100+ Weather Trivia Questions and Answers

With all the weather conditions, weather changes, climates, and weather facts going around, you’ll never run out of weather trivia. We’ve put together a collection of fun weather facts and trivia questions perfect for any weather (no pun intended!)

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Weather Trivia

Are you familiar with things related to the weather? Here’s a look at some interesting weather trivia.

• Strong winds of intermediate duration (around one minute) are called Squalls.
• Wind The device called a baroscope is used to measure atmospheric pressure.
• The lowest recorded temperature on earth was -89.2°C recorded at Vostok station in Antarctica.
• About 2,000 thunderstorms rain down on our planet at any given minute.

Weather Trivia Questions and Answers

How many questions about extreme weather conditions and other weather topics can you answer? We’ve put together a weather quiz to find out. Check out these weather and climate quiz questions for you and your friends.

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Questions	Answers
Which of the cloud types appears in the sky between 0 and 2,000m?	▶ Stratocumulus
What’s the windiest place on Earth?	▶ Cape Farewell, Greenland
What’s the phase of the water cycle where water vapor collects on dust particles and forms clouds which later fall as water droplets?	▶ Condensation
In what year did Hurricane Katrina occur?	▶ 2005
What is the number one cause of climate change?	▶ Greenhouse gas emissions
What scale is used to measure tornadoes?	▶ the Torro scale
At what wind speed does a tropical storm become a hurricane?	▶ 74 mph (119 km/hr)
In what month does winter begin in the Southern Hemisphere?	▶ June
Which US city has been hit by the most tornadoes?	▶ Oklahoma City
The highest temperature ever recorded in the United States occurred in which State?	▶ California (Greenland Ranch, 134°F on July 10, 1913)
What is the lowest temperature ever recorded on Earth?	▶ -128.6°F (-89.2°C) at Vostok Station, Antarctica
What is the average atmospheric pressure at sea level?	▶ 1013.25 hPa
What is the hottest temperature ever recorded on Earth?	▶ 134°F (56.7°C) in Furnace Creek Ranch, California
What is the average annual snowfall in Antarctica?	▶ About 6.5 inches (16.5 cm)
Which ocean current is responsible for transporting warm water from the Indian Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean?	▶ Agulhas Current
What is the term for a large body of air with similar temperature and humidity characteristics?	▶ Air mass
What weather instrument measures wind speed?	▶ Anemometer
What is the term for a large, high-pressure system that brings dry, clear weather?	▶ Anticyclone
What is the term for the large-scale movement of air in the Earth’s atmosphere?	▶ Atmospheric circulation
What term describes the Earth’s tilt relative to its orbit around the Sun?	▶ Axial tilt
What is the name for the wind that blows in the direction opposite to the prevailing winds in a given area?	▶ Backwind
What type of cloud is characterized by thin, wispy strands?	▶ Cirrus
What is the term for a large-scale weather pattern that can last for several weeks or months?	▶ Climate
What is the primary cause of frost?	▶ Cold air and clear skies allowing heat to escape
What is the primary cause of lake-effect snow?	▶ Cold air moving over warmer water
What is the term for the boundary where cold air pushes warm air upward?	▶ Cold front
What is the term for the process by which water vapor turns into liquid droplets in the atmosphere?	▶ Condensation
What phenomenon causes the trade winds?	▶ Coriolis effect
What type of cloud is typically associated with thunderstorms?	▶ Cumulonimbus
What is the term for a large, swirling storm system centered around a region of low atmospheric pressure?	▶ Cyclone
What is the term for the temperature at which air becomes saturated with water vapor and condensation occurs?	▶ Dew point
What is the primary cause of wind?	▶ Differences in air pressure
What is the primary cause of ocean currents?	▶ Differences in temperature and salinity
What is the name for the sudden atmospheric pressure drop that often precedes a storm or hurricane?	▶ Dip in the barometer
What wind belt is characterized by light, variable winds near the equator?	▶ Doldrums
What is the term for a strong, localized downdraft from a thunderstorm?	▶ Downburst
What is the term for a prolonged period of below-average precipitation?	▶ Drought
What weather pattern is associated with unusually warm ocean temperatures in the equatorial Pacific?	▶ El Niño
What phenomenon is characterized by a weakening of the trade winds and warming of the eastern Pacific?	▶ El Niño
What scale is used to measure the intensity of tornadoes?	▶ Enhanced Fujita Scale
What is the name for the process by which water changes from a liquid to a gas?	▶ Evaporation
What weather phenomenon can cause an increase in the spread of infectious diseases?	▶ Flooding
What weather condition can cause poor visibility on roads?	▶ Fog
What weather condition is responsible for the formation of potholes on roads?	▶ Freeze-thaw cycles
