Weather Patterns and Severe Storms 571

20.3 Severe Storms

Severe weather has a fascination that everyday weather does not pro-vide. For example, a thunderstorm with its jagged lightning andbooming thunder can be an awesome sight. The damage and destruc-tion caused by these storms, as well as other severe weather, can also befrightening. A single severe storm can cause billions of dollars in prop-erty damage as well as many deaths. This section discusses three typesof severe storms and their causes.

ThunderstormsHave you ever seen a small whirlwind carry dust or leaves upward on ahot day? Have you observed a bird glide effortlessly skyward on an invis-ible updraft of hot air? If so, you haveobserved the effects of the vertical movementsof relatively warm, unstable air. These exam-ples are caused by a similar thermal instabilitythat occurs during the development of athunderstorm. A thunderstorm is astorm that generates lightning and thunder.Thunderstorms frequently produce gustywinds, heavy rain, and hail. A thunderstormmay be produced by a single cumulonimbuscloud and influence only a small area. Or itmay be associated with clusters of cumu-lonimbus clouds that stretch for kilometersalong a cold front.

Reading StrategyIdentifying Cause and Effect Copy thetable and complete it as you read this section.

Severe Storms

Causes Effects

Thunderstorms a. b.

Tornadoes c. d.

Hurricanes e. f. ??

??

??

Vocabulary◆ thunderstorm◆ tornado◆ hurricane◆ eye wall◆ eye◆ storm surge

Key ConceptsWhat is a thunderstorm?

What causes athunderstorm to form?

What is a tornado?

How does a tornadoform?

What is a hurricane?

How does a hurricaneform?

Figure 16 Lightning is aspectacular and potentiallydangerous feature of athunderstorm.

FOCUS

Section Objectives20.8 Explain the formation of a

thunderstorm.20.9 Describe the conditions

needed for a tornado to form.20.10 Identify the conditions that

must exist for a hurricane toform.

Build VocabularyVenn Diagram Have students createa Venn diagram of hurricanes andtornadoes.

Reading Strategya. warm, humid air rising in an unstableenvironmentb. gusty winds, heavy rain, hailc. associated with thunderstorms andthe development of a mesocycloned. violent windstorm, isolated pathe. water temperatures warm enough toprovide heat and moisture to airf. widespread damage as winds canreach 300 km/h

INSTRUCT

ThunderstormsUse VisualsFigure 16 Ask students to look at thephotograph in Figure 16. Ask: Whattype of clouds is probably in the areain this photograph? (cumulonimbusclouds)Visual

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Section 20.3

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Occurrence of Thunder-storms How common arethunderstorms? Consider thesenumbers.At any given time, thereare an estimated 2000 thunder-storms in progress on Earth. Asyou might expect, the greatestnumber occurs in the tropicswhere warmth, plentiful mois-ture, and instability are commonatmospheric conditions. About45,000 thunderstorms take placeeach day. More than 16 millionoccur annually around the world.The United States experiences

about 100,000 thunderstorms each year, most frequently in Florida andthe eastern Gulf Coast region. Most parts of the country have from 30 to100 storms each year. The western margin of the United States has littlethunderstorm activity because warm, moist, unstable maritime tropicalair seldom penetrates this region.

Development of Thunderstorms Thunderstormsform when warm, humid air rises in an unstable environment. Thedevelopment of a thunderstorm generally involves three stages. Duringthe cumulus stage, shown in Figure 17A, strong updrafts, or upwardmovements of air, supply moist air. Each new surge of warm air riseshigher than the last and causes the cloud to grow vertically.

Usually within an hour of the initial updraft, the mature stagebegins, as shown in Figure 17B. At this point in the development ofthe thunderstorm, the amount and size of the precipitation is too greatfor the updrafts to support. So, heavy precipitation is released fromthe cloud. The mature stage is the most active stage of a thunderstorm.Gusty winds, lightning, heavy precipitation, and sometimes hail areproduced during this stage.

