CHAPTER 12
TROPICAL WEATHER SYSTEMS
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MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS
1.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
Historically, the most destructive aspect of a hurricane striking a low-lying coastal area is
strong winds.
heavy rains.
hail.
wind shear.
storm surge.
2.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
A hurricane differs from an extratropical cyclone in that a hurricane
has no fronts.
develops within a uniform warm and humid air mass.
is more intense but smaller.
is a warm-core system.
All of the above are correct.
3. A hurricane ______ fronts.
a. has
b. does not have
4.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
Sustained surface winds in a hurricane are
greater than 250 km (155 mi) per hour.
119 km (74 mi) per hour or higher.
strongest in the eye of the system.
typically stronger than the winds produced by a F5 tornado.
weakest along the eye wall.
5.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
Typical weather within the eye of a hurricane consists of
large hail.
strong winds but clear skies.
fair skies and light winds.
thunder and lightning.
tornadoes.
6.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
Hurricanes do not form at latitude 30 degrees N because
the surface ocean water is too cold.
there is no Coriolis effect.
the air is too warm.
All of the above are correct.
None of the above is correct.
7.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
Hurricanes do not form at the equator because
sea-surface temperatures typically are too low.
there is no Coriolis effect.
fronts are present.
All of the above are correct.
None of the above is correct.
8.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
The source of energy that sustains a hurricane circulation is
sensible heat.
latent heat.
infrared radiation.
ultraviolet radiation.
None of these is correct.
9.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
Most Northern Hemisphere hurricanes occur
in winter.
from June through November.
from November through March.
in spring.
in early summer.
10. At latitude 10 degrees N, Atlantic basin hurricanes generally
a. drift slowly toward the east.
b. drift slowly toward the west.
c. move rapidly toward the northeast.
d. move rapidly southward.
11. At latitude 10 degrees N, tropical cyclones are steered by the
a. westerlies.
b. northeast trade winds.
c. southeast trade winds.
d. polar easterlies.
e. circumpolar vortex.
12. The central pressure is ______ in a hurricane than in a typical extratropical cyclone.
a. higher
b. lower
c. about the same
13. The horizontal air pressure gradient is ______ in a hurricane than in a typical extratropical
cyclone.
a. steeper
b. less steep
14. The horizontal air pressure gradient is ______ in a hurricane than in a F4 tornado.
a. steeper
b. weaker
15. The diameter of a hurricane is typically ______ that of an extratropical cyclone.
a. greater than
b. about the same as
c. less than
16. The eye of a hurricane typically
a. shrinks in diameter as the hurricane intensifies.
b. features subsiding air.
c. is surrounded by a ring of cumulonimbus clouds (the eye wall).
d. All of the above are correct.
e. None of the above is correct.
17. Hurricane formation requires a sea-surface temperature of at least ______ oC through a depth
of about 60 meters.
a. 15.0
b. 20.5
c. 26.5
d. 31.5
e. 34.5
18. Ultimately, the rate of evaporation of seawater is governed principally by
a. air pressure.
b. cloud cover.
c. sea-surface temperature.
d. whether it is raining or snowing.
e. the tides.
19. Force(s) operating within a hurricane:
a. Coriolis effect
b. friction
c. pressure gradient force
d. centripetal force
e. All of the above are correct.
20. The minimum latitude where the Coriolis effect is strong enough to sustain a hurricane
circulation is about ______ degrees.
a. 0
b. 4
c. 10
d. 20
e. 23.5
21. Hurricanes and tropical storms never threaten
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
New England.
North Carolina.
the east coast of South America.
coastal California.
New Jersey.
22. A hurricane breeding ground:
a. the Indian Ocean east of Madagascar
b. the Arabian Sea
c. the Bay of Bengal
d. the Gulf of Mexico
e. All of the above are correct.
23. Hurricanes are absent off the coast of South America primarily because of
a. shear produced by strong winds in the middle and upper troposphere.
b. a weak Coriolis effect.
c. persistent cloud-cover.
d. relatively low sea-surface temperatures.
e. None of the above is correct.
24. Most hurricane-related fatalities are caused by
a. associated tornadoes.
b. strong surface winds.
c. lightning.
d. coastal and inland flooding.
e. spin-up vortices.
25. Hurricane winds
a. weaken rapidly once the system makes landfall.
b. typically cause extensive property damage thousands of kilometers inland.
c. are usually stronger than the winds in a violent tornado.
d. strengthen as the system moves from over the ocean to over land.
e. None of the above is correct.
26. As a hurricane tracks from sea to land,
a. surface winds weaken and shift toward the eye.
b. surface winds weaken and rains end abruptly.
c. the threat of tornadoes ends.
d. surface winds shift toward high pressure.
e. None of the above is correct.
