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Extreme Weather
Hurricanes
Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale
Wind Speed
(mph)
Storm
surge
(feet)
1
74-95
4-5
Minimal
2
96-100
6-8
Moderate
3
111-130
9-12
Extensive
4
131-155
13-18
Extreme
5
>155
>18
Catastrophic
Category
Damage
Hurricane cont…
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moves massive amounts of water from the
ocean to over the landmasses
may bring much needed precipitation
widespread property damage and flooding
may kill many organisms and destroy habitats
Tornadoes
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Tornadoes often develop from a class of
thunderstorms known as supercells.
Supercells contain an area of organized
rotation a few miles up in the atmosphere,
usually 1–6 miles across.
Tornado cont…
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Rising air within the thunderstorm updraft
tilts the rotating air from horizontal to
vertical.
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An area of rotation, 2-6 miles wide, now
extends through much of the storm.
Scale
Wind speed
(mph)
Damage
F0
40-72
Light damage. Some damage to chimneys; branches
broken off trees; shallow-rooted trees pushed over; sign
boards damaged.
F1
73-112
Moderate damage. The lower limit is the beginning of
hurricane wind speed; peels surface off roofs; mobile
homes pushed off foundations or overturned; moving autos
pushed off the roads; attached garages may be destroyed.
F2
113-157
Considerable damage. Roofs torn off frame houses; mobile
homes demolished; boxcars overturned; large trees
snapped or uprooted
F3
158-206
Severe damage. Roofs and some walls torn off wellconstructed houses; trains overturned; most trees in forest
uprooted; heavy cars lifted off the ground and thrown.
F4
207-260
Devastating damage. Well-constructed houses leveled;
structures with weak foundations blown away some
distance; cars thrown and large missiles generated.
F5
261-318
Incredible damage. Strong frame houses lifted off
foundations and carried considerable distances to
disintegrate; automobile sized missiles fly through the air
in excess of 100 m (109 yd); trees debarked; steel
reinforced concrete structures badly damaged;
HIG
Floods
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an overflow of a body of water that
submerges land
Slow kinds: Runoff from sustained rainfall or
rapid snow melt exceeding the capacity of a
river's channel.
Fast kinds: flash flood as a result of an
intense thunderstorm or monsoon.
Floods cont…
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Physical damage - Can range anywhere from bridges, cars,
buildings, sewer systems, roadways, canals and any other
type of structure being destroyed.
Casualties - People and livestock die due to drowning. It can
also lead to epidemics and diseases.
Water supplies - Contamination of water. Clean drinking
water becomes scarce.
Diseases - Unhygienic conditions. Spread of water-borne
diseases
Crops and food supplies - Shortage of food crops can be
caused due to loss of entire harvest.
FLOOD VIDEO
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DOWNPOUR VIDEO
Droughts
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an extended period of months or years when a region
notes a deficiency in its water supply
occurs when a region receives consistently below
average precipitation
can be triggered by an above average number of high
pressure systems, winds carrying continental, rather
than oceanic air masses (reduced water content), and
ridges of high pressure areas form with behaviors
which prevent or restrict the developing of
thunderstorm activity or rainfall over one certain
region
Drought cont…
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diminished crop growth
famine due to lack of water for irrigation
habitat damage, affecting both land and water
wildlife
shortages of water for industrial users
wildfires are more common during times of
drought
Drought ranking
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The North Carolina Drought Management
Advisory Council lists conditions on a D0-D4
scale, with D4 being an exceptional drought.
Blizzard
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severe winter storm characterized by low
temperatures, strong winds, and heavy
blowing snow
Blizzards are formed when a high pressure
system interacts with a low pressure system;
this results in the moving of air from the high
pressure zone into the low pressure area.
Blizzards cont…
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Blowing snow can cause whiteout conditions
that make driving dangerous.
High winds coupled with low temperatures
can create wind chill effects that pose a
greater danger to humans and animals.
Locks up large amounts of water; then when it
melts flooding is possible
Blizzard ranking
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Northeast Snowfall Impact Scale
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The category 1-5 rankings, from "notable" to
"extreme
• LIGHTNING VIDEO
Works Cited
Brady, J., & Garber, W. (2011). IR Information for the Real World. Retrieved January 20, 2011, from
http://www.irinfo.org/articles/article_8_2005_brady.htm
Weather Wiz Kids. (2010). Retrieved January 20, 2011, from Hurricanes: http://www.weatherwizkids.com/weatherhurricane.htm
Kid's Corner: Environmental Information System. (2011). Retrieved January 20, 2011, from Tornados:
http://envis.tropmet.res.in/kidscorner/tornadoes.htm
Short, N. (n.d.). RST: The Water Planet. Retrieved January 20, 2011, from Precipitation, Storms And Other Weather
Phenomena; Climate: http://www.fas.org/irp/imint/docs/rst/Sect14/Sect14_1d.html
Discovery Education. (2000). Retrieved January 20, 2011, from World's Best: Nature's
Fury: http://search.discoveryeducation.com/