Eventually, downdrafts, or downward movements of air, dominatethroughout the cloud, as shown in Figure 17C. This final stage is calledthe dissipating stage. During this stage, the cooling effect of the fallingprecipitation and the flowing in of colder air from high above cause thestorm to die down.

The life span of a single cumulonimbus cell within a thunderstormis only about an hour or two.As the storm moves, however, fresh suppliesof warm, humid air generate new cells to replace those that are scattering.

Describe the stages in the development of a thunderstorm.

(km

)

15

10

5

0

Cumulus stage

0°C

Mature stage

0°C

Heavy rain

Dissipating stage

Light rain

0°C

(km

)

15

10

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Stages in the Development of a Thunderstorm

Figure 17 A During the cumulusstage, warm, moist air is suppliedto the cloud. B Heavy precipitationfalls during the mature stage. C The cloud begins to evaporateduring the dissipating stage.Observing How do the cloudsinvolved in the development of a thunderstorm vary?

A CB

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Students may have heard or noticedin media photographs that manytornadoes seem to hit trailer parks.It may even seem that trailers attracttornadoes. In reality, there are possiblyhundreds of very small tornadoes thattouch down in the United States everyyear, but are not recorded because theydo no damage. However, since a trailerflips over so easily in even the weakesttornado, trailers probably act as “minitornado detectors.” This makes it seemlike tornadoes are attracted to trailers,but that is because trailers are some ofthe only things that reveal the presenceof what would otherwise be anunrecorded event.Logical

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Section 20.3 (continued)

Customize for Inclusion Students

Behaviorally Disordered Have studentswork in pairs and use index cards to create aset of flashcards. Students can use the cards tosupport each other in small study groups. Eachcard should contain information about acharacteristic of one of the three types of

storms in this section. One side of the cardshould contain the term thunderstorm, tornado,or hurricane. The other side should have somefact about the formation of each storm, somefactors contributing to each storm, or damagedone by each storm.

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Weather Patterns and Severe Storms 573

Stronger winds

Weaker winds

Spinningalong

horizontalaxis

Thunderstormforming

Updraft

Air inflow

Anvil

Tornado

Clouds overshoottop of thunderstorm

Mesocyclone(3 to 10 kmdiameter)

Figure 18 A mesocyclone canoccur before the formation of atornado. A First, stronger windsaloft cause lower winds to roll.B Updrafts tilt the rolling air sothat it becomes nearly vertical.C When the rotating air iscompletely vertical, themesocyclone is established.

A

B

For: Links on fronts and severeweather

Visit: www.SciLinks.org

Web Code: cjn-6203

TornadoesTornadoes are violent windstorms that take the form of a rotat-

ing column of air called a vortex. The vortex extends downward froma cumulonimbus cloud. Some tornadoes consist of a single vortex.But within many stronger tornadoes, smaller vortexes rotate withinthe main funnel. These smaller vortexes have diameters of only about10 meters and rotate very rapidly. Smaller vortexes explain occasionalobservations of tornado damage in which one building is totallydestroyed, while another one, just 10 or 20 meters away, suffers littledamage.

Occurrence and Development of Tornadoes In theUnited States, about 770 tornadoes are reported each year. These severestorms can occur at any time during the year. However, the frequency oftornadoes is greatest from April through June. In December and January,tornadoes are far less frequent.

Most tornadoes form in association with severe thunder-storms. An important process in the formation of many tornadoes isthe development of a mesocyclone. A mesocyclone is a vertical cylin-der of rotating air that develops in the updraft of a thunderstorm. Theformation of this large vortex begins as strong winds high up in theatmosphere cause winds lower in the atmosphere to roll, as shown inFigure 18A. In Figure 18B, you can see that strong thunderstormupdrafts cause this rolling air to tilt. Once the air is completely verti-cal (Figure 18C), the mesocyclone is well established. The formation ofa mesocyclone does not necessarily mean that a tornado will follow.Few mesocyclones produce tornadoes like the one shown in Figure 19on page 574.

Formation of a Mesocyclone

C

Q What is the most destructivetornado on record?

