How thunderstorms, tornadoes, and hurricanes form, and the terminology used to categorize and track them, one concept per card.
37 cards · basic cards · AI-written, checked twice. Edit anything.
- What three ingredients are typically needed for a thunderstorm to form?
- Moisture, rising unstable air, and a lifting mechanism
- What is the term for the rotating column of air within a severe thunderstorm that can produce a tornado?
- A mesocyclone
- What violently rotating column of air, extending from a thunderstorm to the ground, is one of nature's most destructive local storms?
- A tornado
- What scale is used to rate tornado intensity based on the damage it causes?
- The Enhanced Fujita (EF) Scale
- What is the term for a large, rotating tropical storm system with sustained winds of 74 miles per hour or more, called a hurricane in the Atlantic?
- A hurricane (tropical cyclone)
- What is the calm, low-pressure center of a hurricane called?
- The eye
- What term describes the ring of intense thunderstorms surrounding a hurricane's eye, containing the storm's strongest winds?
- The eyewall
- What scale classifies hurricane intensity from category 1 to category 5 based on sustained wind speed?
- The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale
- What name is given to a tropical cyclone that forms in the western Pacific Ocean, equivalent to a hurricane in the Atlantic?
- A typhoon
- What name is given to a tropical cyclone that forms in the Indian Ocean or South Pacific, equivalent to a hurricane in the Atlantic?
- A cyclone
- What large, dangerous wall of ocean water, pushed ashore by a hurricane's winds and low pressure, causes much of a hurricane's damage?
- Storm surge
- What term describes the boundary where a cold air mass meets and replaces a warm air mass, often triggering severe weather?
- A cold front
- What term describes the boundary where a warm air mass advances and replaces a cold air mass?
- A warm front
- What weather warning is issued when conditions are favorable for tornado development but one has not yet been spotted?
- A tornado watch
- What weather warning is issued when a tornado has been spotted or indicated by radar?
- A tornado warning