Weather
SCOTT HANDELNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Photo: Courtesy NOAA
Why Become A Meteorologist?
Weather Affects Everyone!Being Able to Predict the Weather Saves
Lives!!!
Outline
• Clouds• Thunderstorms• Hail/Lightning• Tornadoes• Hurricanes• Tsunamis (Time Permitting)
Types of Clouds
Name That Cloud
Name That Cloud
Cumulus
Name That Cloud
Name That Cloud
Stratus
Name That Cloud
Name That Cloud
Cirrus
Name That Cloud
Name That Cloud
Stratus(Fog)
Name That Cloud
Name That Cloud
Cumulonimbus
Thunderstorm Formation
How do Clouds Form?
Hail
How does Hail Form?Strong updrafts of warm air and down-drafts of cold air are in a thunderstorm. If a water droplet is picked up by the updrafts...it can be carried well above the freezing level. With temperatures below 32°F...our water droplet freezes. As the frozen droplet begins to fall...carried by cold downdrafts...it may thaw as it moves into warmer air toward the bottom of the thunderstorm But...it may also get picked up again by another updraft...carrying it back into very cold air and re-freezing it. With each trip above and below the freezing level our frozen droplet adds another layer of ice. Finally...our frozen water droplet...with many layers of ice - much like the rings in a tree...falls to the ground - as hail!
What can hail do?
Lightning
How Lightning Forms
The connection is made and the protons rush up to meet the electrons. It is at that point that we see lightning and hear thunder. A bolt of lightning heats the air along its path causing it to expand rapidly. Thunder is the sound caused by rapidly expanding air.
Tornadoes
What is a tornado?"a violently rotating column of air, pendant from a cumuliform cloud or underneath a cumuliform cloud, and often (but not always) visible as a funnel cloud."
WHERE DO TORNADOES FORM?
WHY DO TORNADOES LIKE THE CENTRAL U.S.?
HOW DO TORNADOES FORM?
Are Winds Faster In the Strongest Hurricane or In the Strongest
Tornado?
Fujita Tornado Damage ScaleScale Wind Estimate
(MPH)Typical Damage
F0 < 73 Light – Some damage to chimneys, branches broken, signs damaged.
F1 73-112 Moderate – Peels surface off roofs; mobile homes pushed off foundations or overturned.
F2 113-157 Considerable – Roofs torn off frame houses, mobile homes demolished, large trees snapped
F3 158-206 Severe – Roofs and some walls torn off well constructed homes, trains overturned
F4 207-260 Devastating – Well-constructed homes leveled; cars thrown and large missiles generated
F5 261-318 Incredible – Strong frame houses leveled off foundation and swept away, trees debarked
F0 Damage
F1 Damage
F2 Damage
F3 Damage
F4 Damage
F5 Damage
Tornado Embeds
Tornado Embeds
Tornado Embeds
Rate the Tornado
Rate the Tornado
F2
Rate the Tornado
Rate the Tornado
F4
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Rate the Tornado
F1
Rate the Tornado
Rate the Tornado
F2
Rate the Tornado
Rate the Tornado
F4
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F3
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F5
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Rate the Tornado
F2
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F2
http://www.archive.org/details/tornadafootageilp
HURRICANES!…An overview of tropical cyclones
Princeton UniversityQuest Science Workshop
July, 2007
Where do hurricanes form?
When do hurricanes form?
How Do Hurricanes Form?3. Having lost most of its heat and energy, the air is now expelled outward away from the center of the storm in the cooler hurricane outflow at high levels.
In mature hurricanes, an eye forms in the center. Here, the air is descending and the region is generally cloud-free.
2. The warm, moist air rises in thunderstorms surrounding the eye, supplying the fuel that helps strengthen the storm and intensify the winds.
1. As air rushes into the hurricane’s low pressure center, the air picks up heat and moisture (fuel) from the warm ocean surface.
H HL
What causes the winds to rotate around a hurricane?
H
H H
H
L
The Coriolis Effect:
Saffir Simpson Scale
Wind Damage examplesA 1x4 board of wood was pierced through a palm tree by Hurricane Andrew’s winds in August, 1992.
A mobile home park near Miami, FL was completely destroyed by Hurricane Andrew in August, 1992.
An historic home along the Gulf Coast before and after the passage of Category 5 Hurricane Camille in August, 1969.
Storm Surge
http://www.archive.org/details/AH-Tsunamis_-_Know_What_to_Do
http://www.archive.org/details/tsunami_koh_lanta_thailand
http://www.archive.org/details/Tsunami_399
http://www.archive.org/details/tsunami_penang_beach