Download STORM TROOPERS

Student Resource Sheet IHA - 18
STORM TROOPERS
After a quick flash of light, you brace yourself for the boom of the thunder. Another
thunderstorm seems to have moved over your area. “Hurry up and get off that
computer!” your mom yells up to you. You quickly print out the latest email you’ve
received from Stormin’ Stan, and shut down the computer before the next flash of lightning.
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Stormy Weather
Hey weather watcher! I’m away from my desk, right now. I decided to head out to Tornado
Alley and check out the weather. Wow, those clouds outside are looking pretty dark. I bet a
storms coming this way. Hmm… now there’s something you probably haven’t researched –
STORMS! In this investigation, you will uncover the mystery of storms and determine just
what it takes for them to form.
As always, this is Stormin’ Stan the Weather Man asking, “Do you have what it takes to be a
star?”
Objective
When you have completed this investigation, you should be able to
1.
examine characteristics of thunderstorms and tornadoes in order to describe the conditions
necessary for their formation.
Activity 1
1. Observe the pictures and video footage of various storms provided by your teacher.
2. Predict the atmospheric ingredients necessary for thunderstorms to occur. Record you
response in Chart 1, “Recipe for a Thunderstorm.”
Chart 1
Recipe for a Thunderstorm
Predicted Atmospheric Ingredients
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Actual Atmospheric Ingredients
Student Resource Sheet IHA - 18
Activity 2
So, now that you have observed some pictures and videos of real-life storms, it is time to read about the conditions
necessary for storms to form.
3. Read each statement below. If you think the statement is true, place a “” in the Before Reading Agree column. If you think the
statement is false, place a “” in the Before Reading Disagree column.
Before Reading
Agree
Disagree
______
______
After Reading
Agree
Disagree
A. A storm is violent disturbance in the atmosphere.
______
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Justification from text:
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B. Storms occur when air pressure is stable and unchanging.
______
______
Justification from text:
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C. Thunderstorms form when warm air is pushed downward at a warm front.
______
______
Justification from text:
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Student Resource Sheet IHA - 18
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Before Reading
Agree
______
After Reading
Disagree
______
Agree
D. Thunderstorms and tornadoes are formed in the same type of clouds.
______
Disagree
______
Justification from text:
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______
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E. A tornado is more likely to form when a cold, dry air mass from the Gulf
of Mexico meets a warm, moist air mass from Canada.
______
______
Justification from text:
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______
______
F. Thunderstorms are more likely to occur in spring and summer during the
early morning when the ground is cooler.
______
______
Justification from text:
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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Student Resource Sheet IHA - 18
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Activity 3
4. Read pages 83-88 in Prentice Hall: Science Explorer, Weather and Climate to gather
information about the formation of thunderstorms and tornadoes.
5. Refer to the predictions you made in the Before Reading Column in Activity 2. Based on
what you have read, determine if your predictions were correct or incorrect. If you now
believe the statement is true, place a “” in the After Reading Agree column. If you now
believe the statement is false, place a “” in the After Reading Disagree column. Justify your
choices with support from the text.
6. Review the prediction you made in Activity 1 regarding the atmospheric conditions
necessary for the formation of a thunderstorm. Complete the “actual” box based on the
information you gathered in the reading.
CLASS DISCUSSION
Observe the animation describing the formation of a tornado. Complete the sequence chain to
describe the conditions that occur which may lead to the development of a tornado.
 _________________ at the surface
 _________________ air from
blow one ____________________;
the surface _______________
_________________ higher up
 As it ____________, the water
blow the ______________________
vapor ___________________
to form __________________
direction.

The difference creates a
_________________________ ,
____________________ mass of air
 _________________ warm
 Air from inner rotation may drop
____________ creates an
_________________________ out of the cloud
___________________
where air pressure is ______________________
which pulls the rotating air
mass _________________
OR
 the tornado may form from the ground
__________________________
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Analysis
As you review the email, you realize that Stormin’ Stan mentioned that he was currently in
Tornado Alley. A quick search of the Internet, provides you with the following information on
Tornado Alley.
The American Meteorology Society's Glossary of Weather and Climate defines Tornado
Alley as: "The area of the United States in which tornadoes are most frequent. It
encompasses the great lowland areas of the Mississippi, the Ohio, and lower Missouri River
Valleys. Although no state is entirely free of tornadoes, they are most frequent in the Plains
area between the Rocky Mountains and Appalachians."
Depending on the time of year, the southern and
northern borders of Tornado Alley extend from about
central Texas to Nebraska and Iowa. This region is
where tornadoes spin up most frequently and where
most monster, mile-wide twisters roam.
The map shows the areas included in “Tornado Alley.”
Adapted from: http://www.usatoday.com/weather/wtorally.htm and
http://library.thinkquest.org/C001472/neen/tornadoes/alley.content.html
1. Explain why tornadoes would be more likely to form in the area known as “Tornado Alley.”
Use information from the investigation to support your response.
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Stan is sending you audio Oklahoma City where he is on location with a group of local
storm chasers.
“Hey Weather Watcher. You should be here! Wow, this afternoon
heat and humidity is overwhelming! Summer sure is hot here! There
are large cumulonimbus clouds overhead. The sky is getting dark and
the winds appear to be picking up. Wheww… look out! Oh my….”
Stan’s audio message suddenly drops out. “Oh, no!” you shout to no one in particular. “I
wonder what happened to Stan. I hope he’s not in trouble.”
2. Determine if the weather conditions described in Stan’s audio message are
favorable for the formation of a tornado. Use information from the audio message
and the investigation to support your response.
_________________________________________________________________________
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Forecaster’s Forum: Determine if either of the cities that you selected for
your audition tape are located in Tornado Alley. Research the likelihood
of a tornado occurring in either of your cities.
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