ByKatieAlex

ChristinaEmily

THE WEATHER

AND

What is Weather?

• Weather is the state of the atmosphere at a certain time. In the troposphere, the lowest layer of the atmosphere, most weather takes place.

What kinds a weather are out there?

There are many types of weather out there, some that are destructive, chemical , some even earth-bound. The kind of weather is more based on the time of year, for instance winter would have blizzards, sleet and cold weather conditions, while summer would have rain, heat waves and hurricanes (the more heated the ocean the more active the storm)

Winter Weather• Winter weather, better known to the

student body as time off school because of the harsh, below zero, conditions. Such conditions can range from light snow, to extreme blizzard storms. Sleet also occurs in this time of year, and occurs because the water in the atmosphere freezes before it hits the ground. Some of the more dangerous conditions like freezing rain, which is just simply rain, freezing on the ground can make even walking a dangerous task. It also can cause car accidents, people falling, and most likely to the extent, school closure. Most people see Sleet and call it hail, but hail is ice being picked up and dropped during a lightning storm, not during a winter blizzard. World’s largest

snowman

Blizzards

• Blizzards are severe winter storms characterized by snow or blowing snow with winds of 40km/h at the least, and visibility at reduced to less than one km. The wind-chill (what the air would feel on your skin if walking 4km/h) can be -25 or colder. The blizzard is not classified a blizzard until it lasts at least four hours, regardless, the conditions above are dangerous and should not be underestimated.

Blizzard safety precautions:

• Maintain a good supply of heating fuel and food. If you are warned early enough, you will have time to get these , and be sure to include food that needs no preparation in case of power failure.

• Ensure your pets (or your farm animals if necessary) are sheltered, ensure they have food and water to last out a good storm.

• DO NOT GO OUTSIDE. You could get lost through the blinding snow and possibly die of starvation or most likely hypothermia. If you must go outside, dress warmly and tie a rope to something stationary around your house that you can use later to return to.

• Have devices in case of power failure. A backup generator, flashlights and portable radios.

• After the storm. When the blizzard clears, avoid driving until roads are clear and avoid overexertion, heart attacks from shovelling snow are the leading cause of deaths during winter. Soon check your neighbours to see how they are doing.

THIS COULD BE YOU

Wind• Wind is horizontal movement of air relative to the earth's surface

and is caused by variations in temperature and pressure. • The wind direction is the direction from which the air is

blowing( north winds blow to the south). • A squall is a strong wind lasting generally a few minutes then dying

down. • A draft is a small gusty air current that moves upward or

downward abruptly.• A gust is a sudden, brief increase in wind speed that generally last

less than 20 seconds.• Chinooks also called foehn winds meaning snow eater. These

winds are warm, dry and gusty and occur to the leeward side (sheltered from where the wind is coming from) of the mountain range.

Wind-Chill• Wind-chill is how cold your skin feels while walking

4km/h. Wind-chill is not measured in degrees because its not an actual air temperature. For example; if the weather outside is -10 degrees Celsius, and the wind-chill is -20, -20 degrees Celsius is how cold you will feel. It’s good for meteorologists to inform the public of how to dress for cold weather, and helps keep people on their toes. Wind-chill also causes water to freeze more quickly. Frostbite becomes a factor in the lower wind-chills, and anything wet that you are coming to direct contact with increases the effect of wind-chill.

Warmer climate weather

• Warmer climate weather can generate multiple kinds of weather. Some of the weather in these climates are only experience by some places in the world and not all, so be sure to check that your region is safe from any of the following conditions.

DISCLAIMER ALERT

DISCLAIMER ALERT

Dangerous Weather

• In the summer, or a warmer climate, you can experience some extreme, life threatening weather, giving the location. These can be Hurricanes, Tornadoes, Lightning storms, Hail, rain, and flooding.

Hurricanes

• A hurricane is a massive storm stretching up to 600 miles. Winds twirl inward and upward at up to 75 to 200 mph. They move 10-20 miles per hour over the ocean and last up to a week. Because of the warm water of the ocean, a hurricane picks up the warm water particles and generates energy. The wind twirls counter clockwise, at incredible force in the direction to the eye, or the center of the storm.

