Patty Thundersnow

Alright, here's the answer to the trivia question from Friday/Saturday

Continuing with weather here. Which of the following tornadoes produced the most damage (in dollar amounts)?

Answer: A. The 2011 Joplin, MO EF5 produced $2.8 billion dollars in damage.
The long track EF4 that hit Washington, IL on November 17th, 2013 produced $935 million dollars in damage.
THe 1999 Bridge Creek/Moore F5 (also known for the highest wind gust ever recorded) produced $1 billion dollars in damage.
The 1996 Decatur, IL F3 produced $6 million dollars in damage, and was included here because it was the tornado that sparked my interest in weather.

Sunday/Monday's question

Going to geography here. It's common knowledge that the Mississippi RIver is the longest river in the US. What's the second longest river in the US?

A: Ohio RIver
B: Missouri RIver
C: Hudson River
D: La Moine River

Answer will be posted at approximately 10 pm CDT Monday.

Alright, here's the answer to the trivia question from Monday/Tuesday.

Continuing with weather here. With the latest wave of tech advances, the National Weather Service has modernized the radar network. Which of the following advances has been added since 2012?

Answer: B. Dual Polarization (beams that go both horizontally and vertically) allows radar to detect debris in tornadoes as it is lifted into the air.
A and D are early radar advances. A came in the 1970s, with Nexrad (the NOAA next gen radars) coming in the late 1980s/1990s. 
C is the next step in radar technology.

Friday/Saturday's question

Continuing with weather here. Which of the following tornadoes produced the most damage (in dollar amounts)?

A: The 2011 Joplin, MO EF5
B: The 2013 Long Track Washington, IL EF4
C: THe 1999 Bridge Creek/Moore F5 
D: The 1996 Decatur, IL F3

Answer will be posted at approximately 10 pm CDT Saturday.

Alright, here's the answer to the trivia question from Monday/Tuesday.

Continuing with weather here. What is a Radar Gap?

Answer: A. This was a bit of a meatball here. Radar gaps are regions of the US that aren't served by radar coverage at at least the 10,000 feet level. These are a major issue, especially in the central plains and midwest as the lack of coverage can prevent timely warning for tornadoes and severe thunderstorms.

Saturday/Sunday's question

Continuing with weather here. With the latest wave of tech advances, the National Weather Service has modernized the radar network. Which of the following advances has been added since 2012?

A: Doppler Radar/wind velocity
B: Dual Polarization
C: Pulse polarization
D: Nexrad capability

Answer will be posted at approximately 10 pm CDT Thursday.

Alright, here's the answer to the trivia question from Saturday/Sunday.

Going to meteorology. Up to 1950, the word tornado was banned from official weather forecasts. But shortly after it was allowed with the advancements of early radar. What town was the first that saw a tornado detected by radar?

Answer: D. On April 9th, 1953, the first recorded radar observations of a supercell thunderstorm were recorded at Champaign, IL via an experimental radar from the Illinois State Water Survey. THis would be the start of the march toward the radar technology we have in the US today. 

Saturday/Sunday's question

Continuing with weather here. What is a Radar Gap?

A: An area/areas not adequately covered by NOAA's network of weather radar
B: areas that see more rain than others
C: areas that see more tornadoes than others
D: A storm that puts down large hail.

Answer will be posted at approximately 10 pm CDT Tuesday.

Alright, here's the answer to the trivia question from Tuesday/Wednesday.

Sticking with geography. Which of the following man-made lakes in the state of Illinois is the biggest?

Answer: B. Carlyle Lake is a large dammed up part of the Kaskaskia RIver in south central Illinois. 
Lake Shelbyville is also a dammed up part of the Kaskaskia River, covering parts of 3 counties in central Illinois.
Lake Taylorville is a dammed up portion of the South Fork Sangamon River in central Illinois.
Sangchris Lake is the dammed up area that Clear Creek covered, covering parts of Christian and Sangamon counties in Illinois (hence the name).

Saturday/Sunday's question

Going to meteorology. Up to 1950, the word tornado was banned from official weather forecasts. But shortly after it was allowed with the advancements of early radar. What town was the first that saw a tornado detected by radar?

A: St. Louis, Missouri
B: Davenport, Iowa
C: Paducah, Kentucky
D: Champaign, Illinois

Answer will be posted at approximately 10 pm CDT Sunday.

Alright, here's the answer to the trivia question from Tuesday/Wednesday.

Sticking with geography. Which of the following rivers within the state of Illinois is the longest?

