Blizzards

Blizzards are basically really big snow storms!!Blizzards are formed when a high pressure system, also known as a ridge, interacts with a low pressure system. Some areas in the world are more likely to get blizzards than others, but blizzards can occur anywhere that has snow and high winds. Blizzards are particularly common to the Northeastern United States, the Northern Great Plains in the United States, Atlantic Canada, and the Canadian Prairie Provinces. Blizzard conditions also occur regularly in the mountain ranges in western North America, however, since these regions have low populations, they are often not reported at all. Worldwide, blizzards often occur across Russia, and into the northern regions of Europe. They have also been known to occur across the United Kingdom, although severe winter storms there are not common because of the sea currents of the North Atlantic Drift.

http://www.cmonroe.net/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

Huricanes

A hurricane is basically a very large storm! It has strong winds spiraling inward and upward at speeds of 75 to 200 mph.It also can be up to 600 miles across!!Each hurricane sometimes lasts for a week, moving 10-20 miles per hour over the open ocean. Hurricanes gather heat and energy through contact with warm ocean waters. If there is high evaporation level from the sea water it makes them even stronger. Hurricanes rotate around the "eye" in a counter-clockwise direction .The center of the storm or "the eye" is the calmest part. It has only light winds and fair weather. When they come onto land, the heavy rain, strong winds and large waves can damage buildings, trees and cars!!



http://www.weatherwizkids.com/index.htm

Tornadoes

A tornado is a spiral looking wind force.They are extremely destructive!!

Tornadoes occur in many places in the world, but are most common in the United States east of the Rocky Mountains and what is known as the "Tornado Alley" this is a strip of states running from Texas to Illinois during the spring and summer .800 tornadoes are reported nationwide every year, resulting in 80 deaths and over 1,500 injuries. A tornado is defined as a violently rotating column of air extending from a thunderstorm to the ground. The most violent tornadoes are capable of mass destruction with wind speeds of 250 mph or more.

http://www.weatherpix.com/

Thunder and Lightning

Did you know lightning causes thunder?!One single bolt of lightning heats the air around it to 30,000 degrees celsius!And when the air around the bolt heats up it expands really fast.The expansion makes a shock wave that turns into a huge sound wave...therefore making the sound we know as thunder.

Lightning on the other hand is formed when hot air meets cold air.When they meet the warm air moves ontop of the cold air. The cold air has ice crystals. The warm air has water droplets. During the storm, the droplets and crystals bump together and move apart in the air. This rubbing makes static electrical charges in the clouds.Like a battery the cloud has a positive and negative end.The negative side goes towards the ground because it is attracted to the opposite charge.The cloud releases its energy by letting out a bolt of electric charge in form of a lightning strike!!

http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/k-4/home/F_What_Causes_Lightning_Flash.html http://www.moonraker.com.au/
http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/earth/Atmosphere/tstorm/lightning.html

Introduction:

http://www.leetsoftware.com/

This is my blog on storms..why they happen..where they happen..what kinds there are etc.!!I have always found it interesting how storms happen and the impact they have on peoples life.When visiting Cuba last summer there was a thunder and lightening storm every night..and I thought it was fascinating that this happened!!Have fun..=]