Seasons and Weather The Earth rotates around the sun at 23.5* angle. Because of this tilt, different areas of the Earth receive more or less sunlight during different times of the year, creating our seasons.

Seasonal Change The solstice occurs when the sun shines directly overhead between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. The summer solstice, the beginning of summer, is the longest day of the year. June The winter solstice is the shortest. December Twice a year we have an equinox, a day when the days and nights are equal in length. March / September 22-23

Weather Weather is the condition of the atmosphere at a particular location and time. Climate is the typical weather conditions in a particular location over a long period of time. Weather is the result of several conditions, i.e., precipitation (rain, sleet, snow, or hail), cloud cover, landforms or large bodies of water, elevation, and air movement.

Precipitation Precipitation occurs when water rises, condenses, and cools. This happens in 3 different ways, convectional (hot climates) convection occurs after morning sunshine heats warm moist air. Clouds form in the afternoon and rain falls. orographic (mountains) orographic storms drop more rain on the windward side of a mountain. frontal (hot/cold collision) Mid- latitude frontal storms feature cold dense air masses that push lighter warm air masses upward, causing precipitation to form. Some mountains have a windward side, with lots of rain, and a leeward side, the rain shadow, which gets little.

Hurricanes Hurricanes form over warm water in the ocean. These storms draw in moisture in a circular pattern and wind speeds may exceed 200 mph. They have an eye in the center that is perfectly calm in the center. Measured on a scale: Depression Storm Cat. 1-5 Hurricane

Tornadoes Tornadoes can form quickly and without warning. They are born of strong thunderstorms and have winds exceeding 300 mph. Most only last a few minutes. On average we have abut 700 per year in the US. Measured on a scale: F1-F5

Blizzards A blizzard is a heavy snowstorm with winds at least 35 mph.

Droughts A drought is a long period of time with little or no rain. This can cause crop failures and reduced water levels in lakes and other storage facilities