Chapter 10- Meteorology
About what percent of thunderstorms in the United States become severe? A) 10% B) 20% C) 25% D) 50%
A
An air mass thunderstorm rarely lives long enough to create very severe weather because: A) the downdrafts quickly become strong enough to stop the updraft and influx of moisture to the storm. B) the atmosphere is generally fairly stable when these storms develop. C) there is rarely enough moisture available to keep the storm alive for longer than 30 minutes. D) wind shear causes the storm's updraft to become tilted.
A
At what time of day is an air-mass thunderstorm more likely to develop? A) midafternoon B) midnight C) midmorning D) pre-dawn
A
Downdrafts totally dominate the ________ of an air mass thunderstorm. A) dissipating stage B) mature stage C) cumulus stage
A
Generally, there are three stages involved in the development of ordinary (or air mass) thunderstorms. They are: A) cumulus stage, mature stage, and dissipating stage. B) cumulus stage, mature stage, and de constructing stage. C) cumulus stage, adolescent stage, and dissipating stage. D) cumulus stage, dissipating stage, and de constructing stage.
A
Ordinary, or air-mass, thunderstorms usually form in association with ________ air masses. A) mT B) mP C) cT D) cP
A
Updrafts dominate the cumulonimbus cloud during the ________ in the life cycle of an air mass thunderstorm. A) cumulus stage B) dissipating stage C) mature stage
A
What is entrainment? A) the process of cool, dry air being pulled into a thunderstorm by the downdraft B) warm, moist air fed into a thunderstorm by the updraft C) rotation from the parent cloud transferring into a tornado D) a line of thunderstorms, one feeding into the next
A
Which of the following U.S. states experiences the most thunderstorms each year? A) Florida B) Texas C) Colorado D) Oklahoma
A
Why are air mass thunderstorms most likely to occur in the midafternoon? A) Atmosphere is most unstable at that time. B) Upper-level winds are too fast at night and in morning. C) Water-vapor contents are too low at night. D) It takes all day for them to mature.
A
________ is defined as a significant change in wind speed and/or wind direction with increasing height above the surface. A) Wind shear B) Convergent wind boundary C) Subsidence D) Convection
A
A microburst is: A) another name for a downburst. B) rarely damaging. C) associated only with tornadic thunderstorm cells. D) a brief, intense explosion of lightning.
A/D
Downdrafts and updrafts found side by side occur during the ________ in the life cycle of an air mass thunderstorm. A) dissipating stage B) mature stage C) cumulus stage
B
Extreme evaporative cooling can sometimes produce explosions of straight-line winds called: A) gust fronts. B) down bursts. C) tornadoes. D) air bombs.
B
In which of the following places are thunderstorms most common? A) central Nevada B) central Florida C) northern Wisconsin D) west of Hudson Bay (Canada) E) The occurrence of thunderstorms at all of these places should be about the same.
B
At any given time, about how many thunderstorms are in progress on Earth? A) 45 B) 500 C) 2,000 D) 45,00
C
In the development of a thunderstorm, sharp and cool gusts beginning at the surface are characteristic in the: A) cumulus stage. B) dissipating stage. C) mature stage.
C
Thunderstorms and large cumulonimbus clouds are characteristic of: A) all polar air masses. B) isothermal lapse rates. C) unstable air. D) stable air.
C
Thunderstorms form when ________, humid air rises in a(n) ________ environment. A) warm; stable B) cold; unstable C) warm; unstable or conditionally unstable D) cold; stable
C
About how many thunderstorms take place on Earth every day? A) 300 B) 1300 C) 5000 D) 45,000
D
An air mass thunderstorm is most intense during the ________ stage. A) multicell B) cumulus C) dissipating D) mature
D
Thunderstorm tops most likely occur: A) in the lower troposphere. B) in the middle stratosphere. C) in the mesosphere. D) near the tropopause.
D
Thunderstorms occur year-round in the: A) middle latitudes. B) subtopics. C) polar regions. D) subarctic regions. E) tropics.
E
What causes the dissipating stage of a thunderstorm? A) converging surface winds B) loss of radiant energy from cloud top C) release of latent heat within the cloud D) converging winds aloft E) spreading downdraft cuts off air inflow
E
Why is strong heating of the ground by the Sun associated with thunderstorms? A) reduces the relative humidity B) reduces the dew point C) increases the wind speed D) increases the pressure gradient E) leads to greater instability
E
