Hurricanes

Question 1

Historically, what is the most destructive aspect of a hurricane striking a low-lying coastal area?

Answer 1

Storm surge

Question 2

What is the difference between a hurricane and an extratropical cyclone?

Answer 2

Hurricanes:

• have no fronts
• develop within a uniform warm and humid air mass
• is a warm-core system

Question 3

Sustained surface winds in a hurricane are

Answer 3

119km/h or higher

Question 4

Typical weather within the eye of a hurricane consists of

Answer 4

Light winds and clear skies

Question 5

Why do hurricanes typically not form in latitudes over 30 degrees north?

Answer 5

Because the surface ocean water is too cold

Question 6

Why don’t hurricanes form at the equator?

Answer 6

There is no Coriolis effect

Question 7

What source of energy sustains hurricane circulation?

Answer 7

Latent heat

Question 8

When do most northern hurricanes occur?

Answer 8

From June through November

Question 9

At latitude 10 degrees N, Atlantic basin hurricanes generally…

Answer 9

Drift slowly to the west

Question 10

At latitude 10 degrees N, tropical cyclones are steered by the…

Answer 10

Northeast trade winds

Question 11

The central pressure is … in a hurricane than in a typical extratropical cyclone

Answer 11

Lower

Question 12

The eye of a hurricane typically …

Answer 12

• shrinks in diameter as the storm intensifies
• features subsiding air
• is surrounded by a ring of cumulonimbus clouds

Question 13

Hurricane formation requires a sea-surface temperature of at least __ degrees C through a depth of about 60 meters

Answer 13

26.5

Question 14

What ultimately governs the rate of evaporation of seawater?

Answer 14

Sea-surface temperature

Question 15

What forces are operating in a hurricane?

Answer 15

• Coriolis effect
• Friction
• Pressure gradient force
• Centripetal force

Question 16

What is the minimum latitude where the Coriolis effect is strong enough to sustain hurricane circulation?

Answer 16

About 4 degrees

Question 17

Where do hurricanes or tropical storms never occur?

Answer 17

The west coast of South Africa

Question 18

Where are some places where hurricanes occur frequently?

Answer 18

• The Indian Ocean east of Madagascar
• The Arabian Sea
• The Bay of Bengal
• The Gulf of Mexico

Question 19

Why don’t hurricanes usually form off the coast of South America?

Answer 19

Because of the shear produced by strong winds in the middle and upper troposphere

Question 20

What consequence of hurricanes causes the most fatalities?

Answer 20

Coastal and inland flooding

Question 21

What happens to hurricane winds once the system reaches land?

Answer 21

It rapidly weakens

Question 22

What happens to surface winds as hurricanes track from the sea to land?

Answer 22

They get weaker and shift towards the eye

Question 23

What happens as a hurricane tracks inland?

Answer 23

• Its winds diminish
• Its pressure rises
• Rain continues
• Horizontal pressure gradient weakens

Question 24

What do major hurricanes rate on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Intensity Scale?

Answer 24

3 or higher

Question 25

What is the first sign that a hurricane may be developing over tropical seas?

Answer 25

The appearance of an organized cluster of cumulonimbus clouds

Question 26

What triggers a tropical disturbance?

Answer 26

- The Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) - A trough in the westerlies intruding into low latitudes - An easterly wave

Question 27

What conditions could inhibit the development of tropical storms and hurricanes over the tropical eastern Atlantic?

Answer 27

- Subsidence of air on the eastern flank of the Bermuda-Azores high - Strong vertical wind shear - Low vapor pressure in the middle troposphere - Unusually low sea-surface temperatures

Question 28

What is the most prudent strategy for residence when a hurricane threatens low-lying coastal areas?

Answer 28

-Evacuate to an inland shelter

Question 29

Where is the most hurricane-prone location in the United States?

Answer 29

Florida

Question 30

What is the major source of energy in a hurricane?

Answer 30

Release of the latent heat of vaporization

Question 31

Where can the highest wind speeds occur in a hurricane?

Answer 31

In the eye wall

Question 32

When do hurricanes dissipate?

Answer 32

- When they move over colder ocean water - They move over land - Surface inflow of air exceeds upper-level outflow of air

Question 33

What is often situated above a hurricane?

Answer 33

An anticyclonic air flow

Question 34

What kind of air does a tropical storm or hurricane develop in?

Answer 34

Maritime tropical air

Question 35

What does it mean when a hurricane is approaching you from the East and the wind changes from very strong northerly to calm?

Answer 35

The eye is overhead and the other half of the storm is yet to come

Question 36

Where do easterly wave originate from?

Answer 36

North Africa