Answer: D. The Kaskaskia River is a tributary of the Mississippi River that flows from agricultural fields in western Champaign county to its confluence with the Mississippi near Chester, IL, a course of 325 miles. 
THe Sangamon river is the longest tributary of the Illinois RIver, snaking its way across central Illinois on a path approximately 246 miles from its headwaters in southeast McLean County, IL to the confluence at Beardstown, IL.
The Big Muddy River runs from southeast Jefferson County, Illinois to it's confluence with the Mississippi River southwest of Murphysboro, IL for a total distance of 156 miles. 
The Illinois River runs from the confluence of the Kankakee and Des RIvers and runs down the spine of west central Illinois down to Grafton, IL where it has its confluence with the Mississippi RIver for a grand total of 273 miles.

Thursday/Friday's question

Sticking with geography. Which of the following man-made lakes in the state of Illinois is the biggest?

A: Lake Shelbyville
B: Carlyle Lake 
C: Sangchris Lake
D: Lake Taylorville

Answer will be posted at approximately 10 pm CDT Friday.

Alright, here's the answer to the trivia question from Sunday/Monday.

Going back to geography. Which of the following states has the most counties/county equivalents by number in the US?

Answer: A. Texas has the most counties out of any state at 254.

Sunday/Monday's question

Sticking with geography. Which of the following rivers within the state of Illinois is the longest?

A: Sangamon River
B: Big Muddy RIver
C: Illinois River
D: Kaskaskia RIver

Answer will be posted at approximately 10 pm CST Wednesday.

Alright, here's the answer to the trivia question from Thursday/Friday.

Got one more weather question here. Which of the following tropical storm/hurricane names have NOT been retired?

Answer: D. Fred was a fairly weak tropical storm that impacted many of the Caribbean Islands and the gulf coast side of Florida in August 2021.
Hurricane Gustav was a Cat 4 hurricane that lashed part of the Caribbean and western tip of Cuba before making landfall in Louisiana with abundant heavy rainfall along the Mississippi River valley during late August and early September 2009.
Tropical Storm Allison is known for dumping copius amounts of rain over Texas and parts of the deep south, and is a great analog for the 'brown ocean effect' (storms remaining strong over land due to copious rainfall) in June 2001.
Hurricane Dorian was an extremely damaging cat 5 major hurricane that impacted the Bahamas and the eastern seaboard of the US and Canada.

Sunday/Monday's question

Going back to geography. Which of the following states has the most counties/county equivalents by number in the US?

A: Texas
B: Georgia
C: Illinois
D: Kansas

Answer will be posted at approximately 10 pm CST Monday.

Reposting the question from Wednesday.

Alright, here's the answer to the trivia question from Monday/Tuesday.

Sticking with weather for this one. Which of the following is NOT another name for a hurricane?

Answer: C. A mid latitude cyclone is the technical name for a 'storm system'. D is what the Joint Typhoon Warning Center calls cat 5 Typhoons.

Wednesday/Thursday's question

Got one more weather question here. Which of the following tropical storm/hurricane names have NOT been retired?

A: Gustav
B: Allison 
C: Dorian
D: Fred

Answer will be posted at approximately 10 pm CST Saturday.

Alright, here's the answer to the trivia question from Monday/Tuesday.

Sticking with weather for this one. Which of the following is NOT another name for a hurricane?

Answer: C. A mid latitude cyclone is the technical name for a 'storm system'. D is what the Joint Typhoon Warning Center calls cat 5 Typhoons.

Wednesday/Thursday's question

Got one more weather question here. Which of the following tropical storm/hurricane names have NOT been retired?

A: Gustav
B: Allison 
C: Dorian
D: Fred

Answer will be posted at approximately 10 pm CST Thursday.

Alright, here's the answer to the trivia question from Saturday/Sunday.

Going back to weather for this one. This weekend, a bomb cyclone will impact the eastern seaboard with tornadic thunderstorms, heavy rain, heavy snow, and very windy conditions. What is a bomb cyclone?

Answer: A. THis is most common on the eastern seaboard with Nor'easters, but is also fairly common on the lee (east) side of the Rocky Mountains.

Monday/Tuesday's question

Sticking with weather for this one. Which of the following is NOT another name for a hurricane?

A: Typhoon
B: Cyclone 
C: Mid Latitude Cyclone
D: Super Typhoon

Answer will be posted at approximately 10 pm CST Tuesday.

Alright, here's the answer to the trivia question from Thursday/Friday

ONe more state trivia for Illinois. Every state in the US has an official state bird. Which of the following is Illinois' State bird?

Answer: D. The Northern Cardinal is the state bird of Illinois, along with a handful of other states.

Saturday/Sunday's question

Going back to weather for this one. This weekend, a bomb cyclone will impact the eastern seaboard with tornadic thunderstorms, heavy rain, heavy snow, and very windy conditions. What is a bomb cyclone?

