5. The Restless Sky: Storm Systems And El Niño

Question 1

thunderstorm

Answer 1

a cumulonimbus cloud that produces lightening and thunder

Question 2

air mass

Answer 2

a large region of air that is uniform in temperature and humidity

Question 3

wind shear

Answer 3

changes in wind speed and direction with altitude

Question 4

single-cell thunderstorm

Answer 4

a type of thunderstorm that is short-lived and rarely severe

Question 5

multicell thunderstorm

Answer 5

type of thunderstorm that forms under conditions of moderate wind shear, is organized in squall lines or clusters, and often produces severe weather

Question 6

severe thunderstorm

Answer 6

a thunderstorm that produces either hail sized 2.54cm in diameter, a tornado, or wind gusts of 93 km/h or greater

Question 7

squall line

Answer 7

a line of multicell thunderstorm cells that typically forms along a cold front

Question 8

supercell thunderstorm

Answer 8

a thunderstorm with a rotating cylindrical updraft that usually produces severe weather

Question 9

mesocyclone

Answer 9

rotating cylindrical updraft within a supercell thunderstorm

Question 10

lightning

Answer 10

an electrical discharge produced by thunderstorms

Question 11

thunder

Answer 11

an acoustic shock wave produced when lightning rapidly heats and expands the air around it

Question 12

fulgurite

Answer 12

a glassy hollow tube formed where lightning strikes sand

Question 13

wall cloud

Answer 13

a cylindrical cloud that protrudes from the base of a supercell thunderstorm

Question 14

tornado

Answer 14

a violently rotating column of air that descends from a cumulonimbus cloud that touches ground

Question 15

enhanced Fujita scale (EF Scale)

Answer 15

a system used to rank tornado strength based on damage done to the landscape

Question 16

tornado watch

Answer 16

an alert issued by the National Weather service when conditions are favourable for tornadic thunderstorms

Question 17

tornado warning

Answer 17

a warning issued by the National Weather Service after a tornado has been seen and called in to local authorities or when one is suggested by a Doppler radar hook echo signature

Question 18

hurricane

Answer 18

North American name for a tropical cyclone with sustained winds of 119 km/h or greater

Question 19

tropical cyclone

Answer 19

tropical cyclonic storm with sustained winds of 119 km/h or greater

Question 20

typhoon

Answer 20

a name used for tropical cyclones in Southeast Asia

Question 21

tropical storm

Answer 21

a tropical cyclonic storm with sustained winds between 63 and 118 km/h

Question 22

saffir-simpson scale

Answer 22

a hurricane ranking system based on measured wind speeds

Question 23

storm surge

Answer 23

a rise in sea level caused by the strong winds and low atmospheric pressure of a hurricane

Question 24

midlatitude cyclone

Answer 24

a large cyclonic storm at midlatitudes

Question 25

warm front

Answer 25

a region where warm air advances on and flows over cooler, heavier air; not associated with severe weather

Question 26

cold front

Answer 26

a region where cold air advances on relatively warm air; sometimes associated with severe weather

Question 27

nor’easter

Answer 27

a type of midlatitude cyclone that brings blizzard-like conditions to the Mid-Atlantic states and New England

Question 28

lake-effect snow

Answer 28

heavy snowfall that results as cold air moves over large, relatively warm bodies of water, such as the Great Lakes

Question 29

El Niño

Answer 29

a periodic change in the state of Earth’s climate caused by the slackening and temporary reversal of the Pacific equatorial trade winds and increased sea surface temperatures off coastal Peru