Name:_____________________________________________
Block:__________
Severe Weather Webquest
Directions: Log into your laptop and open internet explorer. Either type in the URL:
www.weatherwizkids.com or google “weatherwizkids” OR follow the link from my webpage. Click the
hurricanes tab on the left.
Hurricanes:
1. Where do hurricanes gain their energy and power?
2. In what direction do hurricanes rotate?
3. What is the “eye” of a hurricane?
4. Label the diagram on how a hurricane forms.
#5-
#2-
5. Storm surges are frequently the most _________________ element of a hurricane. As a
hurricane’s winds spiral around and around the storm, they _______________ ____________
into a mound at the storm’s center. This mound of water becomes dangerous when the storm
reaches land because it causes_____________________ along the coast.
6. When is hurricane season?
7. What is the difference between a hurricane and a typhoon?
Tornadoes
8. You need ________________ air from the Gulf of Mexico and cool,________________ from
Canada. When these two air masses meet, they create instability in the atmosphere. A change in
wind direction and an increase in wind speed with increasing height creates an invisible,
horizontal ___________________ effect in the lower atmosphere. _____________________
within the updraft tilts the rotating air from horizontal to vertical.
9. List three other factors needed to form a tornado.
10. What is a super-cell thunderstorm?
11. What is a mesocyclone?
12. In what states is “tornado alley” located?
13. Compare and contrast a tornado watch and warning.
14. What is the scale used to rank tornado? What is the basis for the classification?
Winter Storms
15. Label the following diagram.
16. A blizzard is a long-lasting snowstorm with very ______________________ and intense snowfall.
17. What is a Nor-easter?
18. Compare and contrast a blizzard warming and a winter-storm warning.