Forecasting storms and earthquakes, and how warnings keep people safe

Grade 6 Science Worksheet

Circle the best answer.

1. 1.

   “Forecast map:” On the forecast map, City X is inside the cone and City Y is just outside it. Can City Y still get strong wind and rain, by Esme's reading?

   • Yes; effects can reach well outside the cone
   • No; places outside the cone stay calm and dry
   • No; the cone is the storm's full size
   • Yes, but just for Category 5 storms
2. 2.

   Why does the forecast cone get wider for days four and five, as Jun explains?

   • The storm slows down later
   • Forecasts grow less certain farther ahead
   • The storm itself must grow bigger each day
   • Later days are the safest ones

3. Read this first

   Use this

   USGS-style hazard map with a color key from pale (low chance of strong shaking in coming years) to dark red (high chance); City P is dark red, City Q is pale.

4. 3.

   On Kira's USGS hazard map, City P is dark red (high chance of strong shaking) and City Q is pale (low chance). What does the map tell Kira?

   • City P has a higher chance of strong shaking in coming years
   • City P will have an earthquake next month
   • The colors show where quakes happened today
   • City Q is completely safe from earthquakes
5. 4.

   USGS-style hazard map with a color key for chance of strong shaking; no dates appear. Why does USGS show earthquake hazard as chances, not dates, according to Luz's reading?

   • Chances are easier to color in
   • The exact dates are kept secret from the public
   • No one can predict the day of an earthquake
   • Earthquakes happen on a schedule
6. 5.

   Normal, Advisory, Watch, Warning, from lowest to highest. USGS volcano alert levels go Normal, Advisory, Watch, Warning. A volcano moves from Normal to Advisory. What does Milo learn?

   • Nothing; it is just a new label
   • The volcano shows more unrest than normal
   • The volcano is now extinct and will not erupt again
   • An eruption is happening right now

7. Table, Typical warning times, with columns Hazard and Warning

   Hurricane, days of forecasts; river flood after long rain, hours to days; tornado, minutes after a warning; earthquake, no date forecast (a few seconds of shaking alert in some places).

8. 6.

   Noah reads a table of typical warning times. Which hazard gives the least warning?

   • A river flood
   • An earthquake
   • A hurricane
   • They each give about the same amount of warning
9. 7.

   The National Hurricane Center issues hurricane watches 48 hours before it expects tropical-storm-force winds. Why so early, by Pia's reading?

   • Preparing gets unsafe once strong winds arrive
   • Hurricanes move far too fast for anyone to track
   • People should wait to prepare until winds arrive
   • A watch means the storm is already there
10. 8.

    Heavy rain has fallen upstream for two days. How can forecasters warn Ren's town downstream before the river rises there?

    • Floods cannot be forecast in any way
    • By naming the flood's exact date years ahead
    • By waiting until streets fill with water
    • River gauges upstream show the water coming
11. 9.

    Which tool helps forecasters spot the rotating storms that can make tornadoes, as Zee learns?

    • A seismometer that records the ground shaking
    • A thermometer alone
    • Doppler radar
    • A rain gauge
12. 10.

    The USGS ShakeAlert system can send a few seconds of warning after an earthquake begins far away. What does that give Ari?

    • Just enough time to drop, cover and hold on
    • Time to wait and see
    • A whole day to pack up and drive far away
    • A forecast of the date beforehand