A: A low pressure that experiences a pressure drop of at least 24 millibars in 24 hours
B: A extratropical term for a hurricane
C: A strong snowstorm
D: Another term for a tornado outbreak

Answer will be posted at approximately 10 pm CST Sunday

I am absolutely heartbroken right now. My boyfriend Alexis (the owner of the pony on the right in my cover photo) died yesterday... I'm absolutely shocked. I love you forever hon.  <3 

Alright, here's the answer to the trivia question from Tuesday/Wednesday.

Sticking with some Illinois state trivia. A few years ago, a proclamation named the state snack food. What is that snack?

Answer: A. Illinois is the second leading producer in the US of corn, and in 2003 a class petitioned for popcorn to become the state snack food of Illinois, which it did soon after.

Thursday/Friday's question

ONe more state trivia for Illinois. Every state in the US has an official state bird. Which of the following is Illinois' State bird?

A: American Robin
B: Blue Jay
C: Barn Owl
D: Northern Cardinal

Answer will be posted at approximately 10 pm CST Friday.

Alright, here's the answer to the trivia question from Sunday.

Gonna change it up with some agricultural trivia here. Which of the following states produces the most pumpkins in the US?

Answer: C. Illinois is the US's leader in pumpkins every single year. IN 2020, Illinois produced 564 million pounds of pumpkins.

Tuesday/Wednesday's question

Sticking with some Illinois state trivia. A few years ago, a proclamation named the state snack food. What is that snack?

A: Popcorn
B: Pumpkin pie
C: Fried apples
D: Peach cobbler

Answer will be posted at approximately 10 pm CST Wednesday.

Alright, here's the answer to the trivia question from Saturday.

The final question of severe weather preparedness week deals with weather radar terminology. What is a three body scatter spike?

Answer: B. THis commonly happens when a radar beam gets refracted off of huge hailstones, producing a false radar echo. These can also happen when a tornado lofts debris very high up into the atmosphere. This, however, is pretty rare.

Sunday/Monday's Question

Gonna change it up with some agricultural trivia here. Which of the following states produces the most pumpkins in the US?

A: Iowa
B: Indiana
C: Illinois
D: Ohio

Answer will be posted at approximately 10 pm CST Monday.

Alright, here's the answer to the trivia question from Friday.

The Sixth question of severe weather preparedness week deals with the types of derechos. What is the main characteristic of a progressive derecho?

Answer: D. A progressive derecho will often move at 60+ mph, covering hundreds (sometimes thousands) of miles. An example is the Boundary Waters Derecho that formed in western Minnesota, and went through Lake Superior, turning southeast and effecting central Ontario, southern Quebec, northern Vermont, New Hampshire, and ending shortly after daybreak the next morning in Maine. 

Friday's Question

The final question of severe weather preparedness week deals with weather radar terminology. What is a three body scatter spike?

A: A radar signature that shows a weaker echo return than the surrounding echos.
B: Radar artifacting on a radar display that goes away from the radar indicative of large hail
C: A radar signature for the leading edge of rain cooled air
D: A high reflectivity core within a tornado producing supercell.

Answer will be posted at approximately Midnight Saturday.

Alright, here's the answer to the trivia question from Thursday.

The Fifth Question of severe weather preparedness week is about types of derechos. A while back, I had a question that defined what a derecho is. LIke with thunderstorms, there are three types. What are those three types?

Answer: B. The three main types of derechos are Serial, Progressive, and Hybrid. 

Friday's Question

The Sixth question of severe weather preparedness week deals with the types of derechos. What is the main characteristic of a progressive derecho?

A: A multibow line associated with a strong low pressure
B: a storm that forms in a relatively low moisture environment
C: A bow echo that stretches for hundreds of miles
D: A bowing line that travels hundreds of miles and generally follows a stationary front

Answer will be posted at approximately Midnight Friday.

Alright, here's the answer to the trivia question from Wednesday.

WIth Severe Weather preparedness Week this week in Illinois, this week will be focused on Severe weather trivia. The fourth question is a bit of severe weather trivia. How big was the largest (in diameter) recorded hailstone in US history?

Answer: A. The largest hailstone in US history was 8 inches in diameter and weighed nearly two pounds, falling in Vivian, South Dakota on July 23rd, 2010. 

Thursday's Question

The Fifth Question of severe weather preparedness week is about types of derechos. A while back, I had a question that defined what a derecho is. LIke with thunderstorms, there are three types. What are those three types?

A: Serial, Hybrid, Low Dew point
B: Serial, Progressive, Hybrid
C: LEWP, Progressive, Low Dew Point 
D: QLCS, LEWP, BWER

Answer will be posted at approximately Midnight Thursday.

Alright, here's the answer to the trivia question from Monday.

