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A hurricane is a tropical storm with sustained winds of 74mph.

Natural Weather Hazards

Weather can turn dangerous when storms, floods, or heatwaves strike. This GCSE Geography quiz explores natural weather hazards and how they affect people and places.

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Fascinating Fact:

Tropical storms, also known as hurricanes, cyclones, or typhoons, form over warm ocean waters and bring very strong winds, heavy rain, and storm surges.

In GCSE Geography, natural weather hazards include tropical storms, droughts, floods, and heatwaves. Pupils learn how these hazards form, why some areas are more at risk, and how prediction, preparation, and protection can reduce the impacts on people, property, and the economy.

Key Terms

Natural weather hazard: An extreme weather event, such as a storm or flood, that has the potential to cause serious damage and loss of life.
Extreme weather: Weather that is unusually severe or uncommon for an area, for example very heavy rainfall, strong winds, or long periods of heat.
Tropical storm: A powerful, rotating storm that forms over warm oceans and brings strong winds, heavy rain, and storm surges.

Frequently Asked Questions (Click to see answers)

What are natural weather hazards in GCSE Geography?

Natural weather hazards in GCSE Geography are extreme weather events, such as tropical storms, droughts, floods, blizzards, and heatwaves, that can threaten people, buildings, and the environment.

What conditions are needed for a tropical storm to form?

Tropical storms usually form over very warm oceans, where sea surface temperatures are around twenty seven degrees Celsius or higher, and where the Earth’s rotation causes air to spin.

How can we reduce the impacts of natural weather hazards?

Impacts can be reduced by early warning systems, evacuation plans, flood defences, building design, emergency supplies, and education so that people know how to prepare and respond safely.

Try These Related Quizzes

1 .

Why do hurricanes form near the equator?

The Coriolis effect is strongest near the equator, meaning that the rotating winds needed to form hurricanes can form here

The equator is the longest stretch of uninterrupted ocean allowing for the wind to reach the required speeds

Hurricanes are driven by rising warm moist air. The oceans near the equator receive the most heat from the sun and so have the most energy

Similar storms form the world over, but they're only known as hurricanes on the equator

The Sun's rays strike the ocean's surface with the most power along the equator, meaning there is more energy available for hurricanes to form

2 .

Why are once rare events becoming more frequent?

As the climate warms up more energy is available for extreme weather events

We are able to measure events with more accuracy

Better media reporting means that we are seeing more of the events on the news

Weather events go in cycles

Global climate change means that there is more energy for hurricanes to form and more moisture in the atmosphere that returns as rain

3 .

Why was New Orleans particularly exposed to the effects of Hurricane Katrina?

As a coastal city, it was overwhelmed by the storm surge

As a city with a high level of poverty, the houses were poorly built

The average elevation of the city is 2m below sea level

The bay funneled the storm surge up the valley to flood the city

New Orleans is completely surrounded by lakes, swamps and rivers. With over half the city being below sea level it was protected by levees

4 .

What is a hurricane?

A tropical storm with sustained winds of 74mph

Any tropical storm that occurs during hurricane season

A storm that occurs in the mid-Atlantic region

A tropical storm that starts in the Atlantic and makes landfall on the American coast

Hurricane season begins on the 1^st of June and ends on the 30^th of November. This is the period when hurricanes are most likely to occur, although they do occur outside of this season

5 .

How do tornados form?

As the winds swirl around the sides of steep valleys they on occasion loop back on themselves and begin to form a funnel cloud that eventually touches down and creates a tornado

As warm air from the ocean rises it moves up and away leaving an area of lower pressure underneath. Air rushes in to replace this air and so leads to strong winds

Descending air pulls down warm moist air which, as it comes into contact with the ground, spins around and starts a funnel at ground level. This grows as it rises and forms a tornado

Within a supercell thunderstorm, warm damp air and cold dry air move at different speeds leading to wind shear. This starts a pocket of air spinning which eventually forms a funnel

Because the conditions required to form a tornado are rare there are only specific locations worldwide where they regularly form, including Tornado Alley in the United States

6 .

How can increased and better forecasting mitigate the effects of natural weather hazards?

People feel more secure if they know what's happening

Prewarning allows people to evacuate areas at risk and prepare for the weather hazards

Weather forecasting allows governments to prepare to react in the long term

People have little confidence in the weather forecasts at present

Forecasting allowed New Orleans to be evacuated and for those that couldn't leave to take shelter in locations set aside as evacuation centres before the arrival of Hurricane Katrina in 2005

7 .

What lead to the worst effects of flooding in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina?

The shape of the land encouraged the storm surge. The narrowing of the valley built the wave to greater heights which overtopped the levees, flooding the city

Being surrounded by water there was nowhere for the water to drain

The ground under the city is a heavy clay which stops water draining away. This lead to a build up of water that couldn't drain away via surface runoff as the water levels rose

The storm surge washed away the weaker levees built to the east and west of the city. Some were built on sandy porous soil which was easily washed away from under the constructed levees

Many of the neighbourhoods that were below sea level were the poorest and the most affected by flooding

8 .

Why are people in the UK more likely to die in a blizzard than those in Canada, even if the blizzards are of the same strength and duration?

Blizzards affect Canada in different ways to the UK

As sustained blizzards are far more infrequent in the UK people are ill prepared

As the UK has an older population more deaths will occur

People have grown accustomed to milder weather in the UK and their immune systems can't cope when colder weather hits

Being unprepared for extreme weather, people may not have backup systems in case they lose their heating or electricity, may not have means of transport in poorer weather conditions and may not have food stocks in case of bad weather. In many areas search and rescue volunteers are used to get the sick and injured to safety as the other emergency services do not have the correct equipment

9 .

What is measured on the Beaufort scale?

Sea state

Tsunami wave height

Wind intensity

Sun strength

The Beaufort wind scale measures wind intensity based on observable parameters such as sea state. A glassy smooth sea corresponds to a 0 on the Beaufort scale, whereas a very rough sea state is equal to a 7 or 8 on the Beaufort scale, describing a near gale or gale

10 .

In 2005 Hurricane Katrina made landfall and struck the city of New Orleans. What caused the most damage to the city?

Flooding

High winds

Hail

Tornados

Around 80% of the city was flooded to some extent by the hurricane

You can find more about this topic by visiting BBC Bitesize - How can weather be hazardous?

Author: Ruth M