Safety from Hurricanes

• Have a disaster plan.• If indoors, board up windows and remove any

exterior objects that may blow away, causing harm to you, in the storm.

• Know where the evacuation area is, contact a service provider for directions.

• Have a survival kit.• Stay away from low-lying and flood prone areas,

get to high ground a.s.a.p.

Tornadoes

• A tornado is a violent rotating column of air extending from a thunderstorm to the ground.

• Some tornadoes can have winds up to 300mph. • Tornadoes are extremely destructive, hurling

objects in all directions at maximum force. • The path of a tornado is one mile high and up to

50 miles long. • On average, 1000 tornadoes are reported yearly.

Safety around active Tornadoes• If you are in a house with a basement

you should use it for a safe shelter.• Hide under a workbench, or a heavy

table.• Be sure not to shelter beneath a heavy

object on the floor above, they could fall through the floor and collapse upon you.

• If you are made aware of a tornado before hand, you should evacuate your home and get as far away as possible.

• In an apartment, dorm, or home with no basement, you should avoid windows and stay on the bottom floor and hide under stairs, a table, bathtub or a table to protect you from falling debris. Make sure to crouch as low to the floor as possible and cover your head.

Hail

• Hail is created when small water droplets are caught in the updraft of a thunderstorm.

• These water droplets are lifted higher and higher until they freeze and turn to ice. The ice will soon be heavy enough to fall.

• Any small pieces of ice too light to fall will get caught in the updraft again and grow into larger pieces of ice, then fall to the ground.

Rain

• Rain forms from warm air. As warm air rises in the sky it cools. All air, especially warm air, contains water vapour. When enough of these small bits of water gather together, we see them as clouds. When clouds get large enough, the water vapour droplets collide and make larger droplets. When the drops get heavy, they fall.

Floods• A flood is when conditions force water to overflow banks

or barriers.• This can be a result of days of heavy rainfall or melting

snow. • A flash flood occurs when floodwaters rise rapidly due to

slow moving rain clouds and heavy rain lasting for hours. They can not be predicted and seemingly come out of nowhere.

• With a mere 2 meters of water, a car or even a bus can be picked up and floated away and with 6 inches of water and a current, so can a person.

Safety from Floods

• Have a disaster plan and materials to use for survival for several days.

• If you are in the flood and at home, go to the highest floor, or the roof if mandatory.

• Never drive through a flood, you do not know the depth of the water, or if the road was washed away.

• If a flowing steam of water is above your ankles, turn around and go into the other direction.

• Given the opportunity evacuate your home to a safe location with the necessary resources provided.

Thunder and lightning storms

• Lightning is a flash of electricity produced from a thunderstorm. If you hear thunder you are in danger of lightning.

• Lightning kills more people then hurricanes or tornadoes, possibly because they are underestimated. Lightning storms kill 75 to 100 people each year.

Lightning • Lightning is formed inside a

thundercloud, which contains many pieces of ice, that collide into each other rapidly. The collision causes an electric charge and soon the entire cloud is carrying a current.

• Positive electrons form at the top of the cloud while the negative form at the bottom.

• Since opposites attract, that causes a positive charge to form on the ground beneath the cloud.

• Any object sticking up, trees, mountains even people will contain a charge and could be struck my lightning.

Lightning Safety

• Avoid outdoors, tall buildings or simply places high up. Also avoid water, or areas where there is a high concentration of people.

• If your outdoors get into a car and roll up the windows, surprisingly cars are very safe during a lightning storm.

• If your indoors, avoid the use of tap water, they could contain electricity.

• Do not use electric devices plugged into an outlet, because an electrical pole could be struck, transferring the electrical force into you.

Bibliography

• http://www.weatherwizkids.com/• http://www.spc.noaa.gov/faq/tornado/safety.

html• http://merlin.alfred.edu/muller/FormerPhysW

orld/PhysWorld06/Project4/Images/scale.jpg

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