STORMS COULTER

THUNDERSTORMS STORM IS CLASSIFIED AS A VIOLENT DISTURBANCE IN THE ATMOSPHERE. THUNDERSTORM IS A SMALL STORM OFTEN ACCOMPANIED BY HEAVY PRECIPITATION AND THUNDER/LIGHTNING. THUNDERSTORMS FORM IN CUMULONIMBUS CLOUDS, ALSO KNOWN AS THUNDERHEADS. CUMULONIMBUS ARE OFTEN FORMED WHEN WARM AIR IS FORCED UP BY A COLD FRONT.

THUNDER AND LIGHTNING LIGHTNING IS A SUDDEN SPARK, OR ELECTRICAL DISCHARGE, AS THESE CHANGES JUMP BETWEEN PARTS OF A CLOUD, BETWEEN NEARBY CLOUDS, OR BETWEEN A CLOUD AND THE GROUND. THUNDER: A LIGHTNING BOLT CAN HEAT THE AIR NEAR IT TO AS MUCH AS C, MUCH HOTTER THAN THE SUN’S SURFACE. THE RAPIDLY HEATED AIR EXPANDS SUDDENLY AND EXPLOSIVELY. THUNDER IS THE SOUND OF THE EXPLOSION. BECAUSE LIGHT TRAVELS FASTER THAN SOUND, YOU SEE LIGHTNING BEFORE YOU HEAR THUNDER.

THUNDERSTORM DAMAGE HEAVY RAINS CAN CAUSE FLOODING IN LOW-LYING AREAS. LIGHTNING CAN STRIKE THE GROUND, WHICH CAN SHATTER TREE TRUNKS OR START FOREST FIRES. LIGHTING STRIKES ON PEOPLE OR ANIMALS CAN CAUSE UNCONSCIOUSNESS, SERIOUS BURNS, OR HEART FAILURE

THUNDERSTORM SAFETY AVOID PLACES WHERE LIGHTNING MAY STRIKE. AVOID OBJECTS THAT CAN CONDUCT ELECTRICITY SUCH AS METAL OBJECTS AND BODIES OF WATER.

TORNADOES TORNADO IS A RAPIDLY WHIRLING, FUNNEL-SHAPED CLOUD THAT REACHES DOWN FROM A STORM CLOUD TO TOUCH EARTH’S SURFACE. IF A TORNADO FORMS OVER A LAKE IT IS KNOW AS A WATERSPOUT. WIND SPEEDS IN THE MOST INTENSE TORNADOES MAY APPROACH 500KM PER HOUR.

HOW TORNADOES FORM TORNADOES MOST COMMONLY DEVELOP IN THICK CUMULONIMBUS CLOUDS– THE SAME CLOUDS THAT BRING THUNDERSTORMS. MOST LIKELY TO OCCUR IN THE SPRING OR SUMMER, LATE IN THE AFTERNOON WHEN THE GROUND IS WARM. COLD AIR MASS FROM CANADA MOVES SOUTH AND A WARM AIR MASS FROM MEXICO MOVES NORTH. WHEN THE AIR MASSES MEET, THE COLD AIR MOVES UNDER THE WARM AIR, FORCING IT TO RISE.

TORNADO DAMAGE TORNADO DAMAGE COMES FROM BOTH STRONG WINDS AND FLYING DEBRIS. THE LOW PRESSURE INSIDE THE TORNADO SUCKS DUST AND OTHER OBJECTS INTO THE FUNNEL. ONE TORNADO TORE OFF A MOTEL SIGN IN BROKEN BOW, OKLAHOMA, AND DROPPED IT 30 MILES AWAY IN ARKANSAS! TORNADOS ARE UNPREDICTABLE; THEY WILL LEVEL HOUSES ON ONE STREET AND LEAVE THE NEIGHBORING STREET ALONE. TORNADOS ARE RANKED ON THE FUJITA SCALE BY THE AMOUNT OF DAMAGE THEY CAUSE. FUJITA SCALE GOES FROM LIGHT DAMAGE (F0) TO EXTREME DAMAGE (F5). ONLY ABOUT 1% REACH F4 OR F5

FUJITA SCALE

HURRICANES A HURRICANE BEGINS OVER WARM OCEAN WATER AS A LOW-PRESSURE AREA OR TROPICAL DISTURBANCE. HURRICANES FORM IN THE ATLANTIC, PACIFIC, AND INDIAN OCEANS. IN THE WESTERN PACIFIC OCEAN, HURRICANES ARE CALLED TYPHOONS. A TROPICAL DISTURBANCE GROWS IN SIZE AND STRENGTH, IT BECOMES A TROPICAL STORM, WHICH MAY THEN BECOME A HURRICANE. HURRICANES DRAW THEIR ENERGY FROM THE WARM, HUMID AIR AT THE OCEAN’S SURFACE. INSIDE THE STORM ARE BANDS OF VERY HIGH WINDS AND HEAVY RAINS.

