Extreme Weather

Hurricanes

Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale

Category Wind Speed (mph)

Storm surge (feet)

Damage

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

Hurricane cont… 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 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… Rising air within the thunderstorm updraft

tilts the rotating air from horizontal to vertical.

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 well-constructed 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 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… 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

DOWNPOUR VIDEO

Droughts 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… 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 The North Carolina Drought Management

Advisory Council lists conditions on a D0-D4 scale, with D4 being an exceptional drought.

Blizzard 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… 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 Northeast Snowfall Impact Scale

The category 1-5 rankings, from "notable" to "extreme

• LIGHTNING VIDEO

Works CitedBrady, 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/weather-hurricane.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/