Weather and Climate

What is a thunderstorm?

• A thunderstorm is a storm with lightning and thunder. 
• a violent rotating column of air 
• the most violent storm known on Earth

How do tornadoes form

• form at sea and cause dangerous, stormy seas
• form from thunderstorms. You need warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico and cool, dry air from Canada.
• You need unstable air that is relatively warm and can rise rapidly.

What is a hurricane? 

• a traditional funnel shape, or in a slender rope-like form
• A change in wind direction and an increase in wind speed with increasing height creates an invisible, horizontal spinning effect in the lower atmosphere
• tropical storms. They take place between the Equator and the Tropic of Cancer to the north, or between the Equator and the Tropic of Capricorn to the south

How do winds in a hurricane blow?

• From west to east 
• They blow round in a circle. 
• From north to south

Which of the following is a true fact about Hurricanes?

•  The winds in a hurricane blow at a speed of at least 20 miles an hour. Their speed is often much less than this.
• North of the equator the winds blow in a clockwise direction
• North of the equator the winds in a hurricane blow in an anticlockwise direction

What are some other factors for tornadoes to form?

• Abundant high level heat is necessary to contribute to the development of a thunderstorm
• They usually form in areas where winds at all levels of the atmosphere are not strong and also turn with height in an up and down motion. 
• They  form in areas where winds at all levels of the atmosphere are not only strong, but also turn with height in a clockwise or veering direction. 

What do tornadoes look like?

• Tornadoes can appear as a traditional spherical shape, or in a slender rope-like form.
•  others may be nearly invisible, with only swirling dust or debris at ground levels as the only indication of the tornado's presence
• Some have a dark, reddish look to them

What is lightning?

• Lightning is a bright flash of electricity produced by a thunderstorm
• Lightning is a bright flash of electricity produced by a blizzard.
• Lightning is not an electric current

What causes thunder?

• Lightning is caused by thunder. 
• Thunder is caused by lightning
• Thunder is caused by rain. 

What does the picture show?

• Hail
• Electrical charges
• Supercell thunderstorm