Q 01/05

What is the most common name for the region in the central United States known for frequent tornadoes?

A) Cyclone Corridor

B) Hurricane Highway

C) Tornado Alley

D) Stormy Stretch

Answer · why

C) Tornado Alley

The term began life in 1952 as the title of a research project studying severe weather from Texas up to South Dakota.

Q 02/05

What scale is primarily used to rate the intensity of tornadoes in the United States and Canada?

A) Richter

B) Beaufort

C) Saffir-Simpson

D) Enhanced Fujita

Answer · why

D) Enhanced Fujita

Canada adopted a modified version, the CEF-scale, in 2013; ratings are inferred from damage rather than measured wind.

Q 03/05

What is the rotating updraft in a supercell that often precedes a tornado called?

A) Mesocyclone

B) Microburst

C) Downdraft

D) Squall line

Answer · why

A) Mesocyclone

A mesocyclone is a rotating column of air, typically 2-6 miles in diameter, within a supercell thunderstorm, and its presence is a key indicator of po...

Q 04/05

What type of cloud is most commonly associated with tornado formation?

A) Cumulonimbus

B) Cirrus

C) Stratus

D) Cumulus

Answer · why

A) Cumulonimbus

Weaker tornadoes can hang from an ordinary cumulus, but the violent ones come from towering thunderstorm clouds.

Q 05/05

Which U.S. state experiences the most tornadoes annually on average?

A) Kansas

B) Oklahoma

C) Florida

D) Texas

Answer · why

D) Texas

Per square mile the leader is Florida, though most of its tornadoes are weak, and Kansas records the most EF4 and EF5 storms.