Blizzard and Snow Trivia

1. A blizzard is a severe snow storm with wind in excess of

_______mph and visibility of less than _______ miles for more than
_____ hours.
35 mph, mile, 3 hours
2. The first blizzard declared a Federal Emergency was in __________.
a. 1921
b. 1902
c. 1977 ****
d. 1956
3. The largest city with the most snow fall annually in the United
States is?
1st state
a. New York
b. Pennsylvania
c. Alaska
d. North Dakota
Rochester, New York------ annual snow fall 94 inches
4. A _______________ is when the snow in the sky and the snow on
the gorund are so heavy that you cant see a single thing.
Whiteout
5. Ice crystals form when water vapor freezes around a piece of
______________.
Dust
6. T or F It has to be snowing for a blizzard to occur.
False strong winds blowing up already falling snow can create the
decreased visibility needed as a qualification of a blizzard
7. What is the greatest snowfall record in 24 hours in the United
States?
a. 54 inches
b. 39 inches
c. 76 inches *****
(6 feet)
d. 63 inches

Silver Lake, Colorado --- It didnt stop snowing at 24

hours---- it snowed for 35 hours straight leaving 95 inches of
snow (8 feet)
8. What is the 12 month record for snowfall?
a. 950 inches
b. 1,225 inches ***** 102 feet @ Paradise (5,400 feet above
sea level)
c. 873 inches
Mt Rainer, Washington
d. 1,112 inches
9. When was the worse blizzard in Indiana history?
a. 1978 *****
Known as the White Hurricane Jan 25-27,
1978
b. 1925
South Bend 36 inches
c. 1888
Peak wind speed of 55 mph
d. 1954
Wind chills -40 to -50 degrees all day

10.
3 things needed to make a blizzard:
1. Cold Air (below freezing) for making SNOW
2. Moisture is needed to form CLOUDS and PERCIPITATION
But cold air does not hold moisture well
3. Warm rising air is need to form CLOUD and PERCIPITATION
11.
12.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.

What are snowflakes made of?

Ice crystals
Snowflakes have how many points?

4
6 ******
8
7
9

13.
Approximately how many inches of snow melted make 1
inch of water?
a. 6 inches
b. 8 inches
c. 10 inches ****
d. 12 inches

14.
T or F It must be 32 degrees F or colder for it to snow.
False ---- it has been know to snow with surface temperatures at
the mid 40s. BUT up in the clouds where the snow is forming it
is below 32 degrees F.
Example New York surface temp 47 degrees

15.
of
a.
b.
c.
d.

About 70 % of winter storm related deaths occur because

:
Cold exposure
Winter sports related injuries --- skiing, sledding, snowmobiling
Automobiles *****
Heart attacks due to over exertion #2

16.
The team Arctic comes from the greek work arktos
meaning :
a. Cold
b. Snow
c. Bear **** refers to the constellation Ursa Major or great bear
d. wolf
because it dominates the Northern Hemisphere

17.
Arctic climates pose a special risk for a condition known as
niphablepsia?
Nifablip- c--- a
a. Decreased body temperature
b. Snow blindness *****
c. Emotional detachment
d. Numbness of extremities
Unprotected eyes exposed to UV rays of sunlight reflected by
snow and ice can burn the cornea and cause intense
discomfort

18.
What do polar bear clubs do ?
Cold Water Swimming

19.
How low has a persons body temperature dropped and the
person claimed a full recovery?
a. 72.5 degrees F
b. 84
c. 56.7 ****
d. 63.9
In 2001, 29 year Norwegian woman skiing got lost and plunged
into a frozen river. Rescued after trapped under ice for more
than 1 hour. CPR revived and a special machine used
intravenous method to warm her blood.

20.
a.
b.
c.
d.

How thick is the thickest ice in the world?

5,000 feet deep
10,000 feet deep
15,000 feet deep ****
20,000 feet deep
15,669 feet deep at Wilkes Land, Antarctica----- remember 1
mile= 5,280 feet

21.
a.
b.
c.
d.

What is the warmest temperature recorded in Antarctica?

59 degrees F ****
63
47
71
Jan 5, 1974

22.
a.
b.
c.
d.

What is the average annual snow fall in Antarctica?

75 inches
129 inches
44 inches
6.5 inches ***** interior receives less than 1 inch
Outer portion along the coast receives
more.

Antarctica is considered a desert.

