Weather Forecasting Quiz


  1. Which one of the following Utah cities/towns does not have Model Output Statistics (MOS) produced by any of the NCEP models (ETA / GFS / NGM)?

    Logan

    Salt Lake City

    Price

    Hanksville

    Moab

    Monticello


  2. Which one of the cities listed below actually has a National Weather Service Forecast Office (WFO)?

    Hanford, CA

    Fargo, ND

    Fayetteville, AR

    Norfolk, VA

    Burnt Corn, AL


  3. What is the Bulk Richardson Number (BRN), derived from soundings, primarily used to forecast?

    Downburst / Microburst Potential

    Precipitation Type (snow vs.rain vs. freezing rain, etc.)

    Whether supercells or squall lines will form.

    Fire Danger


  4. Which of the following most accurately describes how one would attempt to forecast the high temperature for the Salt Lake airport on a warm, well-mixed summer day, without using MOS?

    Take the forecast 850-mb afternoon temperature down dry adiabatically to 870-mb and subtract 3° F.

    Take the forecast 850-mb afternoon temperature down dry adiatically to 870-mb and add 3° F.

    Take the forecast 700-mb afternoon temperature dry adiabatically to 870-mb and subtract 3° F.

    Take the forecast 700-mb afternoon temperature dry adiabatically to 870-mb and add 3° F.

    Derive the CAPE from the morning sounding, subtract 2000, add the expected dewpoint in ° F, and divide by the precipitation chance.

    Look at The Weather Channel's forecast numbers.


  5. What does the acronym WRF, for the WRF computer model, actually stand for?

    Western Region Forecasting

    Weather Research and Forecasting

    Winter Range Forecasting

    World Regional Forecasting

    Water Right Forecasting

    Wonderful Right Forecasting


  6. Which one of the following is not an acronym used by the National Weather Service in the various forecast products they produce?

    AFD

    ZFP

    WXF

    CCF


  7. Which one of the following is not an acronym used by the National Weather Service in the tools they use to produce weather forecasts?

    PWTS

    AWIPS

    GFE

    IFPS


  8. Francisco Arias Olivera, a TV meteorologist in Sicuani, Peru, made a famous weather forecast in April 1996. What happened?

    He correctly predicted Sicuani's bigest snowfall ever--a blizzard with two feet of snow--two months in advance in July 1988.

    He correctly forecast a lull in the weather which allowed Peruvian troops to invade Bolivia across the Andes in February 1974.

    He incorrectly predicted La Nina when El Nino actually occurred in 1997-1998. The country's agriculture industry lost millions of dollars, and he was banned from Peru forever. He is now a TV meteorologist in Grand Junction, CO.

    He predicted 2" of rain, but it rained 19", killing several people in April 1996. The townspeople tied him to a tree outside the TV station and hung him for his bad forecast.