Weather & Climate Definitions Weather-short term changes in the air for a given place and time – Temperature and precipitation from hour to hour and day to day Climate-a region’s average weather conditions over a long period – Expected weather for a place based on data & experience It’s sunny & hot today, but it might rain tomorrow. Uh, it says here that summers in Oklahoma are usually hot and muggy.

What affects climate? Location – Closer to the Equator = Hotter temperatures – Farther North or South = Colder temperatures – Why? Large Bodies of Water – Make a prediction about how it will affect temperatures. – Makes temperature of nearby land more mild. Mild = Less extreme

What affects climate? Elevation – Elevation-height on Earth’s surface above sea level, sometimes called altitude Tulsa is ~700 feet above sea level – The higher you go, the colder it gets

Quito, Ecuador 9,350 feet Average temp is 66°F Nairobi, Kenya 5,500 feet Average temp is 76°F

What affects weather? Changes are caused b/c of air masses moving Air Mass = a large area of air that has the same temperature and humidity (the amount of water vapor in the air), when a new air mass moves into an area the weather will change

Natural Disasters & Extreme Weather Thunderstorm – Rain, lightning, thunder Blizzard – Strong winds & large amounts of snow

Natural Disasters & Extreme Weather Hurricane - a strong storm with swirling winds and heavy rainfall, up to 200 m.p.h winds, is a type of cyclone Cyclone- a storm with rotating winds, in the western hemisphere Hurricane Katrina Footage Typhoon- a cyclone in the eastern hemisphere (Asia)

Natural Disasters & Extreme Weather Tornado – Small, rapidly twisting funnel of air that touches the ground—winds up to 300mph – Usually only affects a small area & lasts only a few minutes, but can be highly destructive and deadly. Twister Movie Clip

Natural Disasters & Extreme Weather Earthquakes – Sudden, violent movements of Earth’s crust Tsunamis A huge sea wave caused by an earthquake or other disturbance

Natural Disasters & Extreme Weather Floods – occur when water covers an area of land that is usually dry, often happens after a cyclone or heavy rain storm

Natural Disasters & Extreme Weather Landslides/Mudslides/Avalanches – Landslides and mudslides are rapid downward movement of dirt/rock/mud, often caused by earthquakes or harsh rain – Avalanches are the rapid downward movement of snow, caused by earthquakes or even loud echoes! Avalanche Video

Natural Disasters & Extreme Weather Droughts – when the amount of rainfall drops fall below the average amount, usually accompanied by a heat wave or high temperatures

Natural Disasters & Extreme Weather Wildfire – Can occur naturally (lightning) or b/c of people. Rapidly spreading fire!

Impact of Natural Disasters & Extreme Weather Structural damage Costs lots of money to fix everything Injury & loss of life Loss of business & jobs Scarcity of goods Clean water, food, flashlights, batteries, etc. Fewer visitors/less tourism Forced migration of people

Natural Disaster RAFT Role-Victim of a natural disaster of your choice. Audience-Readers of your blog. Format-Blog post about your experiences. Topic-Describe your experiences with the natural disaster. What happened? How did you feel? What did you see? What was it caused by? Etc. Your job is to prove to me that you know what causes your particular natural disaster, what occurs during the even, and some impacts that the chosen natural disaster can have.