Tropical Trivia - Answer Key

1. Texas. Tropical cyclones do not form over land.
2. Seabirds
3. Weather dart board.
4. False. The water is too cold near Alaska to support hurricane development.
5. By the World Meteorological Organization
6. True
7. They have heavy rain and strong winds
8. Use the Greek alphabet
9. "National Hurricane Center"
10. A region of light winds near the equator

1. All of the above.
2. Wind, waves, heavy rainfall
3. Sea wall.
4. 5
5. False. Names are given to make hurricane recognition easier by the public.
6. Put gas in your car.
7. Hurricane. Hurricanes have the combination of strength and size to cause the most damage.
8. Find a small room in a sturdy building.
9. Florida
10. True. TropicalWeather.net is a great source for learning about hurricanes.

1. Dust Devil
2. False. The most damage usually is from storm surge, high winds and sometimes heavy inland rainfall.
3. None of the above
4. Large open room. Objects can easily hit you in an open room.
5. Open windows to equalize pressure. This is a myth. Strong wind destroy a house, not a pressure difference.
6. Satellite. Radar and Hurricane Hunter information may not be available. Ships usually are not near the center of a hurricane.
7. All of the above
8. in the late summer and early fall when sea water is warmest
9. Both B and C
10. True

1. Counterclockwise in the northern hemisphere
2. category 3, 4, or 5 on the Saffir-Simpson scale.
3. Evacuate immediately. There is no need to evacuate until offical authorities has told you to do so.
4. Japan. Hurricanes are called "Typhoons" near Japan.
5. June 1 to November 30.
6. 74 mph.
7. Island term for "god of evil".
8. South Atlantic Ocean. There has been only one recorded tropical cyclone in the south Atlantic Ocean.
9. eye
10. None of the above.

1. Central Dense Overcast. This is a name for the cloud structure near the center of a hurricane.
2. Cloud seeding.
3. None of the above.
4. Blow in the opposite direction
5. Evaporation of ocean water. A hurricane's power comes mostly from the latent heat of condensation.
6. Hurricane conditions may affect the area. The watch is issued 48 hours before the possible onset of tropical storm force winds.
7. Hurricane conditions are expected to affect the area. The warning is issued 36 hours before the onset of tropical storm force winds.
8. Air temperature.
9. Members of the 53rd weather reconnaissance squadron.
10. There is not enough data to know for sure.

1. 300-400 miles.
2. 20-30 miles.
3. Rain bands. There is more wind shear found in the rain bands then in the eye wall, especially as they cross land.
4. All tropical cyclones can produce heavy rainfall
5. Bangaldesh. High potential storm surge combined with a large population in a flood prone region can cause high loss of life.
6. A hurricane formed in the south Atlantic Ocean.
7. Hurricane
8. Satellite. Hurricane Hunters usually do not investigate the central north Atlantic because of distance.
9. Hurricane Hunter information
10. False. Tape offers little additional support. Boards or shutters are necessary for proper protection.

1. Historic flooding in the Mid-Atlantic.
2. 64 pounds. This is how storm surge can batter buildings and other structures.
3. Katrina.
4. Eye wall several thousand feet above the ground. The effects of friction diminish the wind speed near the ground.
5. 2 miles.
6. Mostly strong winds, some low pressure effects.
7. Inland flooding. Most deaths from a hurricane now occur because of inland flash flooding. Storm surge caused the most deaths in the past.
8. Very stable air.
9. Easterly waves.
10. Wind shear. Water temperatures are sufficient enough to support tropcial cyclone development over a very large region of the north Atlantic.

1. 112 feet. Measured from the USS Ramapo in the western Pacific in February 1933.
2. 4. It has been recorded twice . The first times was August 22, 1893. The second time was on September 25, 1998.
3. 9
4. 5
5. 84
6. 45
7. 15
8. Usually decreases season activity. El Nino, especially moderate to strong ones, tend to increase wind shear over the Caribbean.
9. 80 degrees Fahrenheit.
10. Wilma. The pressure was estimated by a Hurricane Hunter at 882 mb.

1. No moisture source for energy
2. 870 millibars
3. Georgia
4. 60
5. 1953
6. Latent heat of condensation
7. 1979
8. 1935 Florida Keys hurricane
9. Katrina
10. 190 mph with Hurricane Allen in 1980.

1. 39-73 mph.
2. May 15 - November 30.
3. Florida Keys. The Florida Keys have had 24, Cape Hatteras, NC 20.
4. 224". Commerson, La Reunion from Tropical Cyclone Hyacinthe, January 1980.
5. Allen with 190 mph sustained winds.
6. September 10.
7. Increasing swell. Swell can be proprogated well in advance of an approaching hurricane. This was the sign of an approaching hurricane before the modern era.
8. 6
9. Ivan. Ivan - 127, Beulah - 115, Frances - 106, Rita - 92
10. 72 inches. Tropical Cyclone Denise produced 72 inches of rain in 24 hours in Foc-Foc, La Reunion in 1966.