HW 4 Hurricanes

The #1 killer among thunderstorm hazards is

flash flooding

This information source emphasizes that the odds of being struck by lightning vary from person to person because they depend on your geographical location and climatology, diurnal and annual climatology, and your personal lifestyle and hobbies. According to information provided on one of the Jetstream - Lightning Web pages listed directly above, what are your general odds of being struck by lightning in your lifetime (estimated at 80 years)?

1 in 13,000

Which starting location resulted in hurricane travel path through the central US (west of the Appalachian Mountains) and ends in the Atlantic Ocean?

2

How much energy does the AVERAGE lightning bolt carry? (HINT: Look in the Frequently Asked Question section and not in the section on positive lightning.)

300 million volts and 30,000 amps

According to information on this Web page, which of the following statements is FALSE?

About 50% of the residents of New Orleans were evacuated before Hurricane Katrina struck.

What is the correct set of atmospheric parameters to produce a tornado and what is the highest F-value of the tornado produced?

Air Mass 1 (cold/dry), Air Mass 2 (warm/moist), Pressure (falling), and Winds (variable) produce an F-5 tornado

There is general agreement among tropical cyclone researchers and forecasters that greenhouse gas-induced warming has lead to a large increase in the number of tropical storms and hurricanes in the Atlantic.

False

According to information on the Wikipedia page, which of the following statements about Hurricane Katrina is FALSE?

Hurricane Katrina was the deadliest hurricane, i.e., caused the most number of deaths, in US history.

Which of the following statements is FALSE?

Some of the most damaging tornadoes are those that skip along the ground, i.e., multiple touchdowns of the same tornado.

Which of the following statements is FALSE?

Stopping under a bridge to take shelter from a tornado is an excellent means of protection

Which of the following statements is FALSE?

Storm surge in hurricanes is primarily from the central pressure. The low pressure provides a suction action that raises the ocean water surface and increases storm surge.

Which of the following statements is FALSE?

The widest tornadoes are the most destructive

Based on information in these tables (excluding Sandy in 2012, which was not hurricane strength when it came onshore information and excluding information in the Addenda), which of the following statements is FALSE?

Through 2013, most of the hurricanes that caused more than 100 deaths in USA were category 5 hurricanes

Which of the following statements is FALSE?

Tornadoes generally avoid the downtown of major cities because the presence of large buildings protects that area.

It is likely that climate warming will cause hurricanes in the coming century to be more intense globally and to have higher rainfall rates than present-day hurricanes.

True

To answer this question, read Personal Lightning Safety Tips, sponsored by the National Lightning Safety Institute. According to information on this Web page, which of the following statements is FALSE about lightning safety?

You can resume normal activities ~15 minutes after the last observed lightning or thunder.

To answer this question, read Tornado Country, sponsored by the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). According to information on this Web page, why does the US get up to three quarters of all tornadoes?

all of the above

To answer this question, read the article about the record-setting Atlantic hurricane season in 2005 from NOAA. What record was set during the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season?

all of the above

What are the three necessary ingredients for thunderstorm formation?

moisture, lifting mechanism, instability

Most tornados are spawned by a special kind of thunderstorm called a

supercell