Storm formation

Hurricane formation

To form they need:

1.Warm ocean water2.Low pressure3.High humidity4.Coriolis effect

If any of these is missing, a hurricane cannot form!

Hurricanes usually begin their development over the warm waters west of Africa.

http://www.windows.ucar.edu

Notice how this hurricane got worse over the dark red (warmer water) and finally died when it got over the colder water.

A storm surge is the change in sea level produced by wind pushing the water up onto the shore. It is the MOST damaging part of a hurricane.

How do thunderstorms form?

First, cumulus clouds form.

http://www.freewebs.com/

If enough energy and moisture is available, they grow huge!

http://serbian.wunderground.com

http://blog.weatherbug.com

What do you see happening in this cloud diagram?

One region within the cloud builds up a positive charge and the other a negative charge.  The bottom of the cloud usually ends up being negatively charged and the top positively charged.  If the build up (separation) of charge becomes great enough, the negative charges may leap to the positive.

Lightning formation

A lightning strike can heat the air in a fraction of a second. When air is heated that quickly, it expands violently and then contracts, like an explosion that happens in the blink of an eye. It's that explosion of air that creates sound waves, which we hear and call thunder.

Tornado formation

http://img.metro.co.uk

Some are small, some are not!

http://www.nssl.noaa.gov

Develop when humid, warm air from the Gulf of Mexico runs into cold, dry air from Canada.

Most tornadoes occur in an area called Tornado Alley!

http://www.nssl.noaa.gov

Fastest winds on earth!!! Sometimes over 250 mph!!!

1. If there is lightning, avoid touching anything metal.

2. If outside during lightning, do not take shelter under a tree!

3. If there is a tornado nearby, move to a basement or bathroom on the lowest level of your house.

4. Stay away from windows.

Watch – event could occur, conditions are favorable.

Warning– it is on its way to you!

Be sure you know the difference between a watch and a warning!

Flash floods

Flash flood - Cincinnati 1997

Helping to control flooding:

1. We build dams like Buford Dam to control flooding in the Atlanta area.

2. We can build levees along river banks to hold the water back.

http://www.publicaffairs.water.ca.gov http://www.bluegoosegrowers.com

Blizzards are winter snowstorms that produce heavy snow fall and high winds. Visibility is low because of the blowing snow.

Blizzards are not a problem in Georgia but they can be in northern parts of the USA.

http://www.crh.noaa.gov