What type of cloud usually produces heavy rains, strong winds, and sometimes hail or tornadoes?
cumulonimbus
What is the most destructive force of a hurricane?
wind
What type of weather instrument measures temperature?
thermometer
What is the center of a hurricane called?
eye
What floating weather instrument is used to measure high-altitude weather conditions?
weather balloon
What type of precipitation forms when frozen spheres of ice are swept into the upper layers of a thunderstorm and coated with multiple layers?
hail
What term refers to a brief but intense snow fall?
snow squall
What weather instrument measures wind speed?
anemometer
What is the reflected light from high-altitude lightning strikes in distant thunderstorms called?
heat lightning
What extremely powerful computers do meteorologists use to generate weather forecasts?
super computers
What type of cloud is typically almond or lens shaped and forms near mountains?
lenticular
What is a tornado that forms over water?
waterspout
What instrument measures wind direction?
weather vane
The elevated water level caused by a hurricanes wind is called what?
storm surge
What scale is used to classify tornadoes?
enhanced fujita scale
What type of precipitation is made up of raindrops that freeze into tiny balls of ice before they hit the ground?
sleet
What is the term for an intense down-burst?
micro-burst
What weather instrument measures air pressure using a flexible, airtight metal box?
aneroid barometer
What type of lightning comes from the top of a large thunderstorm?
positive cloud-to-ground lightning
What is a map that summarizes the weather conditions throughout the entire country at a single point in time?
surface weather chart
What high-level clouds form wispy streamers that look like feathers?
cirrus
What is the term for a tropical cyclone with wind speeds between 39 and 74mph?
tropical storm
What instrument do meteorologists use to measure the distance from the ground to the base of the clouds?
ceilometer
What is a tropical low-pressure system that does not have rotating winds?
tropical disturbance
What term refers to numbers and symbols on a weather map that indicate observations at a particular weather station?
station model