Science - Severe Weather

Thunderstorm

A small storm often accompanied by heavy precipitation and frequent thunder and lightning

Thunderstorm Ingredients

moisture, instability, lifting mechanism

What temperature of air holds the most moisure?

Warm Air

Cold Front

A rapidly front where cold air moves in under a warm air mass, pushing it up into the atmosphere.

Dry Line

A boundary that separates a moist air mass from a dry air mass

How does terrain affect thunderstorms?

Mountain ranges and other elevated terrain can force air to rise, leading to cloud formation and potentially thunderstorms.

It may also weaken them.

single-cell thunderstorm

a type of thunderstorm that is short-lived and rarely severe

Multi-Cell Thunderstorm

clusters of single-cell thunderstorms that clump together

Squall Line

a row of severe thunderstorms

super cell thunderstorm

most severe; large long lasting thunderstorm a single rotating updraft (mesocyclone); strong and vertical wind shear

EF Rating

Cateogrizes tornadoes based on wind speed. Predicts expected damage.

Tornado Watch

when conditions appear favorable for tornado formation

Tornado Warning

an announcement that a tornado has been seen in the sky or on weather radar

tornado emergency

A type of tornado warning issued when a particularly strong tornado poses the potential for major damage or loss of life.

Vortex

a mass of whirling fluid or air

tornado

A rapidly whirling, funnel-shaped cloud that reaches down to touch Earth's surface.

Tornado Alley

An area east of the Rocky Mountains. It is mainly in Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas that experiences the highest number of tornadoes per year.

Hurricane

A severe storm that develops over tropical oceans and whose strong winds of more than 120 km/h spiral in toward the intensely low-pressure storm center

Thunderstorm Benefits

Regulate electricity, balances heat on Earth, provides life-sustaining water

Thunderstorm Risks

Fires, Floods, Property Damage, Fires

Thunder

a booming or crashing noise caused by air expanding along the path of a bolt of lightning

Lightning

Abrupt electric discharge from cloud to cloud or from cloud to earth accompanied by the emission of light

eye of a hurricane

the calm, low pressure center of a hurricane

Plate Tectonics

A theory stating that the earth's surface is broken into plates that move.

Divergent Boundaries

Plates move apart, creating new crust.

Convergent Boundaries

Places where tectonic plates are coming together

Transform Boundaries

Places where tectonic plates slide along beside one another as they move

Lava Dome

A mountain or hill made from highly viscous lava

Shield Volcano

a broad, domed volcano with gently sloping sides

Composite Volcano

A tall, cone-shaped mountain in which layers of lava alternate with layers of ash and other volcanic materials

Cinder Volcano

A steep, conical hill with one vent

Epicenter

Point on Earth's surface directly above an earthquake's focus

Volcano Risks

Fire, Poisonous Gases, Landslides,

Volcano Benefits

Fertile Soil, Cooling of the Earth, geothermal energy

Ring of Fire

A major belt of volcanoes that rims the Pacific Ocean

Why do tornadoes occur in tornado alley?

because the cold air from the Rocky Mountains meets with the warm air from the Gulf of Mexico

When do tornadoes occur most often?

Spring Months

When do hurricanes occur most often?

Late summer-Early Fall

Why do hurricanes frequently orinigate in Atlantic?

The currents on the U.S. East Coast (Atlantic Ocean) move water up from the Caribbean, which is warm.

Tsunami

A giant wave usually caused by an earthquake beneath the ocean floor or sometomes a volcano.