Download Seasons and Weather

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 21-22
The winter solstice is the shortest.
December 21-22
Twice a year we have an equinox,
a day when the days and nights
are equal in length.
March 21-22 / 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) Midlatitude 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 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
Hurricanes
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
Tornadoes
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