Forecasting storms and earthquakes, and how warnings keep people safe
Grade 6 Science Worksheet - Challenge Me
Circle the best answer.
Forecast cone reaching the coast near Esme's town at day four. The forecast shows a hurricane may reach Esme's coast in about four days. What is the best plan now?
- Watch just the center line of the cone
- Wait until the warning is issued, then start a plan
- Ignore it if it is a low category
- Check the kit and evacuation plan while it is calm
School map with the inside hallway on the lowest floor marked SAFE AREA. The forecast says a tornado watch is likely this afternoon. What should Jun's class do this morning?
- Review where the safe area is and how to get there
- Close the school for the next seven days
- Sit in the safe area for the whole day
- Do nothing until someone actually sees a tornado nearby
USGS-style hazard map with Kira's town in a dark-red, high-chance area. Kira lives where USGS maps a high chance of strong shaking in coming decades, but no date can be given. What is the best plan?
- Plan to leave town the week before it happens
- Do nothing, since no date is known for it yet
- Secure heavy furniture and practice Drop, Cover, and Hold On
- Wait for a forecast that names the day
TORNADO WATCH and TORNADO WARNING. Noah's cousin says a tornado watch means a tornado has already been seen. Which response is best?
- Agree: a watch means a tornado has already been spotted somewhere nearby
- Agree: a watch and a warning mean exactly the same
- Disagree: a watch means conditions are right; a warning means act now
- Disagree: a watch means the danger has passed
6 a.m., 12 ft; 8 a.m., 14 ft; 10 a.m., 16 ft; flood stage, 20 ft. A river gauge reads 12 ft at 6 a.m., 14 ft at 8 a.m. and 16 ft at 10 a.m. Flood stage is 20 ft. At this pace, when does Pia expect flood stage?
- About 2 p.m.
- It won't; the rise will stop by itself
- About 6 p.m.
- About 11 a.m.
Read this first
Table (NHC, Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale), with columns Category and Sustained wind
Category 1, 74–95 mph; Category 2, 96–110 mph; Category 3, 111–129 mph; Category 4, 130–156 mph; Category 5, 157 mph or higher.
A storm's sustained winds are 65 mph on Monday, 80 mph on Tuesday and 105 mph on Wednesday. Using the NHC scale, what change does Ren report?
- It became a hurricane Tuesday and reached Category 2 Wednesday
- It reached Category 5 by Wednesday
- It stayed a tropical storm for the whole time, without a category
- It weakened from Category 3 to Category 1
Week 1, 5, ground steady; week 2, 20, ground steady; week 3, 60, ground swelling. Small earthquakes under a volcano rise from 5 a week to 20, then 60, and the ground starts to swell. What should USGS likely do, by Tala's reasoning?
- Raise the alert level and tell nearby people to be ready
- Wait until lava appears before saying anything
- Lower the alert level, since small earthquakes are normal
- Announce the exact day of the eruption
Why can hurricanes be forecast days ahead while earthquakes cannot, as Zee explains?
- Both can be forecast days ahead
- Hurricanes can be seen and tracked; faults give no reliable sign of when they will slip
- Hurricanes are smaller than earthquakes
- Earthquakes are rarer, so no scientist ever tries to forecast them
Why does a flash flood often give less warning than a slow river flood, by Ari's reasoning?
- Flash floods are forecast weeks ahead
- River floods give no warning of any kind
- Flash floods come from earthquakes shaking the riverbanks loose
- Very heavy rain can fill small streams within hours
Tsunami warning centers watch earthquakes and ocean gauges. Why do people near the shore still move to high ground after strong shaking, without waiting, as Bo learns?
- Warning centers do not exist
- A nearby tsunami can arrive before an official warning
- Strong shaking means the tsunami has already passed by
- It is better to wait and see the wave first