A The Tri-State Tornado, whichoccurred on March 18, 1925,started in southeastern Missouriand remained on the groundover a distance of 352 kilome-ters, until it reached Indiana.Casualties included 695 peopledead and 2027 injured. Propertylosses were also great, with sev-eral small towns almost totallydestroyed.

Tornadoes

Homemade TornadoPurpose Students will observe a visualmodel of a tornado.

Materials piece of sturdy cardboard;glue; 2 transparency sheets; smallhand-held, battery-operated fan; smallplastic bowl; clear plastic plant dish,approximately 7" in diameter with ahole cut in the middle; water; dry ice

Procedure Glue the plastic bowl to thecenter of the cardboard. Glue half ofone of the transparency sheets to oneside of the bowl. Glue the rest of thesheet in a half circle around the bowlwithout touching the bowl. Glue thesecond sheet to the opposite side of thecup in the same manner. The two sheetsmust overlap but not touch. Pour abouthalf a cup of water in the cup. Usinggloves, add a few small pieces of dry iceto the water. Place the plant dish upsidedown on top of the transparencies. Turnon the fan and place it in the hole,facing up to draw air up.

Expected Outcome Students shouldsee the “smoke” from the dry ice formin a tornado pattern as it flows past thetransparency sheets with the air beingdrawn up.Kinesthetic, Visual

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Weather Patterns and Severe Storms 573

The largest recorded tornado was in the highplains of the Texas panhandle near the town ofGruver on June 9, 1971. At times, the tornadowas nearly 4 km wide, with an average width

of about 2 km. This is probably close to themaximum size for tornadoes, but it is possiblethat larger, unrecorded tornadoes haveoccurred.

Facts and Figures

Answer to . . .

Figure 17 The clouds vary in height,the smallest being the cloud thatinitiates the storm.

During the cumulusstage, strong updrafts

supply moist air that causes the cloudto grow vertically. Usually within aboutan hour of the initial updraft, heavyprecipitation is released from the cloud.Gusty winds, lightning, and sometimeshail also are experienced during thisstage. Eventually, downdrafts domi-nate throughout the cloud and thestorm dies down.

Download a worksheet on fronts andsevere weather for students tocomplete, and find additionalteacher support from NSTA SciLinks.

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Tornado Intensity Pressures withinsome tornadoes have been estimated to beas much as 10 percent lower than pres-sures immediately outside the storm. Thelow pressure within a tornado causes airnear the ground to rush into a tornadofrom all directions. As the air streamsinward, it spirals upward around the core.Eventually, the air merges with the airflowof the cumulonimbus cloud that formedthe storm. Because of the tremendousamount of pressure change associatedwith a strong tornado, maximum windscan sometimes approach 480 kilometersper hour. One scale used to estimate tor-nado intensity is the Fujita tornado

intensity scale, shown in Table 1. Because tornado winds cannot bemeasured directly, a rating on this scale is determined by assessing theworst damage produced by a storm.

Tornado Safety The Storm Prediction Center (SPC) located inNorman, Oklahoma, monitors different kinds of severe weather. TheSPC’s mission is to provide timely and accurate forecasts and watchesfor severe thunderstorms and tornadoes. Tornado watches alert peopleto the possibility of tornadoes in a specified area for a particular timeperiod. A tornado warning is issued when a tornado has actually beensighted in an area or is indicated by weather radar.

Figure 19 The tornado shownhere descended from the lowerportion of a mesocyclone in theTexas Panhandle in May, 1996.

Table 1 Fujita Tornado Intensity Scale

Intensity Wind Speed Estimates Typical Damage(kph)

F0 < 116 Light damage. Some damage to chimneys; branches broken off trees;shallow-rooted trees pushed over; sign boards damaged.

F1 116–180 Moderate damage. Peels surface off roofs; mobile homes pushed offfoundations or overturned; moving cars blown off roads.

F2 181–253 Considerable damage. Roofs torn off frame houses; mobile homesdemolished; large trees snapped or uprooted; light-object missilesgenerated; cars lifted off ground.

