Extreme Weather Events

Question 1

Which statement best describes how a tornado and a blizzard each develop?

Accepted Answer

A tornado forms when warm, moist air rises and meets cool, dry air, creating a rotating thunderstorm that can drop a funnel cloud; a blizzard forms when a cold Arctic air mass moves over a relatively warm, moist area, producing strong winds that blow heavy snow and reduce visibility.

Answer

A tornado forms when a thunderstorm makes a loud roar and the wind begins to spin; a blizzard forms simply because the temperature falls below freezing and it starts to snow.

Answer

A tornado forms when cold, dry air sinks beneath warm, moist air, causing the air to spin into a funnel; a blizzard forms when warm air rises over cold water, creating heavy rain that then freezes into snow.

Answer

A tornado forms when a fast‑moving cold front pushes over warm water, creating a spinning funnel; a blizzard forms when hot summer winds pick up snow from the ground.

Question 2

Which pair of statements correctly explains how a hurricane forms over the ocean and how a tornado forms from a thunderstorm on land?

Accepted Answer

A hurricane begins when warm ocean water evaporates, the moist air rises, cools into clouds, and the released heat lowers pressure causing the wind to spin into a storm. A tornado starts when a strong thunderstorm lifts warm, moist air, wind direction changes with height create rotation, and the spinning column touches the ground.

Answer

A hurricane starts over cold sea water when ice crystals form and tumble together, creating a spinning vortex. A tornado forms when a thunderstorm moves over a desert, and hot sand particles spin up into a funnel.

Answer

A hurricane forms when a mountain range blocks wind, forcing the air to spin. A tornado forms when a calm, clear day causes the ground to heat and spin up a vortex.

Answer

Both hurricanes and tornadoes form when the Earth’s magnetic field pulls air upward, making the air spin around the poles.

Question 3

Which answer correctly explains how a hurricane and a tornado each form?

Accepted Answer

A hurricane begins over warm tropical oceans where warm, moist air rises and spins, while a tornado develops from a thunderstorm when wind changes direction with height, creating a rotating column of air.

Answer

A hurricane forms when cold air over land meets warm air over the ocean, and a tornado forms when a thunderstorm’s cold rain falls straight down.

Answer

A hurricane forms over mountains where cold air is forced upward, and a tornado forms in desert regions when the ground gets very hot and air rises quickly.

Answer

A hurricane starts over warm oceans when warm air rises and creates a low‑pressure area that spins, and a tornado forms when a hurricane’s strong winds touch land and spin the ground.

Try three questions

Which statement best describes how a tornado and a blizzard each develop?

Which pair of statements correctly explains how a hurricane forms over the ocean and how a tornado forms from a thunderstorm on land?

Which answer correctly explains how a hurricane and a tornado each form?

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