Exam 15: Tornadoes

When a large number of tornadoes develop in association with a particular weather system (typically six tornadoes or more), it is referred to as a ____.

Doppler radar works on the principle that, as precipitation moves toward or away from the antenna, the ____.

The first stage of a tornado life cycle is the ____ stage.

Give an historic account of the tornado outbreak that occurred on May 3, 1999, when 78 tornadoes devastated parts of Texas, Kansas, and Oklahoma.

The region inside the supercell where radar is unable to detect precipitation is known as the ____________________.

Are large cities protected from tornadoes? Give an example that supports your answer.

Explain what waterspouts are and how they form. .

Describe the five major stages of a major tornado's life cycle.

Tornadoes that form ahead of an advancing cold front tend to move from the ____.

Violent tornadoes have winds exceeding 125 knots.

No country experiences more tornadoes than the United States.

The final stage of a tornado's life cycle is called the shrinking stage, when usually the tornado stretches into the shape of a rope.

Tornado families are typically the result of a single, long-lived supercell thunderstorm.

To an observer on the ground, the first sign that a supercell may give birth to a tornado is the sight of _____________________ at the base of the storm.

Tornado frequency is highest during the spring and lowest during the winter when the warm surface air is normally absent.

The belt of tornadoes that occurs over Mississippi and Alabama is sometimes called ____________________.

In which of the following states has a tornado never occurred?

When a large number of tornadoes develop in association with a particular weather system (typically six tornadoes or more, although there is no strict definition), it is referred to as a(n)____________________.

Tornadoes have a distinct signature on the radar screen, known as the ____________________ , which shows up as a region of rapidly (or abruptly)changing wind directions within the mesocyclone.

On the Doppler radar screen, the rotating precipitation around a mesocyclone may appear as a(n)____.