F3 254–332 Severe damage. Roofs and some walls torn off well-constructed houses;trains overturned; most trees in forest uprooted; heavy cars lifted offthe ground and thrown.

F4 333–419 Devastating damage. Well-constructed houses leveled; structures withweak foundations blown some distance; cars thrown; large missiles generated.

F5 > 419 Incredible damage. Strong frame houses lifted off foundations andcarried away; automobile-sized missiles fly through the air in excessof 100 m; bark torn off trees.

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IntegrateSocial StudiesStorm Warnings Accurate stormpredictions and warnings can help tominimize the loss of property and of life.The National Weather Service has createda system to inform the public of thelikelihood of a storm event in theirarea. They use the terms watch andwarning to relay the imminent danger.A hurricane watch means that hurricanesare possible in the area within 36 hours.A hurricane warning means thathurricanes are expected in the areawithin 24 hours. Also a tornado watchmeans that conditions are favorablefor a tornado in the area. A tornadowarning means that a tornado has beensighted or has been seen on radar.Challenge students to devise a planof action that should be taken duringa hurricane watch and warning or atornado watch and warning. Ask themto present their findings to the class inthe form of a poster or an emergencybulletin.Interpersonal

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Section 20.3 (continued)

The deadliest tornado in the United Statesoccurred on March 18, 1925. The so-calledTri-State Tornado killed 695 people as it racedalong at 96–117 km/h in a 352 km-long trackacross parts of Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana,

producing F5 damage. This event also holdsthe known record for most tornado fatalitiesin a single city or town: at least 234 atMurphysboro, IL.

Facts and Figures

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HurricanesIf you’ve ever been to the tropics or seen photographs of these regions,you know that warm breezes, steady temperatures, and heavy but brieftropical showers are the norm. It is ironic that these tranquil regionssometimes produce the most violent storms on Earth. Whirlingtropical cyclones that produce winds of at least 119 kilometers perhour are known in the United States as hurricanes. In other parts ofthe world, these severe tropical storms are called typhoons, cyclones,and tropical cyclones.

Regardless of the name used to describe them, hurricanes are themost powerful storms on Earth. At sea, they can generate 15-meterwaves capable of destruction hundreds of kilometers away. Should ahurricane hit land, strong winds and extensive flooding can cause bil-lions of dollars in damage and great loss of life. Hurricane Floyd, whichis shown in a satellite image in Figure 20, was one such storm. InSeptember 1999, Floyd brought flooding rains, high winds, and roughseas to a large portion of the Atlantic coast. More than 2.5 millionpeople evacuated their homes. Torrential rains caused devastatinginland flooding. Floyd was the deadliest hurricane to strike the U.S.mainland since Hurricane Agnes in 1972. Most of the deaths caused byHurricane Floyd were the result of drowning from floods.

Hurricanes are becoming a growing threat because more and morepeople are living and working near coasts. At the close of the twenti-eth century, more than 50 percent of the U.S. population lived within75 kilometers of a coast. This number is expected to increase evenmore in the early decades of this century. High population density nearshorelines means that hurricanes and other large storms place millionsof people at risk.

Figure 20 This satellite image ofHurricane Floyd shows its positionoff the coast of Florida a few daysbefore the hurricane moved ontoland. Floyd eventually madelandfall near Cape Fear, NorthCarolina.

Q Why are hurricanes givennames, and who picks thenames?

A Actually, the names are givenonce the storms reach tropical-storm status (winds between61–119 kilometers per hour).Tropical storms are named toprovide ease of communicationbetween forecasters and thegeneral public regarding fore-casts, watches, and warnings.Tropical storms and hurricanescan last a week or longer, andtwo or more storms can beoccurring in the same region atthe same time. Thus, names canreduce the confusion aboutwhat storm is being described.

The World MeteorologicalOrganization creates the lists ofnames. The names for Atlanticstorms are used again at the endof a six-year cycle unless a hurri-cane was particularly destructiveor otherwise noteworthy. Suchnames are retired to preventconfusion when the storms arediscussed in future years.

