Q 01/05

Over which kind of surface do hurricanes form and gather their energy?

A) Cold ocean water

B) Hot desert sand

C) Large freshwater lakes

D) Warm ocean water

Answer · why

D) Warm ocean water

Warm ocean water. The sea surface needs to be about 27°C (around 80°F) so that enough water evaporates to feed the growing storm with heat and moistur...

Q 02/05

Which way do hurricane winds spin in the Northern Hemisphere?

A) Clockwise

B) Either way, by chance

C) Straight outward

D) Counterclockwise

Answer · why

D) Counterclockwise

Counterclockwise. Air rushing toward the storm's low-pressure centre is turned by the Earth's rotation, so it spirals inward instead of flowing straig...

Q 03/05

Hurricanes quickly lose their strength once they move over what?

A) Land

B) Deep ocean

C) Coral reefs

D) The Gulf Stream

Answer · why

A) Land

Land cuts a hurricane off from its fuel supply, and friction with the ground slows its winds, so most storms break up within a few days of coming asho...

Q 04/05

Where in a hurricane are the very strongest winds found?

A) In the eyewall

B) In the eye

C) At the outer edge

D) In the spiral rainbands

Answer · why

A) In the eyewall

In the eyewall, a ring of towering thunderstorms where inflowing air is flung upward, so a hurricane's fiercest winds blow right beside its quietest s...

Q 05/05

Roughly how wide is a typical hurricane eye?

A) 5 to 10 metres

B) 100 to 200 metres

C) 1 to 2 kilometres

D) 30 to 65 kilometres

Answer · why

D) 30 to 65 kilometres

30 to 65 kilometres. Air sinks in the middle of the storm, which keeps the eye mostly free of cloud with light winds.