27. As a hurricane tracks inland, its
a. winds diminish.
b. central pressure rises.
c. rains continue.
d. horizontal pressure gradient weakens.
e. All of the above are correct.
28. It is ______ for tornadoes to accompany hurricanes.
a. unusual
b. usual
29. The heavy rains of a hurricane
a. are almost always confined to coastal areas.
b. are triggered by subsidence within the eye.
c. often continue as the system tracks well inland.
d. seldom produce flooding.
e. None of the above is correct.
30. By convention, major hurricanes rate ______ or higher on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane
Intensity Scale.
a. 1
b. 2
c. 3
d. 4
e. 5
31. The first sign that a hurricane may be developing over tropical seas is the appearance of
a. high, thin cirrus clouds.
b. a warm anticyclone.
c. strong winds aloft.
d. altocumulus lenticularis clouds.
e. an organized cluster of cumulonimbus clouds.
32. A tropical disturbance may be triggered by
a. the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ).
b. a trough in the westerlies intruding into low latitudes.
c. an easterly wave.
d. Any of the above is correct.
e. None of the above is correct.
33. ______ convective cloud clusters that appear over the tropical Atlantic develop into
full-blown hurricanes.
a. Most
b. About half
c. Very few
34. The following condition(s) would inhibit development of tropical storms and hurricanes over
the tropical eastern Atlantic:
a. subsidence of air on the eastern flank of the Bermuda-Azores high
b. strong vertical wind shear
c. low vapor pressure in the middle troposphere
d. unusually low sea-surface temperatures
e. Any of the above is correct.
35. When a hurricane threatens low-lying coastal areas, the most prudent strategy for residents is
to
a. seek shelter in the basement.
b. purchase flood insurance and wait out the storm at home.
c. hide under a sturdy table or bench.
d. evacuate to an inland shelter.
e. ride out the storm on a boat.
36. The hurricane threat to the Southeast United States is serious because
a. most residents have never experienced a hurricane.
b. of rapid population growth in coastal areas.
c. of the vulnerability of low-lying coastal areas to a storm surge.
d. All of the above are correct.
e. None of the above is correct.
37. Project STORMFURY was ______ in developing an effective technique to reduce the
intensity of hurricanes.
a. successful
b. unsuccessful
38. The most hurricane-prone location in the United States is
a. New England.
b. Florida.
c. Chicago, IL.
d. San Diego, CA.
e. Tucson, AZ.
39. Full-blown hurricanes ______ strike New England.
a. never
b. often
c. occasionally
40. The major source of energy in a hurricane is the
a. downdraft in the system’s "eye."
b. polar front jet stream aloft.
c. strong temperature contrast across fronts.
d. release of the latent heat of vaporization.
e. None of the above is correct.
41. The highest wind speeds in a hurricane occur
a. between spiral bands.
b. in the spiral cloud bands.
c. in the wall cloud.
d. in the eye.
42. Tornadoes __________ accompany hurricanes that make landfall on the U.S. east coast.
a. rarely
b. often
43. Hurricanes dissipate when
a. they move over colder ocean water.
b. they move over land.
c. surface inflow of air exceeds upper-level outflow of air.
d. All of the above are correct.
e. None of the above is correct.
44. A(n) __________ is often situated above a hurricane.
a. polar jet stream
b. subpolar low
c. ITCZ
d. anticyclonic air flow
e. None of the above is correct.
45. A tropical storm or hurricane develops in __________ air.
a. continental tropical
b. continental polar
c. arctic
d. maritime polar
e. maritime tropical
46. Overall, category 5 hurricanes are __________category 2 and 3 hurricanes.
a. less destructive than
b. much more common than
c. more frequent than
d. much less frequent than
47. Each year the United States experiences ___________ hurricanes than tornadoes.
a. more
b. far fewer
48. A hurricane is approaching you from the east. The wind changes from very strong northerly to
calm. This means that
a. the eye is overhead and it is safe to come out.
b. the eye is overhead and the other half of the system is yet to come.
c. the hurricane has dissipated and only light showers remain.
d. a tornado spawned by the hurricane just missed you.
49. In the United States over the 30-year period from 1970 to 1999, the majority of deaths due to
tropical storms or their remnants was due to
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
tornadoes.
lightning.
storm surge flooding.
inland freshwater flooding.
high winds.
50. Which one of the following statements is true?
a. Easterly waves originate in North Africa.
b. Easterly waves typically travel from west to east across the tropical Pacific.
c. Tropical hurricanes occasionally develop off the coast of Norway.
d. A barrier island is an ideal location for a hurricane shelter.
e. A hurricane is the only type of coastal storm that can produce a storm surge.