June 10, 2007

Take our exclusive Weather Quiz

It turns out that many of the things you've been told are myths. A Weather Channel expert clears it all up with this fun test.

By Stu Ostro

Getting these answers right might save your life.

Let's face it: We at the Weather Channel tend to be weather geeks. Since age 3, while other kids watched cartoons, I obsessed over weather reports. Today, that obsession is a vocational advantage for me, considering what I do for a living. TWC is celebrating its 25th year, and we have seen everything when it comes to storms, blizzards, hurricanes and tornadoes. And we've heard everything, too -- the wealth of commonly held beliefs about how the weather works. Some are classic old-style truisms from the Farmers' Almanac; others are modern myths. Some are true, some are not, and some are a little of both. So we're giving you a quiz this week to see how much you've learned in a quarter-century of watching the Weather Channel. Bonus: Some of these answers may save your life.

Pick one: The sunniest state is:
a) Florida.
b) Arizona.
Florida is sunny. But it's not the sunshine state. If you compare the total amount of sunshine possible in any given year with the actual amount received, the state gets 60% to 70% on average. But Arizona does far better, with an average of 80% to 90% of possible sunshine, depending on the location. And because Arizona and Florida are so far south, the angle of the sun is higher in the sky than in most of the rest of the country -- so if you're there, you'll need a good pair of shades.

True or false? If a tornado is coming, open all windows, go to the basement and cover yourself with a mattress.
False. This was common wisdom: The pressure difference between the air inside the house and the much lower air pressure outside in the twister could cause the building to explode. Thus, open the windows.

But we now know that the damage to buildings is due to -- duh -- incredibly strong winds. So don't waste time opening windows! Opening windows can increase airflow and give the funnel access to your belongings, and potentially even help lift the roof off. Yes, you should go to the basement, or the lowest floor available, away from windows and walls. But forget about the mattress, which could suffocate you. Cover yourself with a blanket instead as protection from debris. And if there's one handy, don a bicycle or motorcycle helmet. Many deaths from tornadoes are the result of head injuries.

True or false? During a thunderstorm, don't touch that phone -- or PDA or game controller, either.
Well, that's true if you're using a phone with a cord. But phones and game controllers that are wireless? No problem. They don't have an electrical cord that can get zapped, so you're OK. In fact, with e-services provided by the Weather Channel and others, you can get severe weather warnings delivered directly to your mobile device, wherever you are.

True or false? Wearing rubber-soled shoes protects you from lightning.
Don't bet your new shoes -- or your life -- on it. Rubber soles won't do you any good. That bolt of electricity traveled all the way from within the thundercloud and packs as much of a heated punch as the sun's surface. So if lightning strikes the ground nearby, it still can go into your body through your feet. Nor do the rubber tires on your car make a difference. However, the metal shell of a hardtop vehicle is a good conductor. It won't provide 100% protection, but as long as you aren't touching any metal and you keep the windows rolled up, you'll be safer than you would be standing outside.

True or false? "Cold is the night when the starsshine bright."
True. Blankets keep us warm, and clouds do, too. They absorb heat that is radiated by Earth and then send heat back to us, which results in higher temperatures. However, on a clear, calm night, there are no clouds to absorb that heat. So Earth radiates heat to space, which doesn't send it back to us. Therefore, a starry, starry night can be a cold one, indeed.

True or false? You can tell how close a thunderstorm isby counting the seconds between lightning and thunder.
True. The physics of sound velocity apply here. So, the rule of thumb is 1 mile for every five seconds between the sight of lightning and the sound of thunder. But if you get to, say, 20 seconds, meaning the lightning is 4 miles away, it doesn't mean you're safe. That's because "bolts from the blue" can come out of the thundercloud and strike as far as 10 miles away. And that is how many people have been injured or killed during thunderstorms.

Pick one. To calculate the heat, count:
a) the length of time a dog howls.
b) the frequency of cricket chirps.
Although we're sure that dogs are telling us something when they howl, cricket chirps are the correct answer. Count the number of chirps in 15 seconds, and add 40. That's the temperature at ground level in degrees Fahrenheit. (The temperature will be slightly warmer around your head.) The chirping of the crickets seems to be influenced by the air temperature -- the hotter it gets, the more they seem to want to talk about it. (Which makes them a lot like us!)

Pick one. The wettest large U.S. city is:
a) Seattle.
b) Syracuse.
Seattle ranks up there, with 150 days per year, on average, having "measurable" precipitation. But it's not No. 1. That honor goes to Syracuse, N.Y., which gets precipitation 174 days a year. (Of course, much of that is winter-related, as Syracuse gets more than 120 inches of snow in an average year, the most of any city of its size in the nation.) The other way of measuring is not how often but how much total precipitation falls in one place. Seattle and even Syracuse aren't close to the top, with an average of 37 inches a year for Seattle and 40 for Syracuse. Mobile, Ala., and New Orleans rank highest here, with well in excess of 60 inches.

Stu Ostro is a senior meteorologist forthe Weather Channel, which turned 25 on May 2. It is seen in 93 million U.S. households.

Cover photograph by Philip Schermeister, National Geographic Image Collection/Getty Images