1. On mountains
   Near open plains
2. In jungles
   Over warm sea waters

Hurricanes begin over ocean waters. They develop thanks to warm, moist air that begins to rotate … and may turn into a monstrous storm.

1. Category 5
   Category 3
2. Category 2
   Category 1

Category 5 hurricanes are extremely large and dangerous. These storms have sustained winds of nearly 160 mph, making them some of the most destructive storms on Earth.

1. Relative humidity over 60 percent
   Warm, moist air
2. Air more than 100 degrees
   Dry, cool air

Thunderstorms are predictable in some ways. One of those ways? They need warm, moist air to form, which is why in the U.S. these storms are common in summertime.

1. Hurricanes
   Tornadoes
2. Dust storms
   Firestorm

Hurricanes are known for their winds, but also for their storm surge. They are a lot like tsunamis, a wall of water that rushes inland, sweeping away structures and people with ease.

1. 800 feet
   2,500 feet
2. One mile
   More than 10 miles

Cumulonimbus clouds grow like mushrooms in the sky during major thunderstorms. The tallest may exceed well over 10 miles in height.

1. 48 degrees Fahrenheit
   53 degrees Fahrenheit
2. 60 degrees Fahrenheit
   79 degrees Fahrenheit

Hurricanes like warm weather. Ocean surface temperatures must be at least 79 degrees Fahrenheit, at which point these cyclones may begin to form.

1. Thunderstorm
   Lightning
2. Straight line wind
   Tornado

Extremely powerful thunderstorms are called supercells. These massive storms have a distinctive rotation to them, and they can unleash destructive fury upon the land.

1. Atlantic Ocean
   Great Lakes
2. Indian Ocean
   North Pole

Tropical cyclones that form in the Atlantic are called hurricanes. Many hurricanes have come ashore in America in recent years, from the upper East Coast to the Gulf of Mexico.

1. Rare hurricanes
   Snow mixed with ash
2. The most severe thunderstorms
   Wind storms full of dust

Black blizzards were common during the Dust Bowl years. It means fierce winds are blowing clouds of dirt across the landscape.

1. Low visibility
   Tornadoes
2. Flash flooding
   Tremendous precipitation

In wintertime, high winds can hurl snow from the ground at high speeds, creating low visibility. In cold temperatures​, these ground blizzards can disorient and kill the unprepared.

1. 98
   112
2. 695
   8,563

In 1925, the "Tri-State Tornado" whirled through Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana, at a distance of more than 300 miles. About 695 people died and more than 2,000 were hurt.

1. During a thunderstorm
   Near a fire whirl
2. Inside a hurricane
   Never

They're relatively rare, but thunderstorms may produce gustnados, whipping vortexes that can ​cause serious harm. The worst ones may have the force of an EF-1 tornado.

1. About 50
   About 2,000
2. About 300
   About 15,000

Thunderstorms are common, and persistent. At any given time there are about 2,000 of them pummelling the Earth.

1. Waves are higher there
   Because jungles make hurricanes
2. It's where the sun's rays are hottest.
   Because of Earth's spin

The Earth's spin causes the so-called Corioles force, which is weakest at the equator. There, the forces of hurricanes can gather unabated, creating giant storms that travel long distances.

1. Hurricanes
   Flash floods
2. Tornadoes
   Thunderstorms

Dust devils are a bit like small tornadoes, but they can happen on storm-free, sunny days. And although most are just a nuisance, they can sometimes be frightening … and deadly.

1. Tornado strength
   Storm surge
2. Rainfall
   Lightning strikes

The Fujita scale denotes the power of a specific tornado. F1 tornadoes are pretty weak; F5 tornadoes can lay waste even to fortified structures.

1. Incredible rain
   Intense dust
2. Blowing snow
   Ice

A haboob is a terrible dust storm that's carried along by a weather front. The dust might be so thick that it coats everything in its path.

1. 4 miles
   40 miles
2. 90 miles
   300 miles

There's a reason they are called "monster" storms. Average hurricanes can be 300 miles wide, with whipping winds and rampaging storm surge.

