Winter Trivia

Winter Storm Trivia Questions



1. Which of the following is not effected by wind chill?

a. person b. dog c. car radiator d. bird

Answer: c. Wind chill is the combination of wind and temperature and is based on the rate of heat loss from exposed skin such as that of a person or animal. As the wind increases, heat is carried away from the body at an accelerated rate, driving the body temperature down. Wind chill has no effect on cars or other objects.

2. What is the coldest temperature ever recorded in Washington, DC?

a. -10°F b. -7°F c. 0°F d. -15°F

Answer: After a snowstorm left a foot of snow over the city on February 8, 1899, a record cold wave struck. On February 11, the temperature dipped to -15°F in the District. It was followed by a second great storm called "The Great Valentines Day Blizzard" which dumped another 20.5 inches of snow. That year DC saw a record 54 inches of snow.

3. What is the difference between sleet, hail, and freezing rain?

Answer: Hail is a chunk or stone of ice dropped from a thunderstorm. Sleet is frozen rain. Freezing rain is liquid rain that freezes to a surface such as the road or a tree.

4. True or False. It must be 32°F or colder for it to snow.

Answer: False. It has been known to snow with temperatures in the mid 40's. Temperatures are below 32°F up in the clouds where the snow is forming.

5. On the average, one inch of rain is equivalent to how many inches of snow?

a. 10 inches b. 1 inch c. 5 inches d. a foot

Answer: a. 10 inches of snow melts down to about an inch of liquid rain.

6. Which of the following impacts can Maryland and Virginia expect from a "Great Nor'easter"?

a. Heavy snow b. High winds c. Coastal Flooding
d. Blizzard e. All of the above f. None of the above

Answer: e. Nor'easters cause high winds and flooding along the coast and heavy snow and sometimes blizzard conditions inland over the Greater Metropolitan Washington area. Nor'easters are responsible for the areas's most hazardous winter weather.

7. What three months bring Washington its heaviest snow storms?

Answer: January, February, and March. It is the latter half of the winter in the Washington area that brings the nor'easters that dump the majority of our snow.

8. What is the greatest 24 hour snowfall in Washington, DC?

a. 21 inches b. 15 inches c. 26 inches d. 18 inches

Answer: The January 27-28, 1922 storm dumped 21 inches of snow in DC in 24 hours and had a storm total of 28 inches. It is known as the "Knickerbocker Storm" because the heavy snow caused the collapse of the Knickerbocker theater during a performance. One hundred people died inside.

9. Can it snow from clear skies?

Answer: Yes. Ice crystals sometimes fall from clear skies when temperatures are in the single digits or colder.

10. What is more hazardous to trees and power lines?

a. One inch of wet snow b. One inch of ice

Answer: b. An inch of ice is heavier than wet snow and is hazardous enough to cause power lines and trees to come down.


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