Severe Weather:

Tornadoes and Hurricanes

Thunderstorms and Lightning
S6E4b Relate unequal heating of land
and water surfaces to form large global
wind systems and weather events
such as tornados and thunderstorms.
c Relate how moisture evaporating
from the oceans affects the weather
patterns and weather events such as
hurricanes
 Task:
Scenario: You are a team of storm chasers
from the Weather Channel. Your job is to
educate the public about severe weather as
it is happening. You will need a team of
researchers to do this project. Each
person will play a role, but you will need to
do the research on the severe storm alone.
 Your Task:
Create a group product to share the
information about your storm with the rest
of the class during a gallery walk.
Products could be a song, poster,
informational flyer, brochure, 3 minute
information video, recipe card or any other
product your group comes up with and gets
approved by the teacher
 As you work think about these
questions :
What are the ingredients for your storm to form?
How does your storm form?
What are the atmospheric conditions that are likely to
occur?
Does your storm form during a specific season or
month(s)?
Is there a particular location where this storm forms?
How does this storm affect the people who live through
it?
What are some safety tips to survive this storm?
 Grab Toto!!
TORNADOES

Are a low pressure storm that usually

forms over land

in an average year, 800 tornadoes are

reported in the U.S.

a tornado is defined as a violently

rotating column of air extending from a
thunderstorm to the ground the
rotating column of air is called the
vortex

the vortex is only visible when debris THE HOOK

Where do they come
from?

Tornadoes come from the

energy released in a
thunderstorm.

What makes them

dangerous (as compared to
hurricanes) is that their
energy is concentrated in a
small area, only a hundred
yards across
When & Where do they
occur?

Most common east of the

Rocky Mountains and west of
the Appalachian Mountains.

They occur mostly during the

spring and summer (April-
June)

They usually occur during the

late afternoon and early
evening.

Usually happen along cold

fronts
How fast do
tornadoes move?

Movement can range

from
virtually stationary to
more
than 60 miles per
hour ...
Average is 10-20 miles
per hour.
Watchmeans conditions are
likely for tornado to develop

Warningmeans that tornado

has been spotted
 THE WIND!
Take a look at
this piece of
wood that
was driven
into the palm
tree.
LOOK
AT
THESE
MEASURING DESTRUCTION

The Enhanced Fujita Scale rates tornadoes based on

the amount and type of wind damage produced.
EF-0. Light damage

Wind 65 to 85 mph. Causes some

damage to siding and shingles
EF-1. Moderate damage
Wind 86 to 110 mph. Considerable roof
damage. Winds can uproot trees and
overturn single-wide mobile homes.
Flagpoles bend.
EF-2. Considerable damage
Wind 111 to 135 mph. Most single-wide
mobile homes destroyed. Permanent
homes can shift off foundation.
Flagpoles collapse. Softwood trees
debarked.
EF-3. Severe damage
Wind 136 to 165 mph. Hardwood trees
debarked. All but small portions of
houses destroyed.
EF-4. Devastating damage
Wind 166 to 200 mph. Complete
destruction of well-built residences and
large sections of school buildings
EF-5. Incredible damage.
Wind +200 mph. Significant structural deformation of
mid- and high rise buildings.

Strong frame houses leveled off foundations and swept

away; automobile-sized missiles fly through the air in
excess of 100 yards

May 25th, 2008

Catastrophic damage was reported in
Parkersburg as much of the town was
destroyed, with reports of flattened
houses and debarked trees. Six
people were killed in Parkersburg and
at least two fatalities were reported
where a housing development was
destroyed. At least 70 people were
injured
At 9:45 p.m. on May 4, 2007, Greensburg was hit by an EF5 tornado. The tornado
was estimated to be 1.7 miles (2.7 km) in width and traveled for nearly 22 miles
(35 km). Ninety-five percent of the city was confirmed to be destroyed, with the
other five percent being severely damaged. The National Weather Service
estimated winds of the tornado to reach 205 mph (330 km/h). This was the first
tornado to ever be rated EF5 since the update of the Fujita scale.
HURRICANES

Low pressure systems that form over warm,

tropical waters near the equator

Most form between 5 and 20 degrees north

latitude they almost never form in the South
Atlantic
They have the lowest barometric pressure
ever recorded with and storm (905 millibars
Is the lowest recorded

These huge areas of low pressure is what creates

The rapid, inward spiraling of winds
HURRICANE DEVELOPMENT
When winds have
developed
speeds from 39
to 73 miles per
hour, it is called
a tropical
storm (storms
are given names
when they begin
to have winds of
this speed).

2005 Katrina Developing

The storm becomes
a hurricane when it
reaches a wind
speed of over 74
mph

Hurricane
Formation
 THE END OF A HURRICANE

When a hurricane travels over land or cold water, its

energy source (warm water) is gone and the storm
weakens, quickly dying.
HURRICANE SEASON
Occurs from June through November
Most hurricanes form during the late summer
months because the ocean is still retaining heat
from the warmer earlier months
MEASURING DESTRUCTION

We use the Saffir-Simpson scale to rank hurricane

intensities
Saffir-Simpson Scale
CATEGORY WIND STORM DAMAGE
SPEED SURGE
1 74-95 mph 4-5 feet Minimal
2 96-110 mph 6-8 feet Moderate
3 111-130 9-12 feet Extensive
mph
4 131-155 13-18 Extreme
mph
5 Greater Greater Catastrophic
than 155 than 18
Video Clip on Wind Tunnel
STORM SURGE ACCOUNTS FOR
90% OF
HURRICANE-CAUSED DEATHS
Thunderstorms
A storm containing thunder and Lightning
Usually produces heavy wind and
Occasionally hail.

Thunderstorms need:
Moisture
Unstable Air
Lift
 Thunderstorm Formation
Thunderstorms form when warm, humid air
rises in an unstable environment.
A number of things, such as unequal heating
of Earth's surface or lifting of warm air along a
front can trigger the upward air movement
needed to create thunderstorm-producing
cumulonimbus clouds.
Severe thunderstorms produce high winds,
damaging hail, flash floods, and tornadoes.
 Tornado Precautions

Go to a basement, if you have one.

Get in the innermost room of your
house. Avoid rooms with windows.
Bathrooms are good.
Crouch with arms above your head.
If outside, lie in a ditch or get under a
bridge.
If you live in an area with a frequency of
tornadoes, listen to forecasts.
Thunderstorm
 Lightning
Lightning is a charge of
electricity that travels out from
a thunder cloud.
Like electricity, the bolt of
lightning moves from the
negative to the positive.
This creates a giant spark.
Have you ever rubbed a
balloon against your hair and
then placed the balloon on the
wall?
As you rub the balloon, it gets
covered with negative charges.
The wall has a positive charge
and the balloon has a negative
charge.
The negative charge is
attracted to the positive charge
and this is why it sticks to the
wall.
Opposites attract!
How is this similar to lightning?
Lightning is made in a similar way.
The electricity moves from the negative
towards the positive.
Some parts of clouds end up with a lot of
negative charges (like the balloon).
The earth can have positive charges (like
the wall).
If the difference between the two is big
enough, the negative charge will be
attracted to the positive charge.
A spark will jump between the cloud and
the earth because opposites attract.
 Sum Things Up!
Can tornadoes happen anytime or only in certain
times of the year?
Why do tornados happen most in tornado alley?
What you should Know
Some lowpressure systems can give rise to weather events that are
damaging to people, their property, and the land. These incidents can
occur almost anywhere and at any time of the year. If the conditions are
right for a severe storm to occur, the National Weather Service posts a
watch. This means that it is possible to experience the event that the
watch is posted for. If the storm is sighted and on its way to you, a
warning is posted.