SEVERE WEATHER PROJECT

Hurricanes: Hurricanes form over warm, moist air, and use it as fuel. Therefore, they can only form over the ocean near the equator. This warm air rises, creating a low pressure area below it. The surrounding high pressure air rushes in to replace the lower pressure area, and this new air also rises.

The water is the air makes clouds as it increases in height. In the North, it begins to spin counterclockwise, in the South, clockwise. An eye forms, and is a very low pressure area, so the storm spins around it. As soon as the wind speeds reach 74 mph, it is called a hurricane.

While we have some notice before hurricanes strike, we need to be careful to make sure to either make sure people can survive the storm, or that people can get out fast enough to survive.

HURRICANE SAFETY

• Stay away from lower elevation areas.
• If you are told to evacuate, EVACUATE.
• Stay inside, either in your home, or in a storm shelter.
• Stay inside until the storm is over, and there is no danger of a flood.

SAFFIR- SIMPSON HURRICANE WIND SCALE

• 1: Winds 74-95 mph, winds will produce some damage
• 2: Wind 119-153 mph, extremely dangerous winds will produce some damage
• 3: Wind 111-129 mph, devastating damage will occur
• 4: Wind 130-156 mph, catastrophic damage will occur
• 5: Wind 157 or more mph, catastrophic damage will occur

HURRICANE KATRINA

• A hurricane that struck the Gulf Coast of the United States. It was a 3 on the Hurricane Scale.
• It turned into a Category 5 hurricane.
• It caused over $100 billion in damage.

Tornadoes:
Tornadoes form when the warm, moist air mass from the Gulf of Mexico, and the cool, dry air mass from Canada meet, and start a thunderstorm (or an instability in the atmosphere). They change in wind direction, and create an invisible and clockwise spinning effect.

The thing that keeps tornadoes going is the "trigger", or a cold front. Tornadoes can form anywhere in the world, aside from Antarctica. However, they are far more common within the United States.

While tornadoes can be predicted, they most likely will only be predicted a few days in advance.

FUJITA TORNADO DAMAGE SCALE

• F0: Wind
• F1: Wind 73-112 mph, moderate damage
• F2: Wind 113-157 mph, considerable damage
• F3: Wind 158-206 mph, severe damage
• F4: Wind 207-260 mph, devastating damage
• F5: Wind 261-318 mph, incredible damage

TO STAY SAFE FROM A TORNADO

• Go to the lowest level of your home, with no windows.
• Stay away from windows if there are any, the center of the room.
• Get under a sturdy piece of furniture, and protect your head and neck with your arms.
• Stay inside until you are certain the storm has passed.
• DO NOT LEAVE THE BUILDING

ST. LOUIS TORNADO

• May 27, 1896 in Missouri and Illinois.
• Killed 255 people, and injured 1,000.
• Was an F4, between 207 and 260 miles per hour

Flash Floods:
Flash floods happen when heavy rainfall or snow melt overflow river and streams. They can last for weeks, and the water could reach the tops of houses. They are considered severe because they can destroy homes, property, and kill people.

SHORT TERM EFFECTS

• Homes, roads, and modes of transportation are destroyed.
• Emergency officials are deployed to help, which is very expensive.

LONG TERM EFFECTS

• Because many animals and plants drown in flash floods, it could permanently destroy an ecosystem.
• Floods carry nutrients onto land, so farmers can use this better land to grow better crops.

2013 COLORADO FLOODS

• A slow moving cold front stalled over Colorado, and when it clashed with a warm air mass, it created a LOT of rain.
• Even 3-4 years later, we're recovering from the damage
• Nearly $4 billion dollars in damage.
• Killed 10 people, and displaced up to 18,000.