Summer has started, and if we look at the weather we had in the spring, then we are going to have another scorcher! Here is a puzzle designed for all you weather bugs out there!
1. An earthquake that measures 8 on the Richter Scale would be how many times stronger than an earthquake that measures 4 on the same scale? Two times stronger; Four times stronger; 1,000 times stronger; 10,000 times stronger?
2. What instrument is used to measure wind speed? Anemometer; Barometer; Altimer; Fanometer?
3. Which of the following means “rain” when added to a cloud’s name? Alto; Nimbus; Strato; Cirrus?
4. True or False: The summer of 1995 was so hot that at the end of August, methane emitted within big bales of freshly cut hay in Missouri began spontaneously combusting.
5. Which is safest during a tornado? Inside a car; Under an overpass; In a ditch; Under a tree?
6. Which act of nature kills more people every year? Lightning; Floods; Tornadoes; Hurricanes?
7. Which type of cloud produces lightning? Altostratus; Cumulonimbus; Cirrocumulus; Nimbus?
8. True or False: Tornadoes do not form in temperatures lower than 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
9. What type of precipitation is associated with a temperature inversion? Sleet; Freezing rain; snow; hail?
10. Which state is not part of Tornado Alley? Colorado; Minnesota; Mississippi; Kentucky?
ANSWERS:
1. The Richter Scale is logarithmic, which means that each successive whole number represents a 10-fold increase in power. Thus, an earthquake that measures 8 would be 10,000 times stronger than an earthquake that measures 4. 2. An anemometer measures wind speed. The first mechanical anemometer was invented in 1450 by Italian artist and architect Leon Battista Alberti. 3. Nimbus means “rain” when added to a cloud’s name. 4. True. 5. In a ditch. 6. Floods. 7. Cumulonimbus. 8. False. 9. Freezing rain. 10. Mississippi. On checking the largest map indicating where Tornado Alley is, it included: North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee.