Understanding Weather and Extreme Weather Events

Weather

short term conditions

Climate

long term patterns & averages

Average Storm Track Pattern

Normal Weather

Rain and snow

Rainy season, dry season, etc

Storm tracks

Wind patterns

Temperature regimes

Controlled by differences in pressure and temperature

Lake Effect Snow

Cold, dry air masses pass over warmer water, picking up substantial moisture along the way

Thunderstorms

Tremendous energy released by the rapid condensation of large quantities of water vapor

Large convection cells

Torrential downpours, often accompanied by lightning

Tornadoes

Most tornadoes on Earth occur in North America

Local scale damage

Measured with EF Scale

EF Scale

EF0 to EF5

Mesocyclone

Has the potential to shoot tornado funnels down to the surface

Tropical Cyclones

A major way energy is transported and dissipated

Saffir-Simpson scale

Measured with wind speed

Hurricane

Eye of the hurricane is surrounded by bands of thunderstorms