Weather Trivia Contest

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.

Spring 2013 Trivia Contest

Question: What is a blackberry winter?

Click here to enter your guess!

The winner will receive a bundle of Almanac products! (We'll select the winner at random from all the correct entries.) Deadline: End of spring (June 20).

Winter 2012 Trivia Contest

Question: Which U.S. town has recorded the highest snowfall in a one year period?  For a bonus, tell us when it occurred!

Answer:  Mount Baker, Washington State received 1,140 inches (95 feet) of snow between July 1, 1998 and June 30, 1999. Source: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Engineer Topographic Laboratories.

Congratulations to Keith Norman! We'll contact you shortly about your prize.

Fall 2012 Trivia Contest

Question: Does the average hurricane blow west to east across North America or does it move east to west?

Answer: The average hurricane moves from east to west due to the tropical trade winds that blow near the equator (where hurricanes start). When a hurricane is still in the Caribbean, the tropical jet blows east to west, and the hurricane moves west to gain power. By the time a hurricane reaches North America, it generally curves into a northerly direction, as a result of the Coriolis force (which forces a counterclockwise rotation) and steering winds at higher levels. Normal storms, on the other hand, move west to east due to the strong jet stream.

Congratulations to Mark Sleger, Nathan Lench, and Jeremy Barlett who won The 2013 Old Farmer's Almanac Weather Watcher's Calendar!

August/September 2012 Trivia Contest

Question: Are cities generally warmer or cooler than the more rural areas near them?

Answer: Warmer. In the biggest cities, the temperature can be 18 degrees Fahrenheit higher than it would be if that land were undeveloped. Industrial manufacturing and air-conditioning actually create heat, plus the big buildings and roads absorb a lot of sunlight and store it efficiently. This causes the air to rise more over cities, which increases cloud formation, which in turn produces more rain and heavier thunderstorms. 

Congratulations to x who won The 2013 Old Farmer's Almanac Weather Watcher's Calendar is Pat Kelley!

June/July 2012 Trivia Contest

Question: What is the average number of hurricanes along the Atlantic coast ? 

Answer: The historical average is 6.5.  We had many correct answers! Based on random selection, the winner is Joseph Danza!

April/May 2012 Trivia Contest

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

Answer: When you look at it in terms of dollars of damage, that honor goes to Texas, where tornadoes cause an average of $43 million in damage each year. Second place goes to Indiana, and Kansas ranks third. 

Congratulations to all who answered Texas! Based on random selection, Rita Porter won the Weather Journal!

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?

Answer: The windiest place in the world is: Commonwealth Bay, George V Coast, Antarctica, where winds reach 200 mph.
The highest wind speed was recorded on Australia's Barrow Island during Cyclone Olivia in 1996 at 251 mph. Previously, 231 mph was recorded on top of Mount Washington, New Hampshire (on April 12, 1934).

We selected a random name from the correct entries. Congratulations to Jackie Lesan!

January 2012 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!