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Storms
Remember your favorite storm?
Introduction
• After your short story is finished, answer these
questions to the best of your ability.
– What do you think caused the storm?
– What happened during the storm?
– What are the effects of the storm?
• “Early in 1998, a series of powerful tornadoes roared through
central Florida. With winds as high as 210 miles per hour, the
tornadoes dropped cars into living rooms, crumpled trailers, and
destroyed businesses and school buildings. They were the
deadliest tornadoes ever to hit Florida. These tornadoes were
not the only violent weather that year. In California the problem
was rain. Record rainfalls brought devastating floods and
mudslides.
• What was causing these disasters? Meteorologists had an
answer: El Niño. El Niño is a weather pattern related to the
temperature of the water in the tropical Pacific Ocean. When
temperatures there rise, they set off a series of events that can
influence weather half a world away.
• Have you ever experienced a tornado, hurricane, or other severe
storm? When rain pours down, thunder crashes, or snowdrifts
pile up, it may be hard to think about the actions of air pressure
and air masses. Yet they are the causes of severe storms as well
as the weather you experience every day. A storm is a violent
disturbance in the atmosphere. Storms involve sudden changes
in air pressure, which in turn cause rapid air movements.”
•
Earth Science published by Prentice Hall in 2002 in Upper Saddle River, NJ. Page 567
Tornado - Definition
• Rapidly whirling, funnel-shaped cloud that
reaches down from a storm cloud to touch
Earth’s surface
Tornado - Causes
• Ward, humid air masses that moves north
collides with cold, dry air moving south
• Cold air pushes underneath the warm air
causing it to rise creating a line that can
produce 10 or more tornadoes called a squall
line.
• Somewhere in the Great Plains is common.
Tornado – Fun Facts
• Winds can approach 480 km/hr.
• Brief but deadly.
• Develop in low, heavy cumulonimbus clouds,
same as thunderstorms.
• Spring or early summer is the most likely for
tornadoes to occur.
• Around 800 tornadoes a year in the US alone.
• Tornados can level houses on one side of the
street without touching the other side.
Tornado - Effects
• Negative effects are caused by damaging
winds and flying debris.
• The low pressure from inside the tornado
sucks up dust and debris.
• Can move or shatter objects. Can move
objects up to 30 miles away.
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43VoMes
Ud2Q&NR=1&feature=fvwp
Tornado - Safety
• The basement of a well-built building will be
the safest.
• Stay away from windows.
• Lie on the floor under something sturdy.
• If outside, move to a building or lie in a ditch.
Hurricane - Definition
• A tropical storm that has winds of 119+ Km/hr.
Hurricane - Causes
• Begins over warm water as a low-pressure
area, or tropical disturbance.
• The energy of a hurricane is from the warm,
humid air at the ocean’s surface. This forms
clouds and more air is drawn to the surface.
The winds spiral inward to this area of low
pressure.
Hurricane – Fun Facts
• Typical hurricane is 600 meters across.
• They are most common between June and
November.
• Most likely form in the Atlantic, Pacific, and
Indian Oceans. Most common in Atlantic.
• The center of a hurricane has the lowest air
pressure and warmest temperatures. Winds can
reach 320Km/hr. In the center. The center
surrounds the eye of the storm. After the eye, the
winds switch directions.
• They can last a week. It loses strength as it passes
over land because it does not have the ocean air
pressure anymore.
Hurricane - Effects
• It can bring much needed rainfall to these areas.
Hurricanes also bring high waves, wind, rain, and
flooding. It can damage and destroy trees,
buildings, and power lines.
• The storm surge is the most dangerous. The
water level of the ocean rise to six meters above
normal sea level. This then sweeps across the
coast along with the hurricane. This has been
known to wash away beaches and destroy
buildings.
Hurricane - Safety
• Hurricane watches warn citizens 36 hours in
advance of a possible hurricane. People evacuate
temporarily or are ready to evacuate.
• Hurricane warning tells citizens to leave the area
quickly.
• If you must stay, move to the interior of a building
away from windows.
