Awareness Quiz
2007 Severe Weather Awareness Quiz
By National Weather Service Offices in Kansas
1.) What is it called when the air is so dry, that the precipitation evaporates before it reaches the ground?
a. Early Evaporation
b. Virga
c. Radiation
d. Advection
2.) Cumulonimbus clouds are tall, dense clouds shaped like a block or anvil. They signal thunderstorms and also spawn tornadoes, as well as other violent weather effects such as hail and light.
a. True
b. False
3.) A tornado can touch down in a populated area and destroy one home while leaving the home next door virtually untouched.
a. True
b. False
4.) Studies have been done to show what area records the most frequent lightning strikes in a calendar year. Where is it?
a. Texas
b. Kansas
c. Florida
d. Georgia
5.) Tornadoes are obviously a major concern in Kansas during the spring months, and several measures are used to warn people about incoming severe weather. These measures include:
a. Outdoor warning devices (Sirens)
b. Media Bulletins
c. NOAA Weather Radio
d. All of the above
6.) As spring gives way into summer, cool-air incursions become few and far between, and temperatures in Kansas often soar above 100 deg F. However, this does not mean the end of the storm season, as the plentiful Gulf moisture in the area needs only the appropriate catalysts to trigger powerful thunderstorms. These catalysts can include:
a. Hurricane
b. Dry Line
c. Daytime Heating
d. Both B and C
7.) What type of clouds are towering clouds with anvil heads that bring thunderstorms?
a. Cirrus
b. Cumulonimbus
c. Nimbostratus
d. Stratus
8.) Which type of supercell is most likely to develop into a squall line during its later stages?
a. Low Precipitation
b. High precipitation
c. Classic Supercell
9.) Early radar detection of potential tornadic storm systems have greatly reduced the number of deaths from tornadoes. The last single storm to take 80 or more lives occurred in 1955 in this town:
a. Flint, MI
b. Tupelo, MS
c. Gainesville, GA
d. Udall, KS
10.) Define weather expected with a severe thunderstorm warning.
a. Wind gusts of 50 mph
b. Wind gusts of 58 mph and hail 1 inch in diameter
c. Wind gusts of 55 mph and hail pea size in diameter or larger
11.) What are the three ingredients needed for thunderstorm development?
a. Moisture, source of lift, and instability
b. Moisture, instability, and wind
c. Moisture, heat, and a planned picnic
12.) What phenomena can be mistaken for a funnel cloud?
a. Rain Shaft
b. Scud Cloud
c. Smoke Plume
d. All of the above
*******Quiz Answers********
1. B
2. True
3. True
4. C
5. D
6. D
7. B
8. B
9. D
10. B
11. A
12. D