Transcript Thunderstorms

Thunderstorms
• Rain
• Strong winds
• Lightening: forms due to the
attraction of opposite electrical
charges
• Thunder
Thunderstorms
• Thunderstorms arise when air
near the ground is strongly
warmed and rises high into the
troposphere.
• As the air rises, it cools and
condenses, forming a towering
cumulonimbus cloud.
• Eventually some of the cloud
droplets become large enough
to fall as rain.
Lightning Formation
Lightning
forms due
to the
attraction
of
opposite
electrical
charges
Thunderstorms + Lightening
Tornadoes
Tornado Facts
• A tornado is a rotating column of air attached
to a thunderstorm that comes in contact with
the ground.
• Winds can reach 300 mph.
• Can be more than a mile wide.
• Smallest. Shortest, and most violent storms.
• Forms when a thunderstorm
meets high altitude horizontal winds.
• Tornadoes are most common in N. America.
• Can travel at speeds from 5mph - 70mph.
Tornadoes and Hurricanes
Tornado Strength
• F-0: 40-72 mph
– chimney damage, tree branches broken
• F-2: 113-157 mph
– considerable damage, mobile homes demolished, trees
uprooted
• F-4: 207-260 mph
– well-constructed walls leveled, cars thrown, buildings
destroyed
• F-5: 261-318 mph
– homes lifted off foundation and carried considerable
distances, autos thrown as far as 100 meters
States where most
Tornadoes occur
1.Texas
2. Oklahoma
3. Kansas
4. Nebraska
5. Colorado
6. Iowa
7. Missouri
8. Illinois
9. Indiana
10. South Dakota
*Tornadoes have occurred in all 50 states
F-0 Tornado Damage
F-5 Tornado Damage
• Greensburg, KS
May 4, 2007
Tuscaloosa, Alabama 2011
2009 Tornado in Wyoming
Tornado Alley
Area where tornados are seen the most in the United States