Across
- 10. calm center of a tropical cyclone that develops when the winds around its center reach at least 120 km/h
- 11. Classifies tornadoes according to their destruction and estimated wind speed on a scale ranging from EF0 to EF5
- 13. occurs when powerful, hurricane-force winds drive a mound of ocean water toward shore, where it washes over the land, often causing enormous damage
- 14. measures the windchill factor, by estimating the heat loss from human skin caused by a combination of wind and cold air
- 15. a branched channel of partially-charged air that forms between positive and negative regions; generally moves from the center of the cloud toward the ground
- 16. a branching channel of positively charged ions that rushes upward from the ground to meet the stepped leader
- 17. extended period of above-average temperatures caused by large, high-pressure systems that warm by compression and block cooler air masses
- 18. extended period of below-average temperatures caused by large, high-pressure systems of continental polar or arctic origin
- 19. a branch channel of positively charged ions that rushes upward from the ground to meet the stepped leader
- 20. extremely powerful, self-sustaining thunderstorm characterized by intense, rotating updrafts
Down
- 1. type of thunderstorm usually produced by an advancing cold front, which can result in a line of thunderstorms hundreds of kilometers long, or, more rarely, an advancing warm front, which can result in a relatively mild thunderstorm
- 2. classifies hurricanes according to wind speed on a scale ranging from Category 1 to Category 5
- 3. occurs when an air mass rises from orographic lifting, which involves air moving up the side of a mountain
- 4. large volume of air that has the characteristics of the area over which it forms
- 5. large, low-pressure, rotating tropical storm that gets its energy from the evaporation of warm ocean water and the release of heat
- 6. extended period of well-below-average rainfall, usually caused by shifts in global wind patterns, allowing high-pressure systems to remain for weeks or months over continental areas
- 7. local air-mass thunderstorm that commonly occurs along a coastal area because land and water store and release thermal energy differently
- 8. band where the strongest winds in a hurricane are usually concentrated, surrounding the eye
- 9. violent, whirling column of air in contact with the ground that forms when wind direction and speed suddenly change with height, is often associated with a supercell, and can be extremely damaging
- 12. violent downdrafts that are concentrated in a local area