Types Of Weather 2nd Grade SOL’s By, Erin Blake

Where would you like to go? Precipitation Thunderstorms Lightning Tornadoes Hurricanes Blizzards Dangerous Storms Droughts Floods Weather Tools Assignment

Precipitation Precipitation occurs when the water vapor in the clouds gets too heavy causing one of the following to fall: Rain Hail Snow Sleet

Thunderstorms Thunderstorms are a type of storm. Despite their small size, all thunderstorms are dangerous. Every thunderstorm produces lightning. Heavy rains from thunderstorms may cause flooding. Strong winds, hail, and tornadoes may also occur. Thunderstorms are most likely to occur in the spring and summer months.

Lightning Lightning can jump from place to place inside a cloud. It can shoot from one cloud to another. It can also jump from a cloud to the ground. Lightning is seen before thunder is heard because light travels faster than sound. Lightning is hot! It can be five times as hot as the surface of the sun!

Tornadoes Twisters, or tornadoes, form very quickly during powerful thunderstorms. Tornadoes usually happen in the spring and early summer. There are tornadoes all over the world, but most tornadoes strike in the Midwestern United States. A tornado moves across the ground at speeds of up to 50 miles per hour. Its’ path can be a mile wide. Twisters are fierce, but they do not last very long. Most are over in a just a few minutes.

Hurricanes Hurricanes are the most dangerous storms on Earth! They begin as a group of thunderstorms near the equator. When a hurricane reaches shore, it can be 500 miles wide and its’ winds can blow at speeds of 150 miles per hour. The center of the hurricane is the eye. The air in the eye is usually calm.

Blizzards Blizzards are storms that happen in winter. When cold temperatures, strong winds, and heavy snowfall combine, we have blizzards. In a blizzard, winds over 35 miles per hour blow the snow with great force. Sometimes, there’s so much blowing snow that you can’t see anything at all! This is called a whiteout.

Droughts Droughts occur when there is not precipitation for a long time. When this happens, it can cause plants, animals, and people to die.

Floods Floods happen when there is too much precipitation and rivers, ponds, lakes and other bodies of water overflow. This may lead to the destruction of buildings and homes for animals and people. Floods can occur after a blizzard, thunderstorm, or hurricane.

Weather Tools We use many tools to help us predict and understand the weather. Weather tools give us information about the temperature, precipitation and the wind.

Thermometer A thermometer is a tool that uses degrees to measure how hot or cold the temperature is. Thermometers have a Celsius scale and a Fahrenheit scale.

Rain Gauge A rain gauge is a weather tool that is put outside to collect rain. A rain gauge can measure how much rain has fallen.

Weather Vane Return to Menu A weather vane, or wind vane, is a tool used to tell which direction the wind is blowing.

What have you learned about the weather? Use your notebook to write or draw the information that you have learned about: Precipitation Thunderstorms Lightning Tornadoes Hurricanes Blizzards Droughts Floods Weather Tools Return to Menu