Weather and Seasons — Answer Key
Part A: Fill in the Blank
Write the missing word or number on each line.
1. A hurricane is a huge storm that forms over warm ocean water.
Hurricanes need warm ocean water (about 80 degrees Fahrenheit or higher) as fuel, because the warm water sends up huge amounts of moisture that build the storm.
2. During a thunderstorm you should stay inside a building.
Staying inside a building keeps you safe from lightning, which can strike trees or open ground and is one of the biggest dangers during a thunderstorm.
3. A drought happens when an area gets very little rain for a long time.
A drought is a long stretch with too little rain, which dries up the soil, lakes, and rivers and makes it hard for plants and animals to live.
4. Thunder is the loud sound that follows a flash of lightning.
Lightning heats the air around it so quickly that the air explodes outward, creating the loud booming sound we call thunder.
5. A blizzard is a winter storm with heavy snow and strong winds.
A regular snowstorm only counts as a blizzard when strong winds blow the snow around so much that it is hard to see and travel becomes dangerous.
6. A flood occurs when water covers land that is usually dry.
Floods happen when so much rain falls (or snow melts) that rivers spill over their banks and water spreads across land that normally stays dry.
7. Scientists send weather balloons into the sky to collect data about storms.
Weather balloons carry small instruments high into the atmosphere where airplanes don't fly, measuring temperature, wind, and moisture to help predict storms.
8. If you hear a tornado siren you should go to the lowest floor or basement.
Tornadoes can rip off roofs and break windows, so the lowest floor or basement keeps you under as much building as possible and away from flying debris.
9. A weather warning means dangerous weather is already happening.
A "watch" means dangerous weather might develop, but a "warning" means it is already happening nearby and people need to take action right away.
Part B: Matching
Match each item on the left to the correct answer on the right.
1. Match each severe weather type to its description.
Tornado
→ A spinning funnel of wind
Heavy snow with strong winds
Hurricane
→ Large ocean storm with high winds
A spinning funnel of wind
Blizzard
→ Heavy snow with strong winds
Storm with lightning and thunder
Thunderstorm
→ Storm with lightning and thunder
Large ocean storm with high winds
Tornadoes touch down as narrow spinning funnels, hurricanes are huge swirling ocean storms, blizzards combine heavy snow with strong wind, and thunderstorms are the storms that produce lightning and thunder together.