Download Name: Date Period ______ Thunderstorms Definition: A usually

Name: _______________________________
Date __________________
Period ________
Definition:
A usually brief, heavy storm that consists
of rain, strong winds, lightning, and
thunder
How is it formed?
Air mass rises until it reaches its dew
point, water vapor and air condenses and
forms cumulus clouds, warm air continues
to rise causing the cloud to grow into a
dark cumulonimbus
Thunderstorms
Conditions:
Warm, moist air near the Earth’s surface
What is a severe thunderstorm?
and an unstable atmosphere (surrounding Can produce one or more of the following
air colder than rising air mass)
condition: high winds, hail, flash floods,
and tornadoes.
Safety:
You should go inside if possible!
If no shelter is available, go inside a car.
If you are outside: Stay away from trees, crouch down, and stay away from water (be
careful of lightning).
Definition:
An electric discharge that takes place
between 2 oppositely charged surfaces
(ex: cloud to ground, cloud to cloud, or
between 2 parts of the same large cloud)
What happens when it strikes?
Energy is released and transferred to the
air, causing it to expand rapidly and send
out sound waves (thunder)
Lightning
Where does lighting happen?
Between positively charged area and
negatively charged area.
How is it related to thunder?
Thunder is the sound that results from the
rapid expansion of the air along the
lightning strike
Safety:
You should go inside if possible!
If no shelter is available, go inside a car.
If you are outside: Stay away from trees, crouch down, and stay away from water
Name: _______________________________
Date __________________
Definition:
A destructive rotating column of air that
has very high wind speeds is visible as a
funnel shaped cloud and touches the
ground.
Period ________
How is it formed?
Wind moving in two directions causes a
layer of air to spin; spinning is turned to a
vertical position by strong updrafts;
spinning column moves to bottom of
cumulonimbus cloud and forms funnel
cloud; funnel cloud touches ground
Tornadoes
Characteristics?
Is 8 km long and 10 to 60 m wide; Strong
spinning winds; wind speeds between
120 and 180 km/h
Where/When do they occur?
Spring & early Summer when cold, dry air
from Canada meets warm, moist air from
tropics; 75% occur the US
Safety:
If a warning, find shelter quickly (basement/cellar) or a windowless room; protect
yourself by crouching against a wall and covering the back of your head/neck
Definition:
Severe Storm that develops over tropical
oceans and whose strong winds of more
than 120 km/h spiral in toward the
intensely low-pressure storm Center
How is it formed?
Begins as a group of thunderstorms
moving over tropical ocean waters; winds
traveling in two directions cause storm to
spiral; gets energy from water vapor
through evaporation
Hurricanes
Parts of a hurricane:
Eye Wall: group of cumulonimbus clouds
produce rain and winds
Eye: core of warm calm air with low
pressure
Rain Bands: spiraling bands of clouds
beyond the eye wall
What is a storm surge?
A storm surge is a wall of water that
builds up over the ocean because of the
strong winds and low atmospheric
pressure
Safety:
May need to evacuate; locate the supply kit; cover windows with plywood and stay
indoors
Name: _______________________________
Date __________________
Definition:
an overflowing of water onto normally dry
land
Period ________
How is it formed?
Floods occur when an area is
overwhelmed with water; is most often
associated with hurricanes and
thunderstorms
Floods
Characteristics?
large amounts of water that pick up
everything in it’s way, normal flooding can
be predicted ahead of time
Where/When do they occur?
In relatively low lying areas adjacent to
streams and rivers, flash floods can occur
almost anywhere due to high amounts of
rain, also when dams break, rapid ice
melting, beavers with misplaced homes,
storm surges
Safety:
Find a high place to wait out the flood, stay out of flood waters
Definition:
How is it formed?
winter storms are associated with quickly Low temperatures, Cold Fronts, cold dry
moving cold fronts and they can produce Canadian Air mass moves south and
high winds, very low temperatures plus
interacts with a warm moist air mass
include blizzards ice storms and large
moving north from the Gulf of Mexico
accumulations of snow
Winter Storm
Characteristics?
Where/When do they occur?
Large amounts of frozen precipitation,
Are more common in higher altitudes,
dangerous road conditions, and disruption colder locations
to everyday life- supplies can be limited.
Safety:
Have a disaster plan, keep everyday supplies stocked, stay indoors, keep dry, dress
warmly, -food provides energy for heat, watch for signs of hypothermia
Name: _______________________________
Date __________________
Definition:
A strong, turbulent wind that carries
clouds of fine dust, soil, and sand over a
large area.
Period ________
How is it formed?
Strong winds blowing over loose soil or
sand picking up so much of that material
that visibility is greatly reduced
Dust Storm
Characteristics?
They can spread over hundreds of miles
and rise over 10,000 feet. They also have
wind speeds of at least 25 miles per hour.
Where/When do they occur?
They happen in any dry area where loose
dirt can easily be picked up. Grains of
sand tossed into the air by the wind
usually fall back down to the ground after
a few hours. Smaller bits of particles stay
in the air for a week or longer and can be
blown thousands of miles away.
Safety:
Seek shelter, if driving pull off of the road and turn your lights off. Cover mouth, nose
and eyes- if able, find high ground. Stay put until the storm has passed.