23.
The coldest NFL football game for a NFL championship
game was played in Green Bay Wisconsin. What was the lowest
temperature?
a. -2 degrees f
b. -13 ****
c. 3
d. -21
Wind chill -48 12/31/1967 dubbed the Ice Bowl
Green Bay Packers 21 versus Dallas Cowboys 17
Band members: Woodwind instruments froze. Mouthpieces of
brass instruments got stuck to players lips. 7 members of the
band were transport to the hospital for hypothermia. An
Elderly fan in the stands died from exposure. Packers
linebacker suffered from frostbite to toes.

24.
What determines wind chill?
Combo of wind and temperature
And is based on the rate of heat loss from exposed skin
As wind increase body heat is carried away faster

25.
T or F It never snows in Hawaii.
False --- surface temperature is always 50 degrees F
But between 1 to 2 inches fall in moutains at 5,000 feet each
year

26.
What is the winter average temperature of the coldest
permanently inhabited (meaning lived in ) area on Earth?
a. -28 degrees f
b. -42
c. -58 ****
frostbite occurs in 5 minutes
d. -67
In Siberia ---- Oymyakon, Russia 500 to 800 people call it
home

School only closes for below -52 degrees F

27.
What is there annual average temperature? (all 12
months)
a. 25 degrees F
b. 3 ***
c. 12
d. 34

28.
a.
b.
c.
d.

What is the coldest temperature ever recorded on Earth?

-103 degrees F
-128 ****
July 1983
-152
-146

29.
a.
b.
c.
d.

You can lose ______ % of body heat from your head.

20 to 25
30 to 35
40 to 45 *****
50 to 65

30.
What is one reason you lose so much heat through your
head?
a. The head is the highest part of your body and heat rises
b. It has lots of blood flow
c. Because there is a lot of fat there
d. There is a lot of empty space between your ears

31.
Hypothermia is defined as the core body temperature
under:
a. 90 degrees F
b. 92
c. 95 *****

d. 98.6
e. 88.6

32.
What is a polar vortex?
Large pocket of very cold air that sits over the polar region during
the winter season

33.
What is thundersnow?
a. Sound of an avalanche
b. Thunder and lightning during a snowstorm
c. Snow mixed with sleet and hail

34.
a.
b.
c.
d.

What is a Noreaster?
Wind that blows from NE along the east coast ****
Double snowball
Strong east wind
Special storm affecting west coast

35.
Where was the deadliest blizzard at?
a. USA
b. Norway
c. Iran ****
1972 4,000 died 26 feet of snow
covering 200 villiages
d. Australia
lasting one week

36.
a.
b.
c.
d.

Where did the word blizzard originate from?

Russia --- Siberia
Iowa ***
British Columbia, Canada
Alaska

In 1870, Iowa reporter used the word blizzard to describe a

snowstorm. Prior to this it referred to canon shot or a volley of
musket fire. By 1880 it was a popular term

37.
a.
b.
c.
d.

Where is the US are some of the most memorable blizzards?

West coast
Great plains
Midwest
East coast *** called Noreasters

38.
The time in which frostbite occurs is based on outside
temperature and wind speed. At 0 degrees F and a wind chill of
35 MPH --- blizzard conditions ------ How quickly can exposed skin
frostbite?
a. 5 min
b. 10 min ****
a drop of 5 degrees to -5 you can sustain
frostbite in 5 min
c. 15 min
d. 20 min

INFO:
After cold, stiffness, stinging, burning, numbness, pain, burning
1st degree frostbite is characterized by: skin becomes white and feels
numb
2nd degree frostbite: skin = red or even blue, feels frozen and hard,
swelling, blisters with white milky liquid
3rd degree frostbite: skin = white/blue/ splotchy, blister with blood,
skin hard and cold
4th degree frostbite: skin = deep red/ mottled/ black
muscles, tendons and bones

39.

full damage to

Each year avalanches kill ______ people worldwide.

a. 100
b. 75

c. 150 **** most are skiers, snowmobilers, snowboarders,

climbers
d. 200

40.
In ___% of avalanche accidents, the victim or someone in
the victims party cause the snow slide.
a. 75
b. 80
c. 85
d. 90 ****

41.
The most lethal avalanches called slab avalanche move at
___ mph within 5 seconds.
a. 50mph
b. 60 mph
c. 70 mph
d. 80 mph *****

42.
Largest hailstone in US was in July 2010 in Vivian, South
Dakota. What was their diameter size compared to?
a. Volleyball
b. Softball
c. Baseball
d. Bowling ball ****
8 inch diameter, 18.62 circumference, weight 1.92lb
Bowling ball is 8.5 inch diameter
Hail is caused by updrafts
If you cut them open you would see rings like a tree and
could count how many times they were tossed up and down
before falling