Forecasting storms and earthquakes, and how warnings keep people safe

Grade 6 Science Worksheet

Circle the best answer.

1. 1.

   Bo reads a National Hurricane Center forecast cone. What does the cone show?

   • The places that will get rain
   • Where the storm has already been
   • Where the storm's center will probably go
   • How wide the storm's strong winds will spread
2. 2.

   “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?

   • No; the cone is the storm's full size
   • Yes, but just for Category 5 storms
   • No; places outside the cone stay calm and dry
   • Yes; effects can reach well outside the cone
3. 3.

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

   • Later days are the safest ones
   • The storm itself must grow bigger each day
   • Forecasts grow less certain farther ahead
   • The storm slows down later
4. 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?

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

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

6. Read this first

   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).

7. 6.

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

   • A hurricane
   • An earthquake
   • A river flood
   • They each give about the same amount of warning
8. 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
   • People should wait to prepare until winds arrive
   • A watch means the storm is already there
   • Hurricanes move far too fast for anyone to track
9. 8.

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

   • River gauges upstream show the water coming
   • By naming the flood's exact date years ahead
   • Floods cannot be forecast in any way
   • By waiting until streets fill with water
10. 9.

    Which measurements help USGS scientists watch a volcano for signs of unrest, by Tala's reading?

    • The color of the sky above it
    • The number of visitors each day
    • Small earthquakes, ground swelling and gases
    • Nothing; volcanoes give no signs
11. 10.

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

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