Chapter 10

How fast do tornadoes move along the ground?

50-80 km/hr

What causes a cold front?

A cold air mass moves in under a warm air mass.

What does a supercell look like on a radar image and in what part of the storm would a tornado be expected?

A supercell is shaped like a triangle pointing toward the west with a hook-like appendage extending from its back corner, and the tornado would be expected within this appendage.

Why does a parcel of air get cooler as it rises over a mountain?

Air with a certain amount of heat expands as it rises and in so doing expends energy and cools.

What should you do to avoid being killed by lightning if caught out in the open in a storm with no available shelter?

Crouch down on the balls of your feet with your feet together

Freezing rain (an ice storm) occurs under which of the following scenarios?

a layer of cold air above warm air which lies above a shallow layer of cold air

Which of the following is NOT distinctive about a cloud that might develop a tornado?

a shallow cloud that extends over a large horizontal distance with a cauliflower or cotton ball-like top

What is the greatest danger (what causes the most deaths) from a tornado?

being struck by flying debris

Which region has the highest density of lightning or thunderstorms on Earth?

central Africa

What creates the electrical charges in clouds that characterize lightning storms?

collisions between ice particles of different sizes in the presence of liquid water and subsequent separation of the ice by the cloud updraft

Which weather-related hazard has led to the collapse of civilizations and war?

drought

Where is the safest place to be in a lightning storm?

in your house

As air temperature rises, its ability to hold water:

increases

If you do not have a storm shelter or a basement, where is the safest place in a house to be during a tornado?

lying in a bathtub in an interior room without windows

In what direction do most mid-continent tornadoes travel along the ground

northeast

Which of the following human activities would NOT contribute to desertification?

planting trees

The main reason Santa Ana winds are warm is because:

sinking air warms by compression

What causes the loud boom that we hear as thunder?

supersonic expansion of air heated by a lightning bolt

Which of the following factors does NOT influence the amount of snow that falls in a lake-effect snow event?

the depth of the lake

Which part of a storm is most likely to form tornadoes?

towards the trailing edge of the storm behind the heaviest rain