?
Spreads disease
Allows certain seeds to germinate
Destroys all insects
Makes land uninhabitable
What is the most common way fire spreads in suburban areas?
Direct flames
Underground roots
Burning embers (firebrands)
Wind tunneling
What do greenhouse gases do with visible and infrared light?
Block both
Reflect both
Let both pass through
Let visible through, trap infrared
What is the significance of Milankovitch Cycles?
Explain volcanic activity
Describe tectonic movement
Explain long-term natural climate variability
Show global warming is a myth
What is the difference between meteoroids, meteors, and meteorites?
A) Meteoroids are in space, meteors burn in the atmosphere, meteorites hit Earth
B) They’re all synonyms
C) Meteors are always frozen
D) Meteorites only form on the Moon
Why is Halley’s Comet the most famous?
It is red
It is visible once per lifetime, 75 years
It hits Earth every 10 years
It’s the only comet with multiple tails
Which of these is a potential method to deflect a space object from Earth?
Carbon netting
Satellite shielding
Kinetic impact or nuclear detonation
Space rope tethers
