Weather Trivia Contest

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Enter our weather trivia contest. We'll pose a weather question. You take a guess and see if you're correct. It's a fun way to learn about weather—and maybe even win a prize.

February/March 2012 Trivia Contest

Question: Is it true that Mount Washington, New Hampshire, is the windiest location in the world? What was the highest wind speed ever recorded?

Click to enter guess!

We'll give away The 2012 Old Farmer's Almanac or 2012 Calendar (your choice), selecting a random name from all the correct entries.

December/January Trivia Contest

Question: A reader asks if it snows a lot in the Antarctic. Tell us about how many inches it snows each year.

Answer: Oddly enough, the Antarctic is considered one of the driest places on Earth. It gets only an inch or two of snow each year, making it more or less a desert. Those two inches a year, however, have been piling up for centuries, and the snow cover there is thought to be about two miles deep, making it a glacier.

We selected a random name from the correct entries (and there were many!). Congratulations to Ann McDonald!

November 2011 Trivia Contest

Question: I heard on the news that corn contributes to humidity in the summer. A friend of mine said that a farmer told her that is not true. Who's right?

Answer: Whoever told you that corn contributes to humidity in the summer -- is correct! Corn, like any other growing plant, releases moisture as a natural part of growth and life (transpiration). This release of moisture helps cool the plant. So, indeed, corn is releasing moisture all during its growing season, and hence is contributing moisture to the local moisture field -- which results in increased humidity, both in the field (below the corn "canopy") and in the surrounding area when this moisture is moved by local wind systems.

Congratulations to Val Dittman who won the new 2012 Almanac!

October 2011 Trivia Contest

Question: Everyone knows that room temperature is about 70 degrees F, but is there a room humidity?

Answer: There is. Many home dehumidifier manufacturers set their units to work toward a humidity level of about 40 percent at 70 degrees. At a lower level, breathing can become difficult; at a higher level, mold can grow.

Congratulations to Jeff Frame who won the new 2012 Almanac!

September 2011 Trivia Contest

Question: When did we begin using meteorological maps? Bonus: Who drew the first map?

Answer: Edmond Halley, an English astronomer, drew the first such map in 1686.

Congratulations to Wesley Krueger and Anne Sroda who won the new 2012 Almanac!

August 2011 Trivia Contest

Question: Approximately how long is the traditional solar cycle, the periodic change in the number of sunspots? (Hint: You can find the answer on our Sunspot Update page.)

Answer: The solar cycle, the interval between successive minima (periods of low sunspot activity), is about eleven (11.1) years. During the cycle, solar flares, sunspots, and other magnetic phenomena move from intense activity to relative calm and back again. Sunspots are a big factor in The Old Farmer's Almanac annual weather forecasts!

Congratulations to Marilyn Gover who won the new 2012 edition of the Almanac!

July 2011 Trivia Contest

Question: Is there a way to guess the height of clouds?

Answer: Sure. Here's the formula for doing so. Take the current temperature in degrees Fahrenheit, subtract the dew point, and multiply this number by 220. This calculation will give you the approximate height of the clouds in feet.

Congratulations to Ken Siyak! His name was selected from all the correct submissions. We'll contract you soon about your prize!

June 2011 Trivia Contest

Question: How many hurricanes were formed in 2010 (Northern Atlantic season)?

Answer: During the 2010 season, 12 hurricanes formed. See our Hurricane Forecasts page.

Congratulations to Richard Kremer whose name was selected from all the correct submissions. We'll contract you soon about your prize!

May 2011 Trivia Contest

Question: Which state ranks the worst for tornadoes (in terms of dollars of damage)?

Answer: Texas, where tornadoes cause an average of $43 million in damage each year. Second place goes to Indiana, and Kansas ranks third.

Congratulations to Amy Banks whose name was selected from all the correct submissions.

April 2011 Trivia Contest

Question: How fast does rain fall?  (We're looking for an average mile per hour.)

Answer: Rain falls at an average of seven miles per hour.

Congrats to Alice Dennison, Harold Wagner, and Mical Holcomb.

March Trivia Contest

Question: People always call Chicago "The Windy City," but is it really the windiest city in the United States? If not, name the city.

Answer: Chicago doesn't even make the top 10 in terms of wind. Blue Hill, Massachusetts, ranks number one, with average wind speeds of 15.4 m.p.h. Windy city was actually a reference to the "long-windedness" of Chicago politicians.

We randomly selected three winners from the many correct answers! Congrats to Joseph Danza, Karen Tkacz, and Tom Hess.

February Trivia Contest

Question: If tonight's temperature is 0 degrees F and tomorrow will be twice as cold, what will tomorrow's temperature be?

Answer: On the Fahrenheit thermometer, 0 degrees would be -17.8 degrees Celsius. Thus, twice as cold would be -35.6 degrees Celsius, which equals -32.08 degrees Fahrenheit.