HurricanesUse VisualsFigure 20 Direct students’ attentionto the satellite image in the figure. Ask:What is the direction of air flow inHurricane Floyd? (counterclockwise)Visual

Use CommunityResourcesInvite students to gather first-handreports of any significant tornadoesor hurricanes in their area. Help themidentify good people to interview,and prepare questions in advance. Forexample: Have there been any especiallysevere storms in this area? When did thisevent occur? What damage did it do?Then have students look for quantitativerecords of the event’s intensity, in termsof the Fujita Scale for tornadoes and theSaffir-Simpson Scale for hurricanes.Interpersonal

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Weather Patterns and Severe Storms 575

Of all the hurricane-prone areas of the UnitedStates, Tampa Bay, FL, is considered one of themost vulnerable to severe flooding, damage,and loss of life in a major hurricane. Thereare several reasons for this. Tampa Bay islocated on a peninsula with long stretches ofwaterfront. This makes the area one of themost densely populated in Florida, and leadsto limited evacuation routes. There is also alarge population of elderly people in the

area. The evacuation of this segment of thepopulation could prove to be difficult foremergency workers. Tampa Bay’s geographycould also increase the effects of a stormsurge; the Gulf of Mexico has a broad, shallowcontinental shelf on which a storm surge couldbuild to heights great enough to destroy ordamage thousands of homes and businesses.The Tampa Bay area has not received a directhit from a major hurricane in several decades.

Facts and Figures

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Occurrence of Hurricanes Most hurricanes form betweenabout 5 and 20 degrees north and south latitude. The North Pacifichas the greatest number of storms, averaging 20 per year. The coastalregions of the southern and eastern United States experience fewerthan five hurricanes, on average, per year. Although many tropical dis-turbances develop each year, only a few reach hurricane status. A stormis a hurricane if the spiraling air has winds blowing at speeds of at least119 kilometers per hour.

Development of Hurricanes A hurricane is a heat engine thatis fueled by the energy given off when huge quantities of water vaporcondense. Hurricanes develop most often in the late summerwhen water temperatures are warm enough to provide the necessaryheat and moisture to the air. A hurricane begins as a tropical distur-bance that consists of disorganized clouds and thunderstorms. Lowpressures and little or no rotation are characteristic of these storms.

Occasionally, tropical disturbances become hurricanes. Figure 21shows a cross section of a well-developed hurricane. An inward rushof warm, moist surface air moves toward the core of the storm. The airthen turns upward and rises in a ring of cumulonimbus clouds. Thisdoughnut-shaped wall that surrounds the center of the storm is theeye wall. Here the greatest wind speeds and heaviest rainfall occur.Surrounding the eye wall are curved bands of clouds that trail away

from the center of thestorm. Notice thatnear the top of thehurricane, the risingair is carried awayfrom the storm center.This outflow providesroom for more inwardflow at the surface.

At the very centerof the storm is the eyeof the hurricane. Thiswell-known feature isa zone where precipi-tation ceases andwinds subside. The airwithin the eye gradu-ally descends andheats by compression,making it the warmestpart of the storm.

Figure 21 Cross Section of aHurricane The eye of thehurricane is a zone of relativecalm, unlike the eye wall regionwhere winds and rain are mostintense. Describing Describe the airflowin different parts of a hurricane.

Outflow

Eye

Subsidingair

Surface convergence

Spiralrain bands

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Build Science SkillsComparing and Contrasting Askstudents to explore the similarities anddifferences of tornadoes and hurricanesby making a chart. They should includein their chart information on location,associated storms, pressures associatedwith the storm, impact on society, andmaximum wind strength.Logical

Build Reading LiteracyRefer to p. 502D in Chapter 18, whichprovides the guidelines for visualizing.

