ECRA #10-18

According to the journal "Weatherwise," where does the Dust Bowl rank with respect to the 20th century's worst weather catastrophes?

#1

Where does flooding rank with respect to weather-related property damage in the US?

#1

In 2012, Hurricane Sandy swept through the Northeast US. Sandy's total damage cost to date is approximated at $68 Billion. Where does Sandy rank in the top 10 most costly hurricanes to hit the US? (Hint: there is a list of damage costs in the book.)

#2

During which decade was the "Dust Bowl"?

1930s

Over a 5 year period ending in 2015, how many people were killed by lightning on average each year according to NOAA?

26 people

How fast must the sustained winds be in a tropical cyclone for it to be classified as a hurricane?

64 kts (74 mph)

If a flood is called a 100-year flood, what does this mean?

A flood of this magnitude has a 1 in 100 chance of happening in any year.

Examine Fig. 21.1. Which of the following locations has the highest average annual number of lightning flashes per square km?

Central Africa

Does air in the eye of the hurricane ascend or descend?

Descend

If a hurricane were centered in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico and it was heading directly to the north, on which side of the hurricane would you expect the fastest winds and greatest storm surge?

East Side

Many hurricanes start near the west coast of Africa and move across the open Atlantic Ocean. What do meteorologists call the "trigger mechanism" for these types of hurricanes?

Easterly waves

The trade winds are one of the wind belts that help form and steer hurricanes. In what direction do they typically blow?

From the East to the West

In what direction does the return stroke travel in the most common type of cloud-to-ground lightning strike?

From the ground to the cloud

What is the nickname of the Air Force C-130 hurricane hunter?

Hercules

What type of pressure system is typically associated with drought conditions in the Midwest and central parts of the US?

High pressure system

Between the years 2001 and 2010, who or what started more forest fires?

Humans

If there is a tropical cyclone moving across the open Atlantic and the hurricane hunter finds it to have a maximum sustained wind of 133 mph, what classification would the National Hurricane Center assign to this tropical storm?

Hurricane category 4

According to the text book, if hurricane conditions are expected within 36 hours, which type of public advisory is posted?

Hurricane warning

What is the crucial ingredient for the formation of lightning such that without this ingredient, lightning does not form in thunderstorms?

Ice

Which of the following hurricane destructive forces is the most deadly?

Inland Flooding

Is the air a good conductor or electricity or a good insulator?

Insulator

It is 2019 and the 10th named cyclone of the season has just formed in the Atlantic Ocean. What is its name?

Jerry

In which month are flash floods most common and why?

July; because thunderstorms are most common

Which of the following best describes why thunder occurs?

Lightning heats the air to 54,000F immediately around the bolt which causes a rapid expansion of the air near the bolt. This creates a huge pressure wave which we eventually hear as thunder.

In a cloud that is capable of producing a cloud-to-ground lightning strike, where does the negative charges accumulate in the cloud?

Near the bottom of the cloud

The Palmer Drought Severity Index is used to rank the strength of a drought. When drought conditions are present over an area, are the PDSI values positive or negaitve?

Negative

What type of weather front is notorious for producing flooding events?

Stationary Front

Which of the following destructive forces is made worse by a high tide?

Storm surge

It is September 10th and a tropical cyclone has reached tropical storm strength over the open Atlantic Ocean. Hurricane forecasters however, are not forecasting that this tropical storm will become a hurricane. Why not?

The sea surface temperatures (SSTs) are 78F.

What do meteorologists call it when t-storms follow one another along a stationary front, where storms pass over the same location repeatedly.

Training

At what stage in tropical cyclone development is a name assigned?

Tropical Storm

True or False: Hurricane Katrina does not make the list of the top 10 deadliest Atlantic hurricanes.

True

True or False: If you are about to be struck by lightning, your hair may stand on end.

True

True or False: There is no formal definition for "drought".

True

Examine Figure 24.1 on page 488. Over which ocean have the most tropical cyclones tracked over the last 150 years?

Western Pacific

If sea surface temperatures are forecast to increase over the next 100 years, how will hurricane strength respond to this increase in SST?

hurricanes will be stronger and have more energy

Meteorologists classify tropical cyclones using a measurement of sustained winds within the low-pressure system. How do meteorologists define a "sustained wind"?

it is a 1-minute averaged measure of the hurricane's maximum winds.

Which of the following correctly lists the order of events for a cloud to ground lightning strike?

stepped leader, return stroke, dart leader, second return stroke

Which of the following is an incorrect statement about Figure 24.10 on page 494?

the air temperature in the center of the hurricane is cold compared to its surroundings.

If a given year has more named storms than the name-list has names, how are additional storms named?

they are assigned names using the Greek alphabet.