Chapter 10 Reading Assessment

Which of the following is the correct classification for a Nor'easter?

A Nor'easter is an extratropical cyclone.

What is a typhoon?

A hurricane in the Western Pacific Ocean

What does it mean if a hurricane warning has been issued?

A hurricane is likely to make landfall in the next 24 hours.

What is storm surge?

A large increase in sea level

What conditions are NOT associated with development of a hurricane?

A tornado that acts a nucleus for a hurricane to form

Which of the following will NOT affect the amount of storm surge on a coastline?

Age of the storm

The strongest recorded winds in U.S. came from a hurricane.

False

Which of the following locations has the lowest risk for hurricanes?

California

What is the lowest category number for a hurricane to be considered a major hurricane?

Category 3

Why do extratropical cyclones form?

Cold air moving towards the tropics meets with warm air moving towards the poles.

Which way do winds around a low pressure system in the Northern Hemisphere blow?

Counter-clockwise

Which of the following is NOT a way in which communities should prepare for a hurricane?

Emphasize that hurricane prediction is a very inexact science and residents should stay with their property to prevent looting

Which of the following is NOT a way in which human activity impacts the effects of cyclones?

Exhaust from jet engines can make thunderstorm intensity increase and become hurricanes.

What is different about an extratropical cyclone as compared to a tropical cyclone?

Extratropical cyclones are associated with frontal activity.

Where is the most intense rain and wind in a hurricane?

Eye walls

Computer models and satellites make it unnecessary for aircraft to collect hurricane data from the storm.

False

Cyclone is a word used to describe storms that are particularly intense.

False

Extratropical cyclones always move over water before making landfall.

False

Extratropical cyclones are rarer than tropical cyclones and an extratropical cyclone has not been seen in the U.S. in over 100 years.

False

Hurricanes usually dissipate when they make landfall mainly due to the increased friction of the land.

False

If a hurricane warning is issued for your area, you should wait until you hear more information before deciding to evacuate.

False

Once a storm is assigned a category on the Saffir-Simpson Scale, it pretty much stays that way.

False

Storm surges usually resemble tsunamis in that it is a sudden rise in sea level from a storm.

False

Weather buoys are an outdated source of weather information that are not used currently.

False

Why does an occluded front form?

Fast moving cold fronts overtake warm fronts and push warm air aloft.

Which of the following U.S. states has the highest risk for hurricanes?

Florida

Which is NOT an effect of hurricanes?

Gradual subsidence of land

Why do you need a steep vertical temperature gradient in the atmosphere in order to get hurricane development?

If the atmosphere cools quickly with increasing altitude then the clouds will grow higher.

When is hurricane season for the Eastern and Gulf Coasts of the U.S.?

June through November

Which of the following is NOT something that you should do in preparation for a hurricane?

Open all windows on your house in the path of the storm

Why is the eye the calmest part of the storm?

Rotating air causes dry air to sink into the eye.

Which of the following is NOT normally a reason why coastal erosion from cyclones is a problem?

Sand from coastal erosion gets airborne and becomes an air pollutant.

Which of the following is NOT a tool used to make forecasts for hurricanes?

Side-scan sonar

What likely hazard would an extratropical cyclone bring to the Northeast United States in January?

Snow

Where in the world are you LEAST likely to get hurricanes (also called typhoons and tropical cyclones)?

Southeast Atlantic

Hurricanes in the North Atlantic Ocean initially go from East to West due to the prevailing winds, the Trade Winds. Why do they then turn Northward?

The Coriolis effect deflects their motion northward.

Which of the following statements is TRUE about a hurricane as it makes landfall?

The hurricane is cut off from the warm water and its strength decreases.

Who names a hurricane?

The name is picked sequentially from a list of names for that year established by an international agreement.

Warning systems and insurance are important in mitigating the hazard from hurricanes.

True

What are the rainbands made up of?

Thunderstorms that swirl around the eye

Which of the following is FALSE about tropical and extratropical cyclones?

Tropical cyclones cause storm surges, but extratropical cyclones do not.

What is the primary difference between a tropical disturbance and a tropical depression?

Tropical depressions have a distinct central low pressure zone.

What is the correct order of tropical cyclone development (least to most developed)?

Tropical disturbance, tropical depression, tropical storm, hurricane

All of the U.S. East Coast has some risk of hurricanes.

True

Before becoming hurricanes, they start out as tropical depressions and then tropical storms.

True

Cyclones can dramatically increase the amount of coastal erosion that takes place.

True

Cyclones spin in opposite directions in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres due to the Coriolis Effect.

True

Extratropical cyclones are associated with cold, warm, and occluded fronts.

True

Hurricanes can spawn tornadoes once they make landfall.

True

Increasing wind speed will result in a larger storm surge.

True

Just like in the case of an earthquake, people in hurricane-prone areas should have emergency supplies and should make a family plan.

True

People who have experienced hurricanes are usually more likely to take appropriate action than those who have not.

True

The eye of the hurricane is an area of relative calm.

True

Tropical disturbances for the Atlantic Ocean are caused by easterly waves off of the coast of Africa.

True

Weather satellites can give information about the early signs of hurricane formation, but can't show wind speed directly.

True

Where are you NOT likely to see an extratropical cyclone?

Very low latitudes over seawater that is at least 26°C (80°F)

At which stage of hurricane development does the hurricane get a name?

When the winds reach 63 km (39 mi) per hour

What does the Saffir-Simpson Scale use to classify hurricanes?

Wind speed

What is the primary difference between a tropical depression and a tropical storm?

Wind speed

Which of the following is NOT normally an example of how hurricanes are beneficial to ecosystems?

Winds carry eroded sand into agricultural fields and increase their fertility.

When the extratropical cyclone dissipates, where is the air?

cold air is beneath and warm air is aloft

Where is the calmest part of the storm?

eye

Extratropical cyclones are responsible for most of the snow and blizzards that occur across the U.S. and Canada.

true

Which of the following may NOT necessarily increase with increasing category on the Saffir-Simpson scale?

rainfall amount

Extratropical cyclones are associated with both blizzards and thunderstorms.

true

Names for especially deadly or damaging hurricanes, like Hurricane Katrina, are retired and never will be used again.

true