Visualize Ask students to read thesection under Development ofHurricanes on p. 576. After the firstreading, instruct students to close theireyes and think of a hurricane. Havethem suppose they are flying throughthe clouds of a hurricane and note thechanges in wind velocity and pressure asthey travel from one side to the other.Have students refer to Figure 21 to helpthem visualize their trip.Intrapersonal

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Section 20.3 (continued)

Hurricanes in the past were identified usingawkward latitude/longitude methods. Itbecame clear that the use of short, distinctivenames would be quicker and less subject toerror. These advantages are especiallyimportant in exchanging detailed storminformation between hundreds of widelyscattered stations, coastal bases, and ships at

sea. Since 1953, Atlantic tropical storms havebeen named from lists originated by theNational Hurricane Center. The lists featuredonly women’s names until 1979, when men’sand women’s names were alternated. If astorm is deadly or very costly, the name isnever used again.

Facts and Figures

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Section 20.3 Assessment

Reviewing Concepts1. What is a thunderstorm?

2. What causes a thunderstorm?

3. What is a tornado?

4. How does a tornado form?

5. What is a hurricane?

6. How does a hurricane form?

Critical Thinking7. Formulating Hypotheses What kind of

front is associated with the formation oftornadoes? Explain.

8. Synthesizing Explain why a hurricanequickly loses its strength as the storm movesonto land.

Hurricane Intensity The intensity of a hurricane is describedusing the Saffir-Simpson scale shown in Table 2. The most devastatingdamage from a hurricane is caused by storm surges. A storm surge is adome of water about 65 to 80 kilometers wide that sweeps across thecoast where a hurricane’s eye moves onto land.

A hurricane weakens when it moves over cool ocean waters thatcannot supply adequate heat and moisture. Intensity also drops whenstorms move over land because there is not sufficient moisture. Inaddition, friction with the rough land surface causes winds to subside.Finally, if a hurricane reaches a location where the airflow aloft is unfa-vorable, it will die out.

Weather Patterns and Severe Storms 577

Explanatory Paragraph Examine Tables1 and 2 to contrast the damage caused bytornadoes and hurricanes. Use the data toexplain why even though hurricanes havelower wind speeds, they often cause moredamage than tornadoes do.

Table 2 Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale

Category Sustained Wind Speeds Typical Damage (kph)

1 119–153 Storm surge 1.2–1.5 meters; some damage to unanchored mobile homes, shrubbery, and trees; some coastal flooding; minor pier damage.

2 154–177 Storm surge 1.6–2.4 meters; some damage to buildings’ roofs, doors, and windows; considerable damage to mobile homes and piers; moderate coastal flooding.

3 178–209 Storm surge 2.5–3.6 meters; some structural damage to small buildings; some large trees blown over; mobile homes destroyed; some coastal and inland flooding.

4 210–249 Storm surge 3.7–5.4 meters; severe damage to trees and signs; complete destruction of mobile homes; extensive damage to doors and windows; severe flooding inland.

5 > 249 Storm surge >5.4 meters; complete roof failure on many buildings; some complete building failure; all treees and signs blown away; major inland flooding.

ASSESSEvaluateUnderstandingHave students make a game ofconcentration using the terms in thechapter and their definitions. Havegroups of students write each term onseparate index cards and the definitionof each term on a second set of indexcards. To play the game, studentsshould shuffle all the cards togetherand then lay them face down in a grid.Each student takes turns flipping overtwo index cards. If the cards match(definition matches the term), thestudent can remove the cards from thegrid. If the cards do not match, thestudent places the cards face down.After all of the cards are gone, thestudent who has removed the mostcards wins the match.

ReteachUse Figures 17, 18, and 21 as visual aidsto summarize the development of severestorms.

Hurricanes generally inflict moredamage because they are larger andlast longer than tornadoes do.

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5. A hurricane is a whirling tropical cyclonethat produces wind that can reach 300 km/h.6. A hurricane develops when water tempera-tures are warm enough to provide the neces-sary heat and moisture to the air.7. Tornadoes often form in thunderstormsthat develop along cold fronts because airmasses on either side of the front have verydifferent temperature and moisture conditions.8. There is not sufficient moisture. The roughland surface causes winds to subside.

