Part 2 — Answer key

Compare your answers after you have finished Part 1.

1. Lightning always strikes the tallest object in an area.
   False
2. Which instrument is specifically designed to measure air pressure at the surface?
   Barometer
3. On a calm, sunny afternoon you notice puffy, cotton-like clouds with flat bases scattered across the sky. What type of cloud are you most likely seeing?
   Cumulus
4. Thunder is the sound produced by lightning rapidly heating the air along its path.
   True
5. Which term describes the typical weather patterns in a place when averaged over many years?
   Climate
6. Weather radar is mainly used to detect precipitation such as rain, snow, or hail.
   True
7. Your home weather station shows the pressure dropping quickly, dark clouds are building, and winds are picking up. What is the most likely feature moving toward you?
   Cold front
8. Deserts are always extremely hot during both day and night.
   False
9. A warm front is approaching and you notice thin, wispy clouds high in the sky that gradually thicken over several hours. Which cloud type are you most likely seeing first?
   Cirrus
10. Arrange these stages of a typical single cell thunderstorm life cycle from earliest to latest.
    Correct order: Growing cumulus cloud with only updrafts → Thunderstorm with strong updrafts and heavy rain → Weakening storm with mainly downdrafts → Leftover clouds and cool outflow
11. A weather report mentions "a north wind at 15 miles per hour." What does this description mean?
    Blowing from the north toward the south
12. On a surface weather map, you see isobars (lines of equal pressure) packed very close together near your region. What does this pattern usually indicate at the surface?
    Strong winds
13. At night a large city often stays several degrees warmer than nearby rural areas, even with clear skies and light winds. What is this effect called?
    Urban heat island
14. A tornado watch means a tornado has been spotted in your area and you should take shelter immediately.
    False
15. While at the beach on a summer afternoon, you see a narrow line of dark clouds racing inland, the wind suddenly shifts, temperatures drop, and heavy showers begin. What type of boundary is most likely arriving?
    Cold front
16. A grower planning a new orchard checks the 30 year average date of the last spring freeze for the location to choose suitable varieties. What kind of information is the grower using?
    Climate statistics
17. In the Atlantic basin, a tropical cyclone reaches sustained winds of about 75 miles per hour. How is this storm classified on the standard wind based scale?
    Category 1 hurricane
18. A meteorologist compares the output from many different numerical weather models to estimate a range of possible rainfall amounts for the same storm. What forecasting approach is this an example of?
    Ensemble forecasting