• http://www.education.noaa.gov/Weather_and_Atmosph
ere/Hurricanes.html
Thunderstorm - Definition
• Heavy rainstorms accompanied by thunder
and lightning.
Thunderstorm - Causes
• Formed in large cumulonimbus clouds which
are also known as thunderheads.
• It occurs when warm air is forced upward
because of a cold front.
• It occurs also because of hot, humid
afternoons in the spring and summertime.
This is because the warm, humid air rises
quickly, and as it rises, it cools forming
thunderhead clouds.
Thunderstorm – Fun Facts
• Thunderstorms produce amazing upward and
downward winds within the cloud. When a
downward draft strikes the ground, it creates
bursts of wind, wind shears.
• Lightning is a sudden spark which is a discharge
of energy. These sudden sparks occur between
clouds, in a cloud, or between the cloud and the
ground.
• Thunder is caused by the lightning. The lightning
can heat the air around it up to 30,000°C. This
hot air expands explosively. Thunder is that
sound of the hot air expanding.
Thunderstorm - Effects
• Heavy rains, sometimes hail.
• Wind shears can cause a number of airplane
accidents.
• Lightning could start forest fires, shock
animals or people, which can cause burns,
heart failure, or unconsciousness.
Thunderstorm - Safety
• Avoid touching metal.
• Lightning rods can take the energy from the lightning
and transfer it safely into the ground. That is why
people put lightning rods at the tallest point of their
house or building.
• Seeking shelter under a tree is very dangerous because
lightning could strike that tree. Find a low area and
crawl to it, staying close to the ground.
• Do not go in the water during a lightning storm.
• Avoid touching things that can transfer electricity.
• Vehicles are safe, just avoid any metal parts.
Winter Storms - Definition
• Snow fall with strong winds.
Winter Storms - Causes
• Snow is the form of precipitation when humid
air cools to 0°C or below
Winter Storms – Fun Facts
• Strong winds can blow snow sideways or keep
snow up off the ground and hold it there.
Winter Storms - Effects
• Roads are blocked, people are trapped in their
homes, and emergency vehicles have difficulty
with transportation.
• Crops can be damaged and water pipes could
freeze.
• These cool conditions with strong wind can
cool a person’s body temperature down
rapidly.
Winter Storms - Safety
• Find shelter from the wind.
• Cover all parts of your body and stay dry.
• In a vehicle, the driver should only have the
vehicle running if the exhaust pipe is clear of
snow.
• DRIVE SAFELY!
Some extra help
• http://www.cbs6albany.com/sections/weather/weat
heralerts/
• http://www.cbs6albany.com/sections/weather/advis
ories/winter/
• http://www.weather.gov/
Assignment
• Get into your project groups.
• Together decide what type of severe weather your region
would have. Together, create a safety plan which includes a
description, advisories, and necessary actions.
• Use correct terminology and good solid descriptions of the
storm itself and the precautions people should be taking.
• A sample safety plan is found at
http://www.spc.noaa.gov/faq/tornado/safety.html.
• Your safety plan should include prevention before the
storm, signs of the storm, what to do, and after the storm.
Rubric
Category
Level 1 –
Minimal
Level 2 – Basic
Level 3 Advanced
Level 4 Outstanding
Description
A brief
description of
the storm
without any
terminology.
Shows no
learning of the
lesson.
A brief
description of
the storm with
some
terminology.
Shows some
learning of the
lesson.
A satisfactory
description of
the storm with
good use of
terminology.
Shows
understanding
of the lesson.
An in-depth
description
with excellent
use of
terminology.
Shows
complete
understanding
of the lesson.
Safety Plan
A brief safety
plan with
minimal steps.
A safety plan
that has almost
all necessary
steps.
A well-thought
out safety plan
with all
necessary
steps.
A well-thought
out safety plan
that is easy to
understand
and could be
easily put into
action.
References
• Answers on the PowerPoint were taken from
(2002). Earth Science (Teacher's ed. , pp. 567575). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson
Education, Inc.