1. Very high winds
   Waterspout
2. Thunderstorm
   Typhoon

Mediterranean nations often witness sirocco winds in the summertime. These ferocious winds originate in the Sahara and whip up awful dust that can cause health issues.

1. Thrusts
   Hurricanes
2. Downdrafts
   Updrafts

Updrafts are gusting columns of air that rush up through the atmosphere. Thunderstorms often feature powerful updrafts.

1. 30 mph
   45 mph
2. 100 mph
   340 mph

In the right conditions, updrafts scream through the atmosphere. They can routinely blast past 100 mph.

1. About 1 mile
   About a quarter of a mile
2. 500 feet
   Perhaps 300 football fields

The Joplin tornado ravaged this Missouri town. The enormously powerful funnel cloud was about 1 mile wide, tearing apart buildings as if they were made of straw.​

1. It can make for very large hailstones.
   It sends hailstones into outer space.
2. It makes very small hailstones.
   It has no effect.

Updrafts cycle hailstones up and down in the sky, often adding more and more heft. Some hailstones become bigger than baseballs and can destroy property.

1. Canada
   Cuba
2. China
   Bangladesh

Bangladesh's location and weather make it very susceptible to tornados. The country has suffered -- at minimum -- 19 tornadoes that have each killed at least 100 people.

1. About 1 to 2 miles
   About 20 to 40 miles
2. About 100 to 200 miles
   Right around 400 feet

Hurricane eyes are a surreally calm place amidst major destruction. The eye can be anywhere from 20 to 40 miles wide.

1. In cool areas
   On mountaintops
2. In the mid-latitudes
   Near the Arctic

Because warm, wet air is a necessary variable for thunderstorms, these storms most often form in the mid-latitudes. Air from the Gulf of Mexico often sparks severe thunderstroms on America's plains.

1. Clockwise
   Upwards
2. Counter-clockwise
   Downward

Because of the Coriolis force, hurricane spin in different directions depending on their location. In the Southern Hemisphere, they're clockwise; in the Northern Hemisphere, it's the other way around.

1. Just 4 mph
   About 12 mph
2. Roughly 38 mph
   Perhaps 73 mph

Commence nightmares. Not only was the Tri-State Tornado huge and powerful, but it was also​ the fastest-moving F5 tornado ever, hitting speeds of 73 mph.

1. They rain for less than an hour and then disappear.
   They're gone in less than 90 seconds.
2. They create mostly lightning.
   They don’t stop until they've destroyed at least one farm.

The vast majority of thunderstorms are pretty harmless. They bloom and rain for about an hour, and then vanish in the skies above.

1. It killed more people than any other storm.
   It was the strongest typhoon ever recorded.
2. It hit the "tip" of the U.S.
   It ruined one whole city.

Typhoon Tip was more powerful than any hurricane ever recorded. Its high winds stretched for nearly 1,400 miles -- twice as big as the previous record (Typhoon Marge).

1. Gary, Indiana
   London
2. Antarctica
   Des Moines

The Great Storm of 1703 was a huge cyclone that smashed into London. Thousands of structures were destroyed and perhaps 15,000 people perished.

1. Not very predictable
   Pretty predictable
2. Absolutely random
   Easy to determine

Even with all of our modern tools, hurricane paths remain hard to predict. Experienced forecasters frantically prepare civilians for a wide range of landfall areas.

1. Very heavy rain
   Wall of fire
2. Winds more than 400 mph
   Tornados

The eye itself is calm. The eye wall? Not so much. This part of the hurricane can have crazy thick clouds and sheets of rain that cause tremendous flooding.

1. Supercells
   Single-cell
2. Multi-cell cluster
   Multi-cell lines

Supercells are the atomic bombs of thunderstorms. Their immense power can blossom in just minutes, spitting out lightning and tornadoes with terrific ferocity.

1. Typically minutes
   Days
2. Hours
   A few seconds

Supercells can last for hours. They might drift across more than one state, triggering flooding, spawning tornadoes, and generally scaring people half to death.