Weather Types

Lightning A bright flash of electricity produced by a thunderstorm thunderstorms.htm

Thunder A noise created from lightning moving through a cloud and causing air to expand

Why would we see lightning before we hear thunder? Light travels faster than sound Estimate how far away lightning has struck by… When you see a flash of lightning, count the seconds until you hear the thunder Divide the number by five That is the distance in miles between you and the bolt of lightning

Thunderhead A cloud formed when a cold front bringing storms forces the warm air to rise quickly and the warm air then cools rapidly; often leads to violent thunderstorms Same as cumulonimbus cloud!!

Tornado An intense, rotating funnel of air that descends from a cumulonimbus cloud and touches the ground

Tornado The area in the US where the most tornadoes occur is called Tornado Alley In Texas and Illinois

Waterspout A waterspout is just a weak tornado that forms over water. They are most common along the Gulf Coast. Waterspouts can sometimes move inland, becoming tornadoes and causing damage and injuries.

Hurricane A tropical storm containing winds above 74 miles per hour

Hurricane Occur only over warm water That’s why there are rarely hurricanes that can survive in the Pacific Ocean (cool water) Water must be between degrees Fahrenheit

Tornado vs. Hurricane HurricaneTornado Swirling MotionSwirling motion that has such great force that it causes huge amounts of damage DamageHuge amounts caused by winds and waves created during the storm Huge amounts caused by the actual funnel of the tornado itself LocationOnly survive on waterWill survive on land FunnelDon’t have a funnel that extends down Have actual funnel cloud that spirals down from the sky