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Winds, Storms and Rain
Winds, Storms and Rain
Winds, Storms and Rain
CHAPTER
Safety Measures
by the rotation of the earth.
(b) Uneven heating of land and water.
Role of Advanced Technology regions In summer, near the equator the land
warms up faster and most of the time the
temperature of the land is higher than that of
water in the oceans. The air over the land gets
heated and rises. This causes the winds to flow
WIND from the oceans towards the land. These are
monsoon winds.
When air moves, it is called wind. In winter, the direction of the wind flow gets
Air moves from the region where the air pressure reversed; it flows from the land to the ocean.
is high to the region where the pressure is low. The winds from the oceans carry water and bring
The greater the difference in pressure, the faster rain. It is a part of the water cycle.
the air moves.
In nature there are several situations, where warm THUNDERSTORMS
air rises at a place. The air pressure at that place is Thunderstorms develop in hot, humid tropical
lowered. The cold air from the surrounding areas areas like India very frequently. The rising
rushes in to fill its place. This sets up convection temperatures produce strong upward rising winds.
in air, i.e. wind These winds carry water droplets upwards, where
they freeze, and fall down again. The swift
REASON BEHIND WIND CURRENT
movement of the falling water droplets along with
Wind currents are generated due to Uneven the rising air create lightning and sound. It is this
Heating on the Earth. event that we call a thunderstorm.
These situations are :
(a) Uneven heating between the equator and
HOW A THUNDERSTORM BECOMES A CYCLONE
the poles.
Regions close to the equator get maximum heat Before cloud formation, water takes up heat from
from the Sun. The air in these regions gets warm. the atmosphere to change into vapour. When
The warm air rises, and the cooler air from the water vapour changes back to liquid form as
regions in the 0–30 degrees latitude belt on either raindrops, this heat is released to the atmosphere.
The heat released to the atmosphere warms the air life and property. It also reduces the fertility of the
around. The air tends to rise and causes a drop in soil.
pressure. More air rushes to the centre of the Continuous heavy rainfall may further worsen the
storm. This cycle is repeated. The chain of events flood situation.
ends with the formation of a very low-pressure High-speed winds accompanying a cyclone can
system with very high-speed winds revolving damage houses, telephones and other
around it. It is this weather condition that we call communication systems, trees, etc., causing
a cyclone. Factors like wind speed, wind tremendous loss of life and property.
direction, temperature and humidity contribute to
the development of cyclones. TORNADOES
A tornado is a dark funnel shaped cloud that
reaches from the sky to the ground Most of the
tornadoes are weak. A violent tornado can travel
15 KM
at speeds of about 300 km/h. Tornadoes may form
Out flow within cyclones.
Rising Air The whole coastline of India is vulnerable to
Sinking air
cyclones, particularly the east coast. The west
coast of India is less vulnerable to cyclonic storms
both in terms of intensity and frequency of the
cyclones.
Direction in
which Stream flow
cyclone
moving SAFETY MEASURES
B. Short Answer Type Questions Q.22 The cold, dry winds that blow over northern
India in winter are called the ……………
Q.7 What is air pressure ? How does it determine
the kind of weather a place will have ?
Single Correct Answer type Questions Q.5 Near the earth's surface …………… air rises
up whereas …………… air comes down :
Q.1 Which one of the following place is unlikely (A) Hot, cold (B) Cold, hot
to be affected by a cyclone ? (C) Cold, cold (D) Hot, hot
(A) Chennai (B) Manglore
(C) Amritsar (D) Puri Q.6 The energy possessed by wind is
(A) Kinetic energy
Q.2 Which of the statements given below is
correct ? (B) Potential energy
(A) In winter the winds flow from the land to (C) Thermal energy
the ocean (D) Sound energy
(B) In summer the winds flow from the land
Q.7 The cause of formation of cyclones is
towards the ocean.
(A) Air rotates at low pressure with high speed
(C) A cyclone is formed by a very high-
pressure system with very high-speed (B) Air rotates at high pressure with high speed
winds revolving around it (C) Air rotates at high pressure with low speed
(D) The coastline of India is not vulnerable to (D) None of these
cyclones
Q.8 Air moves from a region of ——— pressure
Q.3 Wind is …………… air
to a region of——— pressure.
(A) Moving
(B) Resting (A) High , low (B) Low, high
(C) Moving or resting (C) High, high (D) Low, low
(D) None of these
Q.4 Winds are generated due to ……………
heating on the earth .
(A) Direct
(B) Indirect
(C) Direct or Indirect
(D) One of these
ANSWER KEY
EXERCISE-2
Ques. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Ans. A A A A A A A A