Tornado: Definition and Characteristics
Study this overview of tornadoes, including their definition and formation during thunderstorms. Explore the wind speeds, geographical distribution, and related terminology, such as 'twister' or 'funnel cloud'. Understand the areas most prone to tornadoes like 'Tornado Alley'.
Recommended next
10 questions ready
Start with a quiz
Answer from memory first, then use the existing quiz review flow for anything you miss.
Activities
Quiz10 Questions
Flashcards10 Cards
Study Notes1 Note
Modules
Learn in sequence
Start with the earlier modules and work forward. Each one builds on the last, so the course gets more advanced as you go.
Tornado: Definition and Characteristics
Quiz • 10 Questions
Tornado: Definition and Characteristics - Flashcards
Flashcards • 10 Cards
Study Notes
3 min • Summary
Materials
List of Questions10 questions
- Question 1
- A gentle breeze that occurs during calm weather conditions.
- A column of violently rotating air formed during thunderstorms.
- A light rainfall that slowly drifts across open fields.
- A type of fog that appears near bodies of water.
- Question 2
- The Pacific Northwest
- The deserts of the Southwest
- The Northeastern Seaboard
- The Great Plains, also known as "Tornado Alley"
- Question 3
- Torcer
- Viento
- Tormenta
- Tornar
- Question 4
- A dense cloud formation that never leads to severe weather.
- A large thunderstorm in which winds are already in rotation.
- A calm weather front that brings clear skies and cool temperatures.
- A very small and weak thunderstorm that rarely produces rain.
- Question 5
- The stagnant air found at high altitudes.
- The upward movement of air.
- The downward movement of cool air.
- The sideways movement of wind currents.
- Question 6
- Only when it touches both the ground and the source cloud.
- When it moves less than one mile across open land.
- When it appears in the sky but does not touch anything.
- As soon as it begins to rotate in the atmosphere.
- Question 7
- Seismic sensors
- Barometric pressure gauges
- Infrared cameras
- Doppler radar
- Question 8
- The Richter Scale
- The Beaufort Scale
- The Enhanced Fujita Scale
- The Munsell Scale
- Question 9
- EF3
- EF1
- EF0
- EF2
- Question 10
- The intensity becomes unpredictable.
- The intensity decreases.
- There is a concomitant increase in expected intensity.
- The intensity remains the same.
List of Flashcards10 flashcards
- Card 1HintThink of a powerful, spinning air column in a storm.Memory TipTwister, cyclone, funnel.
- Card 2HintIt's a specific area in the Great Plains known for frequent tornadoes.Memory TipUS central tornado hotspot.
- Card 3HintIt's a special type of thunderstorm with pre-existing rotation.Memory TipRotating big storm.
- Card 4HintImagine winds blowing at different speeds at different heights.Memory TipDifferent height, different wind.
- Card 5HintIt's the rising air current in a storm that helps create the funnel.Memory TipAir goes up.
- Card 6HintIt's the visible, cone-shaped part of a forming tornado, but hasn't touched the ground yet.Memory TipTornado in the air.
- Card 7HintMeteorologists look for this shape on radar to warn of tornadoes.Memory TipRadar's 'hook' warns.
- Card 8HintIt's how scientists rate a tornado's strength after it has caused damage.Memory TipDamage = EF rating.
- Card 9HintThis is the lowest rating on the EF scale, causing light damage.Memory TipWeakest EF, minor damage.
- Card 10HintThis is the most destructive rating on the EF scale.Memory TipStrongest EF, homes gone.