Because cloud particles are so tiny, in order to fall to the earth as rain or snow, they must grow in size:
1,000,000 times
10 times
100 times
1,000 times
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Water droplets falling from a cloud but not reaching the ground are called:
virga
drizzle
mist
fog
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In what year did the Weather Bureau start using girls names for storms in the Atlantic?
1953
1949
1955
1957
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The United States reports approximately how many tornados annually?
500
200
400
600
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The first classification of world climate dates back to about:
500 B.C.
200 B.C.
100 A.D.
500 A.D.
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A stroke of lightning is formed when:
the difference of the "+" and "-" charges overcome the resistance of the air
kinetic energy is dissipated into the surrounding air
electricity is accelerated
energy is emitted by oscillations of paired electric and magnetic fields
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The energy transformed in a single stroke of lightning is in the range of several:
billion horsepower
thousand horsepower
million horsepower
trillion horsepower
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Frost forms on objects by the deposition of water vapor from the air when the temperature of the object is below freezing. This change from vapor to solid is called:
sublimation
sub freezing
saturation
transition
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The temperature of the sun's visible surface is:
11,000 degrees F
1,000 degrees F
6,000 degrees F
16,000 degrees F
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Who invented the thermometer?
Galileo 1593
Aristotle 350 B.C.
Torricelli 1643
Franklin 1743
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A front is a boundary between two air masses of different temperature and density. When was the term introduced into Meteorology?
1918
1928
1938
1948
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The moon appears orange in the lower sky because of:
dust and pollution
the earth's reflection
radiation
reflection from the sun
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The term "medicometeorology" pertains to the study of the:
reaction of human bodies to weather
climate
clouds
atmosphere
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The instrument used to measure humidity is called a:
psychrometer
barometer
ceilometer
anemometer
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The term "weathering" pertains to the:
breakdown of rocks into smaller particles from frost and temperature
influence of the weather on temperature and other elements
degree of ascent or decent of air
forecasting of weather
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The National Weather Service was established in 1870 under the Signal Corps of the army. When did it become a civilian agency?
July 1, 1891
July 1, 1875
July 1, 1905
July 1, 1916
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What makes the wind blow?
uneven heating or cooling of the air
force of gravity
air pressure
the earth's rotation
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What is the longest period Reno, Nevada has gone without rain?
112 days
90 days
102 days
125 days
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Which of the following has the coldest average temperature?
Greenland
North Pole
Alaska
Canada
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What makes the sky red?
moisture in the air
reflection from the sun
radiation
dust and pollution in the air
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By the turn of the century, the percentage of U.S. energy produced by wind power will be about:
3%
5%
10%
13%
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On the average, which state has the greatest average annual rainfall?
Hawaii
Texas
Washington
Florida
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A blue sky is the result of:
bending light
reflection of the water
ozone layer
water vapor
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In July, the city with the warmest average high temperature is:
Kansas City, MO
San Diego, CA
Chicago, IL
New York, NY
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A toy balloon filled with helium will usually rise about:
3 1/2 miles
1/2 mile
2 miles
5 miles
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A "moonbow" is a term describing a:
rainbow at night
crescent shaped moon
halo around the moon
yellow moon
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Weather satellites can also aid in:
search and rescue
missile detection
earthquake prediction
volcanic activity prediction
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In the lower 48 states, the record low (Fahrenheit) was recorded in which state?
Montana, -76
North Dakota, -66
Wyoming, -70
Minnesota, -60
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What is the approximate number of weather balloons launched by the National Weather Service annually?
more than 40,000
5,000
10,000
30,000
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The region in the U.S. with the least number of thunderstorm days per year is the:
West Coast
Midwest
Rockies
Northeast
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In meteorology, the term "El Nino" represents:
warming of the ocean
global cooling
global warming
Mexican dust storms
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Which city has the greatest annual average snowfall?
Flagstaff, AZ
New York, NY
Minneapolis, MN
Denver, CO
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Salt water freezes at:
28 degrees F
30 degrees F
32 degrees F
34 degrees F
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A region of calm air near the equator is called the:
doldrums
trade winds
horse latitudes
tropics
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The weather symbol of three horizontal lines represents:
fog
thunderstorm
hurricane
hail
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Air pockets are usually caused by:
sinking air
rising air
absence of air
wind velocity
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The flow of charged particles from the sun at high speed is called a solar:
wind
eclipse
flare
storm
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An enormous tornado-producing thunderstorm that exists for hours is called a:
supercell
downburst
cloud burst
severe thunderstorm
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A thunderstorm is officially considered "severe" if it produces hail the diameter of at least:
3/4"
1/4"
1/2"
1"
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The highest layer of the atmosphere (ionosphere) is best known for its:
reflection of radio signals
high winds
ozone layer
low temperature
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During the daytime, wind moving up a mountain is called a:
valley breeze
Santa Ana
mountain breeze
updraft
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The word "Chinook" (used in the so-called "Chinook Wind") is an Indian word for:
snow eater
mountain flow
warm wind
gale wind
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The world's record low pressure reading was:
25.70
24.70
26.70
27.70
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The state with the highest annual incidence of tornados by area is:
Oklahoma
Texas
Louisiana
Kansas
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Theoretically, the lowest possible temperature that could exist would be about:
-450 F
-150 F
-250 F
-350 F
$EOC
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The prevailing wind direction at Barrow, Alaska is from the:
east
north
south
west
$EOC
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The launching of unmanned weather balloons began in:
1890
1790
1825
1925
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The hottest layer of the atmosphere is near the:
top of the atmosphere
earth's surface
ozone layer
stratosphere
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A large expanse of air having similar temperature and humidity is called:
an air mass
trade winds
a front
the doldrums
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The average surface temperature of Mars is:
-60 F
-120 F
40 F
60 F
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Francis Beaufort of the Royal Navy is known for his classification of:
wind
clouds
fronts
storms
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Approximately how much of the sun's energy is converted to wind on Earth?
