Thunderstorms
small, intense weather systems producing strong winds, heavy rain, lightning, and thunder; 2 conditions necessary for development: warm, moist air new Earth's surface and unstable atmosphere; all surrounding air is colder than the rising air mass; the air
Cumulus
strong updrafts build the storm
Mature
heavy precipitation, cool downdrafts
Dissipating
warm updrafts disppear, light precipitation
Thunderstorm Formation
forms when rising warm air reaches its dew point, condensing and forming cumulus clouds; if the atmosphere is very unstable, the warm air will continue to rise; grow into a dark, cumulonimbuc cloud with a potential height of over 15 km.; in order for a th
Lightning
an electric discharge occurring between a positively charged area and a negatively charged area; when lightning strikes, energy is released and transferred to the air causing the air to expand and send out sound waves; can happen in 3 ways: cloud to cloud
Thunder
the sound resulting from teh rapid expansion of air along the lightning strike
Tornadoes
a destructive, rotating column of air having high wind speeds, low central pressure, and making contact with the ground; only happen in 1% of all thunderstorms; starts out as a funnel cloud poking through the bottom of a cumulonimbus cloud; the funnel clo
Tornado formation
wind moving in two directions causes a layer of air in the middle to begin to spin; the spinning column of air is turned to a vertical position by strong updrafts of air in the cumulonimbus cloud; the updrafts begin to spin as well; the spinning column of
Hurricanes
a large rotating tropical weather system having wind speed of at least 120 km/hr (75mph); they are the most powerful storms on Earth; can have different names: typhoons-- western Pacific ocean, and cyclones-- over Indian ocean; most form between 5 and 20
Thunderstorm safety
stay away from trees (possibility of lightning strikes); stay away from bodies of water
Tornado safety
find shelter in a basement or shelter; go to a windowless room in the center of a building
Hurricane safety
stay updated through your TV or radio station; evacuate if near shore and have disaster supply kit ready