Test your knowledge of hurricanes with this quiz devised by Jay Barnes, hurricane historian. Each month during hurricane season, we will randomly draw a name from all entrants. Each winner will receive a free copy of one of Jay Barnes's books: North Carolina's Hurricane History Third Edition or Florida's Hurricane History—your choice! Winners will be notified by email.


1. Hurricane Hazel made landfall on the North Carolina coast during what month?

August
September
October
November

2. Wind speeds are measured with this instrument:

barometer
drone
anemometer
Doppler radar

3. Though this hurricane never struck the United States, it reached category five strength and killed thousands in Nicaragua and Honduras in 1998, making it the deadliest hurricane of the twentieth century in the Western Hemisphere.

Frederic
Felix
Allen
Mitch

4. Hurricane Camille struck the U.S. during the same month as which milestone event:

Neil Armstrong's walk on the moon
Woodstock
Richard Nixon's resignation
none of the above

5. More than half of North Carolina's hurricanes have made landfall in this month:

August
September
October
November

6. In Australia, hurricanes are sometimes known as:

twisters
water devils
spinners
willy willies

7. With a total cost estimated at $6 billion, Hurricane Floyd was the most expensive hurricane in N.C. history, surpassing this previous record storm:

Hugo
Hazel
Donna
Fran

8. Hurricane forecasters rely on this for gathering information on tropical weather systems:

sea buoys
satellite images
aircraft reconnaissance
all of the above

9. Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center are now able to accurately predict a hurricane's position at landfall when the storm is still 72 hours from land.

true
false

10. Most of the 52 deaths that occurred as a result of Floyd were:

drownings along the coast
deaths resulting from fallen trees
drownings in inland counties
mishaps during storm cleanup

11. This hurricane is still the most expensive in U.S. history (as measured in actual dollars).

Andrew, 1992
Donna, 1960
Camille, 1969
Opal, 1995

12. Hurricane Floyd's greatest damage in North Carolina was brought on by:

high winds
heavy rains
coastal storm surges
tornadoes

13. This renowned forecaster is known for his annual predictions of tropical storm and hurricane activity for the Atlantic basin.

Neil Frank
Max Mayfield
William Gray
John Hope

14. Along with Hurricane Camille in 1969, this awesome storm was the only other category five to strike the U.S. during the twentieth century:

Miami Hurricane of 1926
Labor Day Hurricane of 1935
Hurricane Donna, 1960
Hurricane Andrew, 1992

15. North Carolina now ranks third in the U.S. in the number of hurricane landfalls--after these two states:

Texas and Louisiana
Florida and Texas
Florida and Louisiana
Florida and South Carolina




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