Q: From 1950 to 2004, how many tornadoes formed in Sacramento County?
A: Four tornadoes. The strongest was an F2.
Q: From 1950 to 2004, what California county experienced the most tornadoes?
A: Los Angeles County experienced 41 tornadoes.
Q: What was the country's deadliest tornado?
A: The Tri-State Tornado killed 695 people.
Q: How many tornadoes form in California annually?
A: An average of four.
Q: How many tornadoes rotate clockwise?
A: About 1 in 100.
Q: Most tornadoes rotate which direction?
Q: Which month spawns the most tornadoes?
A: The month of May. June is second.
Q: Tornadoes have not occurred on which continent?
Q: Why do most tornadoes form in the afternoon and early evening?
A: Because they form from thunderstorms, a lot of solar heating is needed.
Q: Most tornadoes occur during which time of the day?
A: Most form in the afternoon and early evening.
Q: What percentage of the country's tornadoes are considered violent?
A: Actually, only about 5 percent are violent (EF3 or higher).
Q: Where is "Tornado Alley?"
A: Roughly from central Texas through eastern South Dakota.
Q: What is a gust front?
A: A boundary separating cool thunderstorm air and surrounding air.
Q: How much water escapes Earth each day due to the polar wind?
A: About 1,000 gallons escape each day.
Q: What is the polar wind?
A: Charged plasma that travels into space from the upper atmosphere.
Q: The Enhanced Fujita scale (EF) ranks what weather phenomenon?
A: The EF scale ranks tornadoes by wind estimates based on damage.
Q: What are tornadoes that form over water called?
Q: What is a veering wind?
A: A wind that turns clockwise with height.
Q: Are veering winds associated with warming or cooling?
A: They are associated with warm air advection.
Q: What is the opposite of veering?
A: Backing winds that shift counterclockwise.
Q: The average tornado moves in which direction?
A: From southwest to northeast.
Q: What state sees the most tornadoes?
Q: What is considered the windiest place on Earth?
A: Winds at Commonwealth Bay in Antarctica reach 74 mph every three days.
Q: 16,000 windmills provide power to how many homes in California?
A: Windmills provide power to 300,000 homes (1% of the state's power).
Q: The National Weather Service issues a wind advisory at what speed?
A: Sustained wind speed of 30 mph.
Q: How strong are the winds in a Category 5 hurricane?
A: 156 mph and greater.
Q: On a weather chart, what is stream line?
A: Steam line shows wind direction and trajectory
Q: What does chinook wind mean?
A: It means "snow eater" because of the warm nature of the wind.
Q: What is the term used for "foehn winds" in the lee of the Rockies?
Q: Should planes take off with a tail or head wind?
A: A head wind helps the plane get airborne.
Q: What wind reverses its direction seasonally?
A: The monsoon.
Q: A wind advisory requires that winds be how strong?
A: Wind advisories are for winds 31 to 39 mph.
Q: What is a multiple vortex tornado?
A: A tornado with mini-tornadoes inside it. This is different from multiple tornadoes.
Q: What is Beaufort Scale?
A: It is a system used to report wind speeds.
Q: What Beaufort wind scale is equivalent to hurricane force winds?
A: 12 to 17, which represents winds above 74 miles per hour.
Q: What is Katabatic Wind?
A: A wind that is created by air flowing downhill.
Q: In terms of wind, what is a knot?
A: 1.15 miles per hour, or 0.5 meters per second.
Q: What is a jet stream?
A: Relatively strong winds concentrated in a narrow stream in the atmosphere.
Q: Which center issues hurricane watches and warnings?
A: National Hurricane Center.
Q: What is a dust devil?
A: A tornado-like swirl of air that picks up dust off the ground.
Q: What U.S. city has been hit by the most tornadoes?
A: Oklahoma City.
Q: Where did the deadliest recorded tornado in the world occur?
A: Bangladesh. Estimates put the death toll at more than 1,300 people.
Q: Where do typhoons occur?
A: Typhoons occur in the western Pacific Ocean.
Q: What is the Fujita Scale?
A: It is a system of rating the intensity of tornadoes.
Q: What is the strength of a super typhoon?
A: It has maximum sustained winds of 130 knots (150 mph) or greater.
Q: What is upslope flow?
A: It is air that moves from lower terrain to higher terrain.
Q: What is a willy-willy?
A: A tropical cyclone of hurricane strength near Australia.
Q: What is a gust front?
A: The leading edge of gusty winds from thunderstorm downdrafts.
Q: Atlantic hurricane names recycle how often?
A: Hurricane names recycle every six years
Q: How many knots is a 10 mph wind?
A: 8.69 knots.
Q: What is the minimum wind in a hurricane?
A: 64 knots (74 mph).
Q: What is the range of wind speeds in a tropical storm?
A: 34 to 63 knots (39 to 73 mph).
Q: What is the maximum sustained wind in a tropical depression?
A: 33 knots (38 mph).
Q: What did Hurricane Ivan set a record for in 2004?
A: Most tornadoes spawned; Ivan unleashed 117 tornadoes.
Q: If chimney smoke descends rather than rises, what does this indicate?
A: Warm air aloft.
Q: What is the name of the scale to measure hurricane intensity?
A: The Saffir-Simpson scale.
Q: On average, how often do hurricanes hit Hawaii?
A: About once every 15 years.
Q: What is wind shear?
A: A variation of wind with height.
Q: Does wind shear help hurricane development?
A: It actually discourages it.
Q: What was Hurricane Rita's minimum central pressure?
A: Data indicate a pressure of 897 millibars on Sept. 22, 2005.
Q: Hurricane Katrina made landfall as what category storm?
A: It hit as a Category 3 storm.
Q: What was Hurricane Katrina's minimum central pressure?
A: A central pressure of 902 millibars was recorded on Aug. 28, 2005.
Q: What was the smallest recorded tropical cyclone?
A: Tropical Cyclone Tracy, which hit Darwin, Australia, in 1974, measured only 60 miles across.
Q: What is the difference between a tropical storm and a hurricane?
A: Sustained wind speeds. Tropical storm: 39-73 mph; hurricane, 74 mph or greater.
Q: What is the lowest wind speed a hurricane can have?
A: 74 mph.
Q: Hurricanes can't form within how many degrees of the equator?
A: They can't form between the equator and roughly 5 degrees north latitude.
Q: Why can't hurricanes form within 5 degrees of the equator?
A: The Coriolis effect is too weak close to the equator.
Q: What causes a storm to spin counter-clockwise?
A: The Coriolis effect pushes motion to the right in the northern hempishere.
Q: Which solar phenomenon produces the aurora?
A: The solar wind.
Q: From where is the term "hurricane" derived?
A: From Huracan, the Carib god of evil.
Q: When does the North Pacific hurricane season begin?
A: It officially begins May 15.