Talking about the weather is the ultimate ice breaker. Yet, most people know very little about the different atmospheric phenomena that impact them every single day of their lives. If you want to liven up your conversations, then weird weather trivia can be your secret weapon! Check out these astounding meteorological facts for kids and adults.
Fun Weather Trivia for Kids
Get your kids interested in science with these simple weather questions!
What do you call an individual who forecasts the weather?
A meteorologist.
What are the two ingredients needed for a rainbow to form?
Water and sunshine.
How many points does a snowflake have?
Six
What is the name of the famous movie about a tornado?
Twister
What color is the screen that television meteorologists use to show people the weather forecast?
Green (alternate answer can be blue)
What do you call the burst of electricity in the sky that occurs when a thunderstorm is nearby?
Lightning
What is the term used to describe snow, sleet, hail, and rain?
Precipitation
When thunder roars, what should you do next?
Go indoors!
What is the fastest speed a raindrop can fall?
What do you call an extremely dry period with no rain?
A drought
What is the center of a hurricane called?
The eye
What does NWS stand for?
National Weather Service
What is 0 degrees Celsius in Fahrenheit?
32 degrees
What type of weather is hotter than the surface of the sun?
Lightning
How many times per year is the Empire State Building struck by lightning?
What kind of biome is Antarctica?
A desert! This continent only gets 2 inches of precipitation each year.
Weather Instrument and Measurement Trivia
Now that you passed Weather 101, can you name all the tools that a meteorologist uses to forecast the weather?
What do you call the device used to measure temperature?
A thermometer
What is the proper term for the weathervane that you see on top of farm houses that is adorned with a rooster?
A weathercock
What do you call the container that measures precipitation rates?
A rain gauge
What does a hygrometer do?
It measures humidity.
What instrument measures air pressure?
A barometer
How do you measure the speed of the wind?
You use an anemometer.
What are the three pieces of data that a weather balloon collects?
Temperature, relative humidity, and air pressure.
What atmospheric phenomena does the Beaufort scale measure?
Wind strengths
What is the name of the scale used to determine a tornado's intensity rating?
The Enhanced Fujita Scale
What does the Saffir-Simpson Scale measure?
The maximum sustained wind speed of a hurricane.
World Record Weather Trivia & Weird Norms
You know how a meteorologist figures out their forecast, now let's see if you know some extremes! These weather questions highlight atmospheric records and norms from around the world.
What is the coldest temperature ever recorded on Earth, and where did it occur?
-128.6 degrees Fahrenheit in Vostok, Antarctica
What is the hottest temperature ever recorded on Earth, and where did it occur?
134 degrees Fahrenheit in Furnace Creek Ranch, CA, USA
What is the highest yearly rainfall total for a single town?
1,042 inches (in Cherrapunji, India)
What is the fastest surface wind gust ever recorded?
253 mph (in Barrow Island, Australia during Tropical Cyclone Olivia)
What country is the lightning capital of the world?
Venezuela
What type of weather kills the most people every year?
Extreme Heat
What is the highest number of people who have died from a single direct lightning strike?
What is the highest wind speed ever recorded in a tornado?
What is the greatest distance a single tornado has ever traveled?
219 miles - it traveled from Ellington, MO, USA to Princeton, IN, USA
How many lightning strikes happen everyday worldwide?
Between 1950 and present day, which month has the most recorded tornado touchdowns in the United States?
What is the highest storm surge ever recorded?
How much did the heaviest hailstone in history weigh?
Tornadoes pick things up and carry them to other locations. What is the longest recorded distance an item has traveled?
What was the item?
A personal check
Severe Weather Trivia
Alright, you seem to be able to handle the heat, but what degree of knowledge do you have when it comes to staying safe during severe weather? This weather trivia tests your survival skills!
What are the three main tornado types?
Rope, cone, and wedge tornadoes
What do you call a tornado that forms over water?
A waterspout
How far away from a thunderstorm can you be and still be struck by lightning?
12 miles
What is the difference between a weather watch and a weather warning?
A watch means that there is the possibility of severe weather, whereas a warning means that the severe weather is already occurring in your region.
What is graupel?
Soft hail
What do you call precipitation that freezes on contact when it hits a surface?
Freezing rain
What do you call snow that leaves the cloud, partially melts, and then refreezes before it hits the ground?
Sleet
What is the National Weather Service's slogan for flooding safety?
Turn around, don't drown!
What do you call a rope-like tornado that forms from the ground up?
A landspout
What is the minimum wind speed that a Tropical Strom must have in order to be classified as a hurricane?
74 mph
What is the wind speed that triggers a Severe Thunderstorm Warning?
58 mph
What other factor can cause a Severe Thunderstorm Warning to be issued?
Hail with a diameter of at least one inch.
How do you determine how far away lightning is from your location?
Count the seconds in between the clap of thunder and the lightning strike and then divide that number by five. This will give you the number of miles between you and the strike.
Lightning deaths happen every year. What sport has the highest number of fatalities?
Soccer
Are boys or girls more likely to get struck by lightning?
The data shows that boys are four times more likely to get struck!
What part of your car protects you from a lightning strike?
The metal frame
We often hear meteorologists say that there is golf ball sized hail falling. What is the actual measurement of this hail?
1.75 inches
Weird Weather Trivia That May Shock You
While the weather is pretty mundane in the summer, there are some very interesting weather phenomena that can bring excitement, intrigue, and even fright to those who see it. How much do you know about the weird weather of the world? Some of these facts may shock you!
What do you call the clouds that people mistake for UFOs?
Lenticular clouds
What do you call a wall of dust that is many times is accompanied by a blue sky?
A haboob
What do you call the halo that often forms around the sun when it is low on the horizon?
A sun dog
What is the official term for the smell that accompanies rain?
Petrichor
What do you call the white streaks that form in the sky after a plane flies by?
Contrails
What causes a white rainbow?
Otherwise known as fogbows, these rings form when in fog, which give them their ghostly hue. In case you didn't know, the droplets that comprise fog are much smaller than raindrops, making it hard to see the spectrum of colors coming throigh.
What is the name of the clouds that look like ocean waves?
Kelvin-Helmholtz clouds
What do you call light rain that falls from the cloud, but evaporates before it hits the ground?
Virga showers
Newscasters call them fire tornadoes. What is their actual name?
Fire whirls (these are not actual tornadoes)
What kind of clouds look like a field of melons?
Mammatus clouds!
What is ombrophobia?
An extreme fear of rain
What is nephophobia?
A fear of clouds
Weather Questions Can Help Vanquish Fears
The weather can be a scary thing. By finding out more about the power of Mother Nature and the normal and abnormal phenomena that can occur, you and your family can better prepare for when weird and dangerous weather comes your way! Weather trivia can also get kids excited about working in STEM professions.
After you get done with your trivia questions, consider reaching out to one of the local television stations in your area to see if you can get a private tour to see how the weather forecast gets made! Share some fun weather jokes or use try some interactive weather games to keep the fun going too.
