1. 16: Severe Weather
Unit 6: Meteorology
March 13, 2012
Sanders

2. Thunderstorms
Thunderstorms are small, intense weather systems that make strong winds, heavy rain, lightning, & thunder
Convection transfers heat through the exchange of hot and cold molecules.
August 5, 2019
Unit 6: Meteorology

3. Thunderstorms
There are only two atmospheric conditions required to produce thunderstorms:
the air near the Earth's surface must be warm and moist
the atmosphere must be unstable.
The atmosphere is unstable when the surrounding air is colder than the rising air mass. As long as the air surrounding the rising air mass is colder, the air mass will continue to rise. Thunderstorms occur when warm, moist air rises rapidly in an unstable atmosphere. When the warm air reaches its dew point, the water vapor in the air condenses, forming cumulus clouds. If the atmosphere is extremely unstable, the warm air will continue to rise, causing the cloud to grow into a dark, cumulonimbus cloud. These clouds can reach heights of more than 15 km.  
August 5, 2019
Unit 6: Meteorology

4. Thunderstorms
The atmosphere is unstable when the surrounding air is colder than the rising air mass. the warm air will continue to rise, causing the cloud to grow into a dark, cumulonimbus cloud.
The atmosphere is unstable when the surrounding air is colder than the rising air mass. As long as the air surrounding the rising air mass is colder, the air mass will continue to rise. Thunderstorms occur when warm, moist air rises rapidly in an unstable atmosphere. When the warm air reaches its dew point, the water vapor in the air condenses, forming cumulus clouds. If the atmosphere is extremely unstable, the warm air will continue to rise, causing the cloud to grow into a dark, cumulonimbus cloud. These clouds can reach heights of more than 15 km.  
August 5, 2019
Unit 6: Meteorology

5. Tornadoes
Tornadoes are produced in only 1 percent of all thunderstorms. A tornado is a small, rotating column of air that has high wind speeds and low central pressure and that touches the ground.
August 5, 2019
Unit 6: Meteorology

6. Funnel Cloud
A tornado starts out as a tunnel cloud that pokes through the bottom of a cumulonimbus cloud and hangs in the air. It is called a tornado when it makes contact with the Earth's surface.  
August 5, 2019
Unit 6: Meteorology

7. Hurricane
A hurricane is a large, rotating tropical weather system with wind speeds of at least 119 km/h. Hurricanes are the most powerful storms on Earth.
August 5, 2019
Unit 6: Meteorology

8. Different Names
Hurricanes have different names in other parts of the world.
In the western Pacific Ocean, they are called typhoons.
Hurricanes that form over the Indian Ocean are called cyclones.
August 5, 2019
Unit 6: Meteorology

9. Hurricanes
Hurricanes generally form in the area between 5° and 20° north and south latitude over warm, tropical oceans.
At higher latitudes, the water is too cold for hurricanes to form. Hurricanes vary in size from 160 km to 1,500 km in diameter, and they can travel for thousands of miles.  
August 5, 2019
Unit 6: Meteorology