Severe Weather

Thunderstorms

•Ingredients: rising air and plenty of moisture

•All thunderstorms produce lightning since lightning causes thunder

•Lightning: enormous and very hot spark of electricity

•Thunder: the explosive sound of air expanding as it is heated by lightning

•Severe Thunderstorms produce strong winds, large hail, heavy downpours and even tornadoes

•The Thunderstorm Recipe - YouTube

What is Lightning?

•As water droplets and ice crystals move around the inside of a thunderstorm cloud’s strong updrafts and downdrafts, electrical charges are generated.

•HSW Lightning

DO NOT WRITE

•When the electrical charges become very large, electricity is released in a bolt of lightning

•Lightning bolts heat up the air to about 54,000 degrees Fahrenheit, which is 5x hotter than the surface of the sun

Lightning

THUNDERSTORM SAFETY

Thunderstorm Safety

•Stay inside•Have a flashlight ready•Keep away from metal•Do not use any telephones/electrical appliances

•Unplug appliances•Stay away from water (pools, baths, showers)

•If no shelter is available, crouch down on both feet in a low dry area

FYI

•If you begin to feel your hair stand on end, this indicates lightning is about to strike. You should drop to your knees and bend forward placing your hands on your knees and crouch down. Do not lie flat on the ground, this will only make you a larger target.

Tornadoes•Start as spinning columns of air•Can be a few feet wide up to about a mile wide

•Can travel at speeds of 25-45 mph

•Spinning winds can spin up to 300 mph

TORNADO SAFETY

•Tornado Safety: keep a battery-powered radio handy, seek shelter in a basement or deepest interior of a strong building, keep clear of windows. If outside, get out of any cars or vehicles and lie flat in a low-lying area or ditch

How Tornadoes Work- news storyHow Tornadoes Form - YouTube

Hurricanes

•Intense cyclones with swirling winds up to 150 mph

•Usually 300 miles across•Known as Typhoons in the Pacific Ocean

•Form over warm oceans where evaporating water makes the air quite humid

•Warm air rises because it is less dense than cold

•As the tropical air rises and condenses, huge amounts of heat are released into the air

•Why Do Hurricanes Form? - YouTube

Hurricane Safety

•Keep battery-powered radios handy

•Board up windows•Evacuation might be necessary

Blizzards

•A violent snowstorm with winds blowing at a minimum speed of 35 mph, visibility of less than ¼ of a mile for 3 hours, low temperatures and heavy blowing snow

Blizzard Safety

•Have battery operated appliances- may lose power

•Warm clothing-may lose heat

•Cooler to keep food cold•Stock of bottled water

•Stock of non-perishable foods (foods that won’t spoil)

•Can opener (usually need them for the non-perishables!!!!)

•DO NOT USE STOVES FOR HEAT!- may cause Carbon Monoxide poisoning

•Charge phones, etc. in advance of the storm

•Have extra batteries on handThunder Snow - 2011 Blizzard – YouTubeBlizzard Belts East Coast – YouTubeThe Great Blizzard of 1977 – YouTubeFebruary 2010 Snow Storm - YouTube