Weather

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Weather
You Are Here
Animation Courtesy of Ncdc.webmaster_at_noaa.gov.
Historical Significant Events Imagery.
6/24/2005. http//www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/imag
es/charley-vis-loop.gif. 7/3/2006.
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A Weather Story

• It was Friday, August 13th. The morning was calm
  and peaceful typical of a summer day in the
  Sunshine State. Yet unlike most days, towns in
  this part of Florida were fairly deserted because
  a relatively minor hurricane was churning in the
  Gulf of Mexico, a little too close for comfort.
  It was a Category 1 then a Category 2. But it
  wasnt supposed to come here. Hurricanes just
  dont hit here

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Preparation

• The storm was headed for the Tampa Bay area which
  caused nearly 1.4 million people living there to
  evacuate ahead of it. But in our area, people
  still were able to get in some morning jogs.
  They put the final touches on their storm
  shutters and diligently put on the news to watch
  the storm forecast closely.

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A Wobble?

• At about 9am, Hurricane Charley started
  wobbling to the east. Meteorologists in this
  area stared at live satellite images to see if
  Charley was indeed wobbling or making that
  predicted northeasterly turn a bit early. By
  11am, local emergency personnel and everyone else
  in the area was wide awake, staring at Hurricane
  Charley. That wobble became a turn, sparing
  heavily populated Tampa Bay and aiming right at
  our paradise.

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It Intensifies

• Still a Category 2, Charley was an unwanted and
  dangerous nuisance. Around 230pm, people in the
  area gritted their teeth as they saw the report
  from the weather service that Charley had
  strengthened to a Category 3 storm. But, before
  they could come to terms with this, Charley
  strengthened to a powerful Category 4 around
  300pm.

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Just Before the Storm

• Some sought safety in shelters. Others went to
  relatives or friends homes. As the winds
  steadily increased in our area, people prepared
  for the worst. They climbed into bathtubs, hid
  beneath mattresses, and huddled in closets.

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Charley Strikes

• Charley first nailed Cayo Costa, west of Cape
  Coral, at 345pm, before moving toward Charlotte
  Harbor with sustained winds of 145mph. People
  felt the walls shake around them as Charley moved
  inland. Roofs were torn off above their heads as
  trees toppled all around. The roaring and
  howling of Charleys winds were deafening.

8
The Aftermath

• Mighty trees had been uprooted. Roofs had been
  ripped off. Cars had been lifted. Street signs
  and stoplights were missing. Power lines were
  tangled and poles broken. Hurricane Charley
  killed 31 people. It also caused an estimated
  6.8 billion in damage. But, it could have been
  much worse.

Some Story Excerpts Taken From Arnold, C.
(2004). Charley threatens paradise,
residents brace for the wrath. Port
Charlotte, FL Sun Newspapers.
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The Science of Weather

• Many, many heroes emerged on that fateful day and
  meteorologists were definitely among them
  
• A meteorologist is a scientist who studies
  weather
  
• The predictions and tracking information they
  provided helped save countless lives

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Air Masses

• Much of weather predicting relies on the study of
  the movements of air masses
  
• Weather changes are caused by the movement and
  interaction of air masses
  
• An air mass is a large body of air where
  temperature moisture content are similar
  throughout it

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Fronts

• Air masses that form from different areas often
  do not mix because warm air is less dense than
  cold air
  
• When 2 air masses meet, warm air rises and cold
  air sinks
  
• A front is the area where 2 types of air masses
  meet

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4 Types of Fronts

• 1. Cold front forms when cold air moves under
  warm air, pushing the warm air up.
  
• Cold fronts move quickly and bring thunderstorms,
  heavy rain, or snow.
  
• Cooler weather usually follows a cold front
  because the air mass behind the cold front is
  cooler and drier than the air mass that it is
  replacing.

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• 2. Warm front forms where warm air moves over
  cold, denser air.
  
• Warm fronts generally bring drizzly rain.
• Warm air gradually replaces the cold air causing
  clear and warm weather to follow a warm front.

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• 3. Occluded front forms when a warm air mass
  is caught between two colder air masses.
  
• Occluded fronts bring cool temperatures and large
  amounts of rain and snow.

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• 4. Stationary front forms when a cold air mass
  meets a warm air mass but both air masses dont
  have enough force to lift the warm air mass over
  the cold one so they remain separated.
• Stationary fronts often bring many days of
  cloudy, wet weather.

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You Be The Meteorologist!

• On the next few slides, read through the
  descriptions of the weather conditions to come up
  with a general weather forecast.

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• A warm air mass is stuck between two colder air
  masses.
  
• 1. What type of front is this?
• 2. What type of weather will it bring?

1. ANS OCCLUDED FRONT
2. ANS COOL TEMPERATURES LOTS OF
RAIN/SNOW
Click screen to check answer
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A cold air mass has met a warm air mass but they
dont have enough energy to lift the warm air up.
1. ANS STATIONARY FRONT

• 1. What type of front is this?
• 2. What type of weather will it
  bring?
  

2. ANS DAYS OF
CLOUDY, WET WEATHER.
Click screen to check answer
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Links to Lean More

• Click on the links below to learn more about
  weather.
  
• www.brainpop.com
• Select Science, then Weather and Weather
  Advanced
  
• http//www.oar.noaa.gov/k12/html/forecasting2.html
  
  
• Explore this site for info on weather forecasting

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Your Assignment

• On the following slides, choose Tornadoes,
  Lightning, or Hurricanes to do an in depth study
  of severe weather.
  
• Use the information to create an informational
  poster about that particular form of sever
  weather.
  
• Be prepared to present your poster to the class.

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Tornadoes

• DIRECTIONS Gather information about the
  following and put it on a poster to present. The
  research links are on my website.
  
• What causes them?
• How do they form?
• What are the environmental clues?
• Clearly explain the following
• Tornado Watch,
• Tornado Warning
• Severe Thunderstorm Watch
• Severe Thunderstorm Warning
• List some facts and myths about tornadoes.
• List the months of peak occurrence for Florida
  and 4 other states of your choosing.
  
• Explain 5 interesting facts about tornadoes that
  you discovered during research.
  
• Include a drawing of a tornado.

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Lightning

• DIRECTIONS Gather information about the
  following and put it
  
• on a poster to present. The research links are
  on my website.
  
• What are the causes of lightning and thunder?
• Explain the following
• How far away from a storm can lightning strike?
• What is the 30-30 rule?
• Where does lightning usually strike?
• Draw the types of lightning and explain about
  each.
  
• Find out if Florida really does have the most
  lightning strikes in the U.S. If not, who does?
  
• List 5 other states that have frequent lightning
  strikes. Be sure to indicate the number of
  strikes for each.
  
• Hypothesize why most lightning fatalities occur
  at the beginning or end of a thunderstorm, rather
  than during the worst part of the storm.
  
• List 5 interesting facts you found during your
  research.

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Hurricanes

• DIRECTIONS Gather information about the
  following and put it on a poster to present. The
  research links are on my website.
  
• Explain the difference between a tropical
  depression, a tropical storm, and a hurricane.
  
• Describe each hurricane level on the
  Saffir-Simpson Scale.
  
• Describe and explain the 3 things that must occur
  for a hurricane to get stronger.
  
• Describe and explain the dangers of hurricanes to
  include
  
• storm surge
• Flooding
• Danger from heavy winds
• Tornadoes
• Where are areas at risk?
• Write an explanation about the Hurricane Hunters
  to include
  
• The history
• What they do
• List 5 interesting facts you found during your
  research.
  
• Include a drawing of a hurricane.