Meghan's+Report

“Whoosh”, “boom”, and whiteouts. Read this report and learn all about some extreme Weather Disasters such as tornados, lightning storms, blizzards, and hurricanes.


 * __ Tornados __**

“Whoa, it’s windy out here”. Tornado wind speeds are typically 115 to 150 miles per hour. But, some wind speeds may even reach up, to 250 to 300 miles per hour! Even if it’s a very fast wind, it may only last 15 minutes. But it may even last up to 3 whole hours. Also, tornados are 400-500 feet wide.

Here are the steps for forming a tornado. First, there is a thunderstorm. Next droplets and crystals fall. Finally, the humid air spreading the thunderhead clouds, a tornado begins to form.

You may not know this, but the United States has more tornados that any other country… about 1,000 a year! That’s a lot of tornados! Tornados also cause much damage. Hundreds of people are killed by tornados a year. Homes also get completely destroyed or seriously damaged.

Some famous tornados are the Natchez and the Great Tri State. The Natchez took place on May 7, 1840 in Mississippi. The damage was severe and about 270 people died. The Great Tri State Tornado may have been the most deadly tornado ever. Mississippi, Illinois, and Indiana were 3 states it took place in. The tornado lasted more than 3 hours! Its normal speed was 62 miles per hour. But, its fastest speed was 73 miles per hour. 100 people died and 2,000 were injured. 11,000 homes were destroyed.

“Wow! Did you know that every second of the day more than 100 lightning bolts strike the earth! That’s a lot of lightning!
 * __ Lightning Storms __**

Lightning can make the air around it as hot as 50,000°F, five times hotter than the sun! This lightning kills about 100 people a year in the United States, yet 250 more are hit by lightning and still survive. Have you ever realized how bright lightning is? Well, a flash of lightning is brighter than ten-million one-hundred watt light bulbs.

There are 3 main kinds of lightning. Intracloud lightning is the most common. This type of lightning occurs when lightning moves between oppositely charged centers within the same cloud. Cloud to Ground lightning is the most dangerous form. That type is the kind we know about most. Intercloud lightning occurs when lightning leaps across a gap of clear air between two different clouds.

Have you ever wondered what makes the big “Boom” we call thunder? This paragraph is going to tell you how thunder is created. The first stage is violently moving ice crystals and raindrops in storm clouds. Then the air expands (go’s out) than it contracts (comes back in) and causes thunder. Thunder only takes about 5 seconds to travel a mile. Ever been caught outside in a lightning storm? Well, here is a tip. If you ever are caught out in the open in a lightning storm, stay away from places that are more likely to be hit. Like high ridges, open meadows, telephone poles wire fences, rails, wet beaches and single tall trees. Do not ride a bike or drive an open topped vehicle during a storm with lightning. If you follow these tips, you won’t have as great of a chance of getting hit.


 * __ Blizzards __**

Guess what? Every year blizzards cold temperatures kill 100 people a year in the U.S.A. Each year 1-7 blizzards occur in North America. To be a blizzard, the storm has to contain high winds of about 35 mph and heavy falling snow. Severe winds can be more than 45 mph. That’s about as fast as a car driving on a country road.

In case you didn’t know water freezes at 32˚ degrees Fahrenheit. Most of the blizzards occur in December, January, and February when it is more likely to snow. Large snowflakes form in moist conditions and small snowflakes form in dry conditions.

There are 3 different types of blizzards. First, there's Nor’easters. They range from Virginia to Canada and contain heavy snow or rain and maybe some high ocean waves. There’s also Lake Effect. That’s when warm air rises over the lake and wind blows the warm air from the land. This mixes and forms snow. Alberta Clippers have high wind speeds and last about 5 hours. The warm air comes from the Gulf of Mexico and moves southeast. It dumps the snow over Canada and the Northern Central states, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, and Minnesota. Blue Northers occur in Texas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Mexico. Moist air from the Gulf of Mexico mixes with the cold air and forms Blue Northers. This specific type of blizzard is very rare.

Tick tock. Hurricanes can be formed in minutes, hours, or days. This storm is one of the most powerful in the world. Their average lifespan is 5-10 days.
 * __ Hurricanes __**

The center of a hurricane is called the “eye”. The “eye” is about 3-65 miles across. Wind speeds range from 74 mph – over 155 mph.

Here’s an amazing fact. The red spot on Jupiter is really the top of a spiraling hurricane. This storm is bigger than the earth and has been going on for more than 300 years.

Some very strong hurricanes may even turn over airplanes and throw them somewhere else. Some winds can even bend metal poles!

Here’s one way to prepare for a hurricane. Prepare an emergency supply kit. Here are some things you can put in the kit, bottled water, canned food, blankets, first aid kit, transistor radio, and flashlights.

There are 5 wind categories for hurricanes, 1-weak, 2-moderate, 3-strong, 4-very strong, and 5-devestating. Sadly, these ferocious hurricanes can not be stopped. And global warming makes more and more hurricanes.

One hurricane’s name was hurricane Camille. Hundreds of alligators and poisonous snakes flushed up from creeks and swamps. More than 40 people died from snake bites.

The longest hurricane ever was Hurricane Jhon. It lasted 29 days.

Remember, if you know a storm is coming all ways be prepared.