What phenomenon causes the formation of ice storms?	▶ Freezing rain
What is the name for the boundary between two air masses of different temperatures and densities?	▶ Front
Which ocean current is known as the “river in the ocean”?	▶ Gulf Stream
What large-scale circulation pattern occurs near the equator?	▶ Hadley cell
What weather phenomenon can cause crop damage and reduced agricultural yields?	▶ Hailstorms
Which weather condition can cause flash flooding?	▶ Heavy rainfall
What weather condition can cause structural damage to buildings and infrastructure?	▶ High winds
What weather phenomenon causes a heat wave?	▶ High-pressure system
What is the term used to describe the amount of water vapor present in the air?	▶ Humidity
What is the term for a violent and destructive storm with very strong winds?	▶ Hurricane
What is the term for the continuous movement of water between the Earth’s surface and the atmosphere?	▶ Hydrologic cycle
What measures humidity in the air?	▶ Hygrometer
What is the term used to describe the amount of sunlight that reaches the Earth’s surface?	▶ Insolation
What weather pattern is associated with unusually cold ocean temperatures in the equatorial Pacific?	▶ La Niña
What is the name of the wind that blows from the land to the sea at night due to temperature differences?	▶ Land breeze
What is the scientific study of weather called?	▶ Meteorology
What is the term for a seasonal reversal of wind direction, typically associated with the Indian Ocean and South Asia?	▶ Monsoon
What is the most common gas in Earth’s atmosphere?	▶ Nitrogen
What global wind belt is found between 60° and 90° latitude?	▶ Polar easterlies
What phenomenon occurs when cold air from the poles meets warm air from the tropics?	▶ Polar front
What is the name given to the point in the sky from which meteors appear to originate during a meteor shower?	▶ Radiant
What is the primary cause of thunder?	▶ Rapid expansion of air due to lightning
What is the phenomenon that causes the sky to appear red during sunrise and sunset?	▶ Rayleigh scattering
What phenomenon causes the formation of rainbows?	▶ Reflection, refraction, and dispersion of light
What is the name for the visible light spectrum that is refracted by water droplets in the air, creating a rainbow?	▶ Roy G. Biv
What is the name of the scale that measures hurricane intensity?	▶ Saffir-Simpson Scale
What type of precipitation is characterized by small pellets of ice?	▶ Sleet
Which layer of the Earth’s atmosphere contains the ozone layer?	▶ Stratosphere
What is the name for the type of cloud that appears as a blanket-like layer?	▶ Stratus
What is the term for the area of high pressure that typically forms around 30° latitude?	▶ Subtropical high
What is the main driver of Earth’s weather?	▶ Sun
What weather condition can contribute to the formation of smog?	▶ Temperature inversion
What is the term for the circulation of ocean currents that distributes heat around the globe?	▶ Thermohaline circulation
What weather phenomenon is characterized by a rapid, whirling wind?	▶ Tornado
Northern Hemisphere and the southeast in the Southern Hemisphere?	▶ Trade winds
What is the term for the boundary between the troposphere and the stratosphere?	▶ Tropopause
What is the atmospheric layer closest to the Earth’s surface?	▶ Troposphere
What is the name for the rotating column of air in a tornado?	▶ Vortex
What global wind belt affects the movement of weather systems in the mid-latitudes?	▶ Westerlies
What global wind belt is found between 30° and 60° latitude?	▶ Westerlies
What weather phenomenon can cause a drop in air quality?	▶ Wildfires
What is the term for a region with little or no wind, typically found near the center of a high-pressure system?	▶ Wind calm
What is the name for the measure of the average speed and direction of the wind over a certain period of time?	▶ Wind velocity
Which climate zone is characterized by the coldest average temperatures?	▶ Polar
What is the term for the circular movement of air around a high-pressure system in the Northern Hemisphere?	▶ Clockwise
What drives the circulation of ocean currents around the globe?	▶ Differential heating and salinity
What is the term for a sudden, heavy downpour of rain that typically lasts for a short time?	▶ Cloudburst
What natural phenomenon is responsible for the aurora borealis (northern lights)?	▶ Solar particles interacting with Earth’s magnetic field
What type of cloud is associated with tornado formation?	▶ Wall cloud
What is the primary factor that drives the formation of hurricanes?	▶ Warm ocean water
What is the main cause of the tropical climate?	▶ Earth’s position relative to the equator
Which two seasons are typically found in tropical countries?	▶ Wet and dry
What type of forest is commonly found in tropical countries?	▶ Tropical rainforest
What natural disaster is more likely to occur in tropical countries?	▶ Tropical cyclones
Which climate classification system classifies tropical climates as Group A?	▶ Köppen Climate Classification
What is the term for the coastal ecosystem commonly found in tropical countries?	▶ Mangrove forest