We randomly selected three winners from the many correct answers! (Impressive!) Congrats to Bob Morris, Jeffrey Lanham, and Kenneth Harp. We'll be sending each of you editions of the 2011 Almanac!

December/January Trivia Contest

Question: Is it true that you lose most of your body heat from your head? (Yes or No?)

Answer: No, you don't. An adult's head makes up only about 9 percent of body area; about 10 percent of body heat is lost through the head. There are many myths about this—now you know the facts!

Congrats to Tom Rogers, Bev Sessoms, and Dee Dee Walton. We'll be sending each of you the new 2011 Almanac!

November Trivia Contest

Question: What U.S. states hold the records for the highest and lowest temperatures?

Answer: The highest temperature was 134 degrees Fahrenheit at Greenland Ranch, California, on July 10, 1913. That's hot! Alaska holds the record for our coldest temperature with -79.8 degrees Fahrenheit at Prospect Creek on January 23, 1971. Now that's really cold!

Congrats to Carl Michael Scullin, bashfulunicorn, and Nichole Harper. We'll be sending each of you the new 2011 Almanac!

October Trivia Contest

Question: Is the Atlantic Ocean warmer than the Pacific Ocean?

Answer: Yes. Although it might seem illogical, the Atlantic Ocean is warmer. For any given latitude, the Atlantic Ocean has proved to be about 16 degrees F (9 degrees C) warmer than the Pacific Ocean off the U.S. coastline—quite a difference.

Congrats to mtbutler, moses1255, and Karen France-Wilson. We'll be sending each of you the new 2011 Almanac!

September Trivia Contest

Question: How hot is a bolt of lightning when it strikes?

Answer: An individual bolt of lightning can reach 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

Congrats to Rose Normandin, Steve/Jones, and Kathryn Patterson. We'll be sending each of you an OFA mousepad!

August Trivia Contest

Question: What kind of wood is a "Weather Stick" typically made of

Answer: The branch of the balsam fir tree. Originally developed by the Native Americans of the Northeast, this special stick is suppos...ed to predict weather changes. Hung on an outside wall or door casing exposed to the weather, the stick will spontaneously bend down when foul weather is approaching and up to predict fair weather.

Congrats to Becky Bonham McKone, the winner of a weather stick. And thanks to everyone who took a guess!

July Trivia Question

Question: Fill in the blank. The Dog Days (a period that lasts into August) are named for ____________ .

Answer: Sirius, the Dog Star, which is visible with the rising Sun at this time of year. Ancients associated this sky picture with the hot days that coincided with it. Sirius is the brightest star in the constellation Canis Major (Greater Dog).

Congrats to all who guessed correctly. We also drew three names from the many correct answers and will send these folks an Almanac mousepad: Robert McGovern, Fred Taylor, and Kenneth Jennings.

June Trivia Question

Question: How far away is a thunderstorm if you hear thunder 5 seconds after you see lightning?

Answer: One mile. Thunder travels at a rate of one mile per five seconds. Count the number of seconds between seeing a flash of lightning and hearing the sound of the thunder. Divide that number by five to determine how many miles away that lightning bolt was.

We drew three names from the many correct answers. Congrats to Bob Bicchieri, Linda Doran, and Hannah Beck.

May Trivia Question

Question: In the U.S., which month has the most tornado activity and which month has the least?

Answer: May tops the list. January is the least likely to see a twister!

We drew 3 names from the many correct answers. Congrats to Cristal Sowder, Mikkiwells, and Don McIntyre.

April Trivia Question

Question: What is the sequence of colors in a rainbow?

Answer: Memorize the name "ROY G. BIV" and you'll remember the order of colors in a rainbow from the outer band inward: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, and Violet.

We drew 3 names from all the (many) correct answers. Congrats to Amy Hanek, Chris Koceja, and Brenda Davis.

March Trivia Question

Question: Has Niagara Falls ever stopped flowing? If so, what is the exact date (day, month, year)?

Answer: Yes. On March 29, 1848, all three of the falls that make up Niagara Falls stopped flowing when tons of ice dammed the river in Buffalo, New York. The ice floe held for 30 hours, during which time spectators were able to walk onto the exposed riverbed to look for artifacts.

We had MANY correct answers this round and drew 3 names from the correct answers. Congrats to Jake Brake, Bobbie Watroba, and Jacquie Keen. We'll contact you soon about your free 2010 Old Farmer's Almanac!

February Trivia Question

Question: What's the difference between a frost and a hard freeze?

Best Answer: A frost refers to conditions that allow a layer if ice crystals to form when water vapor condenses and freezes without first becoming dew. A hard freeze is a period of at least four consecutive hours of air temperatures that are below 26°F.

We randomly drew four names from the correct answers. Congrats to Nancy Moore, Rick Buzga, Daphne Turner, and Nichole Harper. We'll contact you soon about your free 2010 Old Farmer's Almanac!