HURRICANES THE LOWER THE AIR PRESSURE AT THE CENTER OF THE STORM, THE FASTER THE WINDS BLOW TOWARD THE CENTER. HURRICANE WINDS MAY BE AS STRONG AS 320 KM/HR HURRICANE WINDS ARE STRONGEST IN THE NARROW BAND AROUND THE CENTER OF THE STORM. AT THE CENTER IS A RING OF CLOUDS, CALLED THE EYEWALL, THAT ENCLOSES A QUIET EYE.” WINDS GET STRONGER AS THE EYE APPROACHES, THEN WHEN THE EYE APPROACHES THE WEATHER CHANGES SUDDENLY. AFTER THE EYE PASSES HE STORM RESUMES, BUT THE WIND BLOWS FROM THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION.

HOW HURRICANES MOVE HURRICANES LAST LONGER THAN OTHER STORMS, USUALLY A WEEK OR MORE. HURRICANES THAT FORM IN THE ATLANTIC OCEAN ARE STEERED BY THE EASTERLY TRADE WINDS TOWARD THE CARIBBEAN ISLANDS AND THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES. HURRICANES GRADUALLY LOSE STRENGTH, ALTHOUGH HEAVY RAINFALL MAY CONTINUE FOR SEVERAL DAYS.

HURRICANE DAMAGE HURRICANES BRING HIGH WAVES AN SEVERE FLOODING AS WELL AS WIND DAMAGE. THE LOW PRESSURE AND HIGH WINDS OF THE HURRICANE OVER THE OCEAN RAISE THE LEVEL OF WATER UP TO 6 METERS. THE RESULT IS A STORM SURGE OF WATER THAT SWEEPS ACROSS THE COAST. STORM SURGES CAN WASH AWAY BEACHES, DESTROY BUILDINGS, AND ERODE THE COASTLINE.

HURRICANE SAFETY YOU SHOULD BE PREPARED TO EVACUATE! IF YOU HEAR A HURRICANE WARNING AND ARE TOLD TO EVACUATE, LEAVE THE AREA IMMEDIATELY.

WINTER STORMS ALL YEAR ROUND, MOST PRECIPITATION BEGINS IN CLOUDS AS SNOW. IF THE AIR IS COOLER THAN 0 DEGREES CELSIUS ALL THE WAY TO THE GROUND, THE PRECIPITATION FALLS AS SNOW. LAKE-EFFECT SNOW: BUFFALO AND ROCHESTER, NY GET THE MOST SNOWFALL EVERY YEAR (AVERAGE 3 METERS). BUFFALO IS LOCATED EAST OF LAKE ERIE AND ROCHESTER IS SOUTH OF LAKE ONTARIO. IN THE FALL AND WINTER, THE LAND NEAR THESE LAKES COOLS MUCH MORE RAPIDLY THAN THE WATER IN THE LAKES. COLD AIR MASSES FROM CANADA MOVE SOUTHEAST ACROSS THE GREAT LAKES; AS SOON AS THE AIR MASSES REACH THE OTHER SIDE, AIR RISES AND COOLS AGAIN. WATER CONDENSES AND FALLS AS SNOW.

SNOWSTORM SAFETY IF CAUGHT IN A SNOWSTORM, TRY TO FIND SHELTER FROM THE WIND. COVER EXPOSED PARTS OF THE BODY AND TRY TO STAY DRY.

WEATHER THAT CHANGED HISTORY BEFORE CHOOSING ONE OF THE MANY LABS AVAILABLE YOU MUST WRITE A PARAGRAPH DESCRIBING AND UNANTICIPATED STORM THAT CAUSED INCREDIBLE DAMAGE, AND EVEN CHANGED THE COURSE OF HISTORY… 1281 JAPAN 1588 ENGLAND 1620 MASSACHUSETTS 1837 NORTH CAROLINA 1870 GREAT LAKES 1900 TEXAS 1915 TEXAS