Section 20.3 Assessment

1. A thunderstorm is a severe storm that gen-erates lightning, thunder, gusty winds, heavyrain, and hail.2. A thunderstorm forms when relativelywarm, humid air rises in an unstableenvironment.3. A tornado is a violent rotating columnof air that extends downward from cumulo-nimbus clouds.4. Most tornadoes form in association withsevere thunderstorms.

Answer to . . .

Figure 21 Air entering the stormfrom the surface is moving counter-clockwise. Air within the eye region isalso moving counterclockwise. Outflow,however, is moving in a clockwisedirection.

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Winds and StormsThe world’s atmosphere is forever on the move. Wind,or air in motion, occurs because solar radiation heatsup some parts of the sea and land more than others.Air above these hot spots becomes warmer and lighterthan the surrounding air and therefore rises. Elsewhere,cool air sinks because it is heavier. Winds blow becauseair squeezed out by sinking, cold air is sucked in underrising, warm air. Wind may move slowly as in a gentlebreeze. In extreme weather, wind moves rapidly, creat-ing terrifyingly destructive storms.

How the Earth Works

LIGHTNING AND THUNDERElectricity is discharged from a thundercloud in the form of lightning. A bolt of lightning can heat the air around it to a temperature fourtimes as hot as the sun. The heated air expandsviolently and sends out a rumbling shock wave

that we hear as thunder.

THUNDERSTORMSThunderclouds are formed by

powerful updrafts of air that occuralong cold fronts or over ground heated

very strongly by the sun. Ice crystals andwater droplets high in the cloud are torn apartand smashed together with such ferocity that

they become charged with electricity.Thunderstorms can unleash

thunder, lightning, wind, rain, and hail.

MONSOONSSeasonal winds called monsoons affectlarge areas of the tropics and subtropics.They occur in South Asia, southern NorthAmerica, eastern Australia, and other

regions of the world. In South Asia,southwest monsoons generally

bring desperately needed rainfrom May until October.

Rain clouds

Warm sea

Moistsouthwestmonsoonbringingrain

Himalayas

Rain clouds

Hot land

Indian Ocean

Warm sea

Moistsouthwestmonsoonbringingrain

Drynortheastmonsoon

Coolland Dry

northeastmonsoon

Warm sea

SouthwestMonsoonDuring the earlysummer, the hot,dry lands of Asiadraw in cooler,moist air fromthe Indian Ocean.

NortheastMonsoonThe cold, drywinter air fromCentral Asiabrings chilly,dusty conditionsto South Asia.

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FOCUS

ObjectivesIn this feature, students will• explain what causes wind and what

factors affect wind speed.• describe the development of the

different types of storms.• summarize the impact of storms.

Build VocabularyKey Terms Write these key terms onthe board: wind, tornado, blizzard,tropical cyclone, typhoon, storm surge.Ask students to define them. Then havestudents explain what causes wind andwhat factors affect wind speed.

INSTRUCTBellringerHave students read the feature captionheads that name different types ofstorms. Ask: Do any of these kinds ofstorms occur in your region? If so,have students estimate how frequentlythe storms occur. Discuss how locationand regional climate account for thefrequency of storms.Verbal, Logical

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Customize for Inclusion Students

Gifted Explain to students that the termtropical cyclones is used to refer to certainhurricanes and typhoons. Have students findout how many tropical cyclones occurred last

year and make a chart with the name, dates,and location (ocean) of each storm. Post thechart in your classroom and discuss whetheror not there is a pattern in the chart.

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TORNADOESTornadoes may strikewherever thunderstormsoccur. A tornado beginswhen a column of stronglyrising warm air is set spin-ning by high winds at acloud’s top. A funnel isformed and may touch theground. With winds that can rise above 419 kph, tornadoes can lift people,cars, and buildings highinto the air and thensmash them back tothe ground.