WIth Severe Weather preparedness Week this week in Illinois, this week will be focused on Severe weather trivia. The third question is a scenario. You're at home and you hear that there's a moderate risk for severe thunderstorms that day. Which of the following things should you have in preparedness?

Answer: D. All these items are important to prepare for severe weather, especially if your area is hit by a storm.

Wednesday's Question

WIth Severe Weather preparedness Week this week in Illinois, this week will be focused on Severe weather trivia. The fourth question is a bit of severe weather trivia. How big was the largest (in diameter) recorded hailstone in US history?

A: 8 inches (20.3 cm)
B: 11.3 inches (28 cm)
C: 6.1 inches (15.49 cm)
D: 12.6 inches (32.004 cm)

Answer will be posted at approximately Midnight Wednesday.

Alright, here's the answer to the trivia question from Monday.

WIth Severe Weather preparedness Week this week in Illinois, this week will be focused on Severe weather trivia. THe second question focuses on the types of supercells. Which of the supercell types is the most common?

Answer: A. This type of supercell is most common and produces the most damaging tornadoes. NOt to say the High precip and low precip can't. Hybrid is not a type of supercell.

Tuesday's Question

WIth Severe Weather preparedness Week this week in Illinois, this week will be focused on Severe weather trivia. The third question is a scenario. You're at home and you hear that there's a moderate risk for severe thunderstorms that day. Which of the following things should you have in preparedness?

A: NOAA Weather Radio
B: Helmets to protect your head
C: A kit including non-perishable food, water, and other supplies
D: All of the Above

Answer will be posted at approximately Midnight Tuesday.

Alright, here's the answer to the trivia question from Sunday.

WIth Severe Weather preparedness Week this week in Illinois, this week will be focused on Severe weather trivia. First, what are the parameters for a severe thunderstorm in the US?

Answer: C. THe National Weather Service defines a severe thunderstorm with any combination of a tornado, 58 mph wind, and hail. They do not issue severe thunderstorm warning simply for heavy rainfall.

Monday's Question

WIth Severe Weather preparedness Week this week in Illinois, this week will be focused on Severe weather trivia. THe second question focuses on the types of supercells. Which of the supercell types is the most common?

A: Classic supercell (CL)
B: Low Precipitation (LP)
C:  High precipitation (HP)
D: Hybrid (HY)

Answer will be posted at approximately Midnight Monday.

Alright, here's the answer to the trivia question from Friday/Saturday.

Continuing with geography/geology here. As stated in earlier trivia, the eastern US (Particularly the New Madrid Seismic zone) can and do have a lot of earthquakes, and often these are dangerous. What geographic feature makes earthquakes potentially more hazardous in the eastern US?

Answer: A. Laurentia, or also known as the North American Craton, forms the ancient geological core of North America. THe older rocks in this area allow seismic waves to propagate (travel) further, thus causing the earthquakes on the east and midwest to be felt by more people.

Sunday's Question (going back to a question a day for this week)

WIth Severe Weather preparedness Week this week in Illinois, this week will be focused on Severe weather trivia. First, what are the parameters for a severe thunderstorm in the US?

A: heavy rain, 56 mph wind gusts, 3/4ths inch hail
B: flash flooding, 50 mph wind, 1/2 inch hail
C: Tornado, 58 mph wind, 1 inch hail
D: Tornado, 50 mph wind, flash flooding, 1 inch hail

Answer will be posted at approximately Midnight Sunday.

Alright, here's the answer to the trivia question from Wednesday/Thursday

Going back to geography here. Illinois is not known for being hilly, but we do have some hills and the like. What is the highest point in Illinois elevation wise?

Answer: C. Charles Mound is the highest point in Illinois at 1,235 feet (376 meters).

Friday/Saturday's Question

Continuing with geography/geology here. As stated in earlier trivia, the eastern US (Particularly the New Madrid Seismic zone) can and do have a lot of earthquakes, and often these are dangerous. What geographic feature makes earthquakes potentially more hazardous in the eastern US?

A: The North American Craton 
B: The North American Mid-Continent Rift
C: Illinois Basin
D: St. Louis Limestone

Answer will be posted at approximately Midnight Saturday.

Alright, here's the answer to the trivia question from Monday/Tuesday.

Going back to history here. On December 3rd, 1818, Illinois was granted statehood. What town was the capital of Illinois for a few months after it became a state?

Answer: B. Kaskaskia was the first (and defacto) capital of Illinois. It was previously the capital of the Illinois Territory in the 1800s and 1810s.

Monday/Tuesday's Question

Going back to geography here. Illinois is not known for being hilly, but we do have some hills and the like. What is the highest point in Illinois elevation wise?

A: Mount Auburn
B: Blue Mound
C: Charles Mound
D: Starved Rock

Answer will be posted at approximately Midnight Thursday.