How Hurricanes Form: Grade 5 Reading Passage

About this worksheet

A fifth grade weather passage about how hurricanes grow over warm ocean water, the calm eye, the 1 to 5 categories and storm surge. A free printable 5th grade nonfiction passage (228 words) with multiple-choice what/how questions, a vocabulary match and a short written answer. Answer key on page 2. It is aimed at fifth grade readers, around ages 10 to 11.

On this sheet

A hurricane is one of the most powerful storms on Earth. It is a huge, spinning storm that forms over warm ocean water and has winds of at least 74 miles per hour. In other parts of the world, the same kind of storm is called a typhoon or a cyclone. Hurricanes need warm water, at least 80 degrees Fahrenheit, to grow. The warm ocean heats the air above it. This warm, moist air rises quickly, and as it cools, the moisture forms towering thunderstorm clouds.

Tips for using it

• Before reading, look at the picture and the title together and guess what the passage will be about.
• Ask your child to underline the sentence in the passage that proves each answer.
• Talk about the story afterwards: what was the problem, how was it solved, and what would your child have done?

Printing tips

Download the PDF and print at 100% (or “fit to page” on A4). Page 1 is the worksheet and page 2 is the answer key with the answers in red; print just page 1 if you want to keep the answers for checking. Free for personal, family and classroom use.