BLIZZARDSIn a blizzard, heavy snowfalland strong winds often makeit impossible to see. Winds pileup huge drifts of snow. Traveland communication can grindto a halt.

IMPACT OF TROPICAL STORMS Tropical storms are often devastating. The strongest winds, with gusts sometimes more than 249 kph,occur at the storm’s center, or eye. When a tropical storm strikes land, raging winds can uproot treesand destroy buildings. Vast areas may be swamped by torrential rain, and coastal regions may be overwhelmed by a storm surge, a wall of water some 8 m high sucked up by the storm’s eye.

A Pacific typhoon struck this ship off the coast of Taiwanin November 2000. Many of the crew members fell victimto the raging sea.

Stage 1: Thunderstorms developover the ocean.

Stage 2: Storms group to forma swirl of cloud.

Stage 3: Winds grow and a distinctcenter forms in the cloud swirl.

Stage 4: Eye forms. The hurricaneis now at its most dangerous.

Stage 5: Eye passes over land.The hurricane starts to weaken.

1. Key Terms Define (a) wind, (b) tornado, (c) blizzard, (d) tropicalcyclone, (e) typhoon, (f) storm surge.

2. Physical Processes How do thunder-storms come into being?

3. Economic Activities (a) How canstorms have a negative impact on economic activities? (b) How can monsoons benefit economic activities?

4. Natural Hazards How can a tropicalcyclone result in the loss of thousandsof lives?

5. Critical Thinking Developing aHypothesis Since 1991, theBangladeshi government has construct-ed hundreds of concrete storm sheltersin coastal regions of the country. (a) Whydo you think the government decidedon this policy? (b) How do you think thepolicy has benefited the country?

HOW TROPICAL STORMS DEVELOPTropical storms begin whenwater evaporates over an oceanin a hot tropical region to pro-duce huge clouds and thunder-storms. When the storms clustertogether and whirl around a low-pressure center, they form a tropical cyclone. Tropicalcyclones with winds of at least119 kph are called hurricanes insome regions and typhoons in other regions. The sequencebelow shows satellite images ofan Atlantic hurricane.

These women wade through the streets ofDhaka, Bangladesh, flooded by a tropicalcyclone. In 1991, a cyclone killed morethan 130,000 Bangladeshis.

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Integrate Social StudiesAsk students to discuss which kind ofstorm seems most threatening to theircommunity and why. Then discuss thekinds of emergency services that are inplace to help in case of a storm.Logical

ASSESSEvaluateUnderstandingHave students compare and contrastthe development of the different typesof storms described in the feature(monsoons, thunderstorms, tornadoes,blizzards, and tropical cyclones). Thenhave students draw diagrams on theboard that show how these storms form.

ReteachHave students create flash cards forthe key terms wind, tornado, blizzard,tropical cyclone, typhoon, and stormsurge. Encourage them to use their flashcards to review the definitions ofdifferent types of storms.

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Weather Patterns and Severe Storms 579

water droplets high in the cloud are tornapart and smashed together so energeticallythat they become charged with electricity.3. (a) During a severe storm, economicactivities may come to a halt. When proper-ty is destroyed, people spend money toreplace or rebuild it. (b) Monsoons bringrain to South Asia, and rain is needed togrow crops.4. Extremely strong winds can destroybuildings, bring torrential rain that resultsin floods, or cause a storm surge. Any ofthese can result in loss of life.

Assessment

1. (a) air in motion; (b) a spinning columnof air with high winds; (c) a storm withheavy snowfall and strong winds; (d) acluster of tropical thunderstorms that whirlaround a low-pressure center; (e) a tropicalcyclone that has winds moving at least 74mph (f) a wall of water sucked up by astorm’s eye2. Thunderstorms are formed by powerfulupdrafts of air that occur along cold frontsor over heated ground. Ice crystals and

5. (a) Bangladesh is located in a region thatis subject to tropical storms. The govern-ment hopes to offer shelter to the peoplewho are most likely to be affected by thestorms. (b) Sample answer: It has providedshelter for people who live in coastal areas.

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