When Nature Attacks
This season lasts from June through the end of November
What is Hurricane Season?
These dark, towering clouds with a flat, anvil-shaped top are a warning that a severe thunderstorm is approaching
What are cumulonimbus clouds?
In the 1996 movie Twister, characters survive an F5 tornado by strapping themselves to a pipe. In reality, meteorologists say your best indoor bet is a basement or an interior room on this floor
What is the first floor (ground floor)
This type of severe winter storm is defined by sustained winds over 35 mph and blowing snow that drops visibility to less than a 1/4 of a mile.
What is a blizzard?
The NWS will issue this specific warning when a storm is detected with winds of at least 60 mph, hail that is 1 inch in diameter or larger, or both—but not necessarily a tornado. Lightning is also almost always associated with this storm.
What is a severe thunderstorm warning?
This is the scale used to measure the destruction of tornadoes
What is the Enhanced Fujita (EF) scale?
While lightning is a major hazard, hearing this loud sound immediately afterward is an audio queue that severe weather is nearby
What is thunder?
In The Day After Tomorrow, the film shows three massive, hurricane-like storms forming over land, which real meteorologists say is impossible because hurricanes need energy from this source
What is warm ocean water?
This dangerous type of precipitation melts in the air but then freezes instantly upon hitting a cold surface, coating roads and power lines in a heavy, invisible sheet of ice.
This NWS alert will be typically issued a day in advance, and alerts that atmospheric conditions will be ripe for severe thunderstorms to produce tornadoes
What is a tornado watch?
This term describes the ocean water pushed ashore by a hurricane’s intense winds, typically causing severe coastal flooding
What is storm surge?
These are instruments launched into the air by meteorologists to collect atmospheric data
What are weather balloons?
In the 2012 movie The Impossible, a family is caught in the real-life 2004 Indian Ocean disaster when an underwater earthquake triggers this type of massive, fast-moving wave
What is a tsunami?
This seasonal meteorological event occurs around December 21st in the Northern Hemisphere, marking the shortest day of the year and the official start of winter
The NWS issues this specific warning for coastal areas when a tropical storm or hurricane is expected to push a life-threatening mound of ocean water onto the shore
What is a storm surge warning?
This fault line is located in California, USA and is responsible for lots of earthquakes along the west coast of the United States
What is the San Andreas fault?
This two word term describes a massive swirl of freezing Arctic air that dips south in the winter, causing extreme drops in temperature
What is the polar vortex?
In the 2024 movie Twisters, a scene features two tornadoes spinning dangerously close to each other. This is the common, two-word phrase used to describe a pair of tornadoes that develop from the same storm.
What are twin tornadoes (twins)
This name is given to a wintertime storm that moves along the east coast of the United States, especially New England, bringing strong winds and heavy snow to coastal areas
What is a Nor'easter?
This summer alert is when the combination of extreme heat and high humidity makes the "feels-like" temperature dangerous, typically hitting at least 107 degrees here in central NC
What is an excessive heat warning?
This is the term given to a rapidly developing storm system, typically dropping at least 24mb in 24 hours
What is a bomb cyclone?
This phenomena is when the Earth moves in-between the sun and moon, and turns the mood blood red
What is a lunar eclipse?
Unlike the high-tech, instant tracking gadgets seen in Hollywood movies, real-life meteorologists rely heavily on this type of specialized radar to track rotation inside a thunderstorm
What is Doppler Radar?
This substance is commonly spread on roads before a winter storm because it lowers the freezing point of water, melting ice even when temperatures are below freezing.
What is salt (brine)?
This alert means a sudden, intense burst of heavy snow and strong winds leading to whiteout conditions can be expected in the near future.
What is a snow squall warning?