Severe Weather

Thunderstorms

A thunderstorm is a small, short-lived weather system. The 3 stages that they go through are called cumulus, mature, and dissipating. The cumulus stage is where the thunderstorm formation happens, as it rises higher into the atmosphere. During the mature stage is when the majority of precipitation happens. In the dissipating stage, the thunderstorm ends with clouds dispersing and precipitation coming to a stop.

Safety tips for Thunderstorms:

  • Get off from elevated areas such as hills, mountain ridges, or peaks.

  • Do not lie flat on the ground

  • Do not seek shelter under an isolated tree.

  • Get out of bodys of water like, pool, ponds, lakes, and other bodies of water.

Flash Floods

Thunderstorms can produce a large amount of rain. Usually the rain from thunderstorms does not last very long and does not cause very many problems, but that is not always true. When large storms last for a long time, they can cause Flash Floods. Flash floods are cause when the water level of a stream, river, or human-made body of water floods due to extremely heavy rains.

Safety Tips for Flash Floods

• Stay alert when you see heavy rain (thunder and lightning).

• Watch for rising water levels.

• Know where high ground is and get there quickly if you see or hear

rapidly rising water.

• Stay cautious at night. The danger is harder to recognize then.

• Do not attempt to cross flowing water that may be more than knee deep. Do not cross if you have any doubts.

• Do not try to drive through flooded areas.

• During severe weather pay attention to alerts from weather services.

Tornadoes

Tornadoes are columns of water vapor that rotate around upward-moving winds. They form when a very large thunderstorm called a supercell storm.

Safety tips for Thunderstorms:

  • Pay attention to weather warnings.

  • Move to basement

  • Crouch to low ground

  • Stay under something sturdy

  • Do not drive

  • Be prepared

Downbursts

Downbursts cause a sudden drastic change in wind speeds towards the ground. If they affect a small enough area then they are considered a microburst. Downbursts can be very dangerous because they are very hard to predict and can cause planes to crash.

Hurricanes

A hurricane is a tropical storm that has very fast wind speeds. Hurricanes form when warm moist air over water begins to rise. The rising air is replaced by cooler air. This process continues to grow large clouds and thunderstorms. These thunderstorms continue to grow and begin to rotate thanks to earth's Coriolis Effect. Hurricanes have multiple parts. The center of a hurricane is made up of several different sections. The eye of the storm is the middle section where the wind flows downward. The eye can be several miles wide. The eye is much calmer than other parts of the storm. The eye wall are the clouds around the eye. The rain bands are sections of the storm with severe weather.