More Difficult Questions

Question 1

The foggiest location in the United States is Cape Disappointment, Washington... with nearly three and a half months of thick fog each year. Even so, Pennsylvania's mountains and valleys are some of the foggiest inland locations in the Eastern part of the nation. Which one of the following months typically has the most days with dense fog in Pennsylvania?

a) February
b) April
c) August
d) October

Question 2

Before the days of rockets and space probes, much of what we know about the atmosphere was learned through launching balloons. The first adventures into the space where our weather is generated took place in the 1700's. Since then, scientists have discovered a great deal about the make-up of our atmosphere and the way temperature and pressure change with altitude. We all take it for granted that the higher we go up, the more the temperature drops... but how much. On a sunny day, the temperature at the base of a 4,000 foot mountain is 50 degrees, approximately what is the temperature at the top of the mountain?

a) 38 degrees
b) 30 degrees
c) 22 degrees
d) 10 degrees

Question 3

Damage from a strong tornado can lead to almost unbelievable destruction. While tornadoes have been observed in many places across the globe, the United States is by far the most tornado-prone region in the world. The whirlwinds pack such a wallop that few direct measurements have been made of tornado winds. However, generally accepted estimates of the strongest tornado winds do exist. What is the best estimate for the wind in the most intense tornadoes?

a) near 75 mph
b) near 150 mph
c) near 300 mph
d) near 500 mph

Question 4

In what year did the process of naming Atlantic hurricanes after women begin?

a) 1901
b) 1917
c) 1941
d) 1953

Question 5

Which of the following was shown to interrupt shivering in laboratory test subjects?

a) Humming softly
b) Reciting poetry
c) Thinking about snow
d) Doing mental mathematics

Question 6

Which of the following is always true?

a) The humidity decreases with height
b) The pressure decreases with height
c) The temperature decreases with height
d) Winds blow clockwise around high pressure

Question 7

Which of the following is also a name for the wind?

a) Butterfly
b) Doctor
c) Lips
d) Witch

Question 8

How much would the electricity in a single bolt of lightning cost from your power company?

a) $30
b) $300
c) $3000
d) $3 million

Question 9

Which of the following is NOT an auxiliary use of weather satellites in monitoring?

a) crop health
b) distress signals
c) ocean ships' efficiency
d) nighttime freezes

Question 10

What is the typical weather prior to a California earthquake?

a) cool and foggy
b) warm and sunny
c) showers
d) coast clouds, valley sun

Question 11

Which of the following Division I Universities does NOT have a weather-related emblem on its football helmets?

a) University of Miami, Florida
b) Iowa State University
c) University of Hawaii
d) Air Force Academy

Question 12

There is a 30-30-30 rule in weather, what does it mean?

a) At 30 degrees; with 30% humidity, there is a 30% chance of snow
b) There are 30 cyclones in 30 days between 30 degrees of latitude
c) At -30 degrees; and a wind of 30 kts, flesh freezes in 30 seconds
d) It takes 30 lightning bolts only 30 seconds to light the world for 30 years

Question 13

What is the average speed of a falling snowflake?

a) 1/2 mph
b) 1 mph
c) 5 mph
d) 25 mph

Question 14

If we define winter as the time of the year when the average minimum temperature falls below 32 degrees, which of the following cities has the longest winter?

a) Sacramento
b) Atlanta
c) Seattle
d) Dallas

Question 15

In an official hourly weather observation which of the following parameters are directly reported:

a) rainfall
b) thickness of cloud cover
c) relative humidity
d) wind speed

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