Severe Storms Movie Notes Flashcards
what are the 4 contributing factors to flash floods?
Slopes
Speed
Saturation (interstitial space)
Soil Type (rock, sand, dirt etc)
how deep does water have to be to wash away a car? knock you off your feet?
2 feet
6 inches
what are the reservoirs that supply all rain?
oceans
how many cloud vapor drops does it take to make a raindrop?
1 million droplets= 1 drop of rain
which clouds create drizzle? rain?
drizzle comes from stratus clouds= small drops
rain comes from cumulus clouds = bigger drops
what are the measurements for classification of a drizzle vs rain?
2 hundredths of an inch= rain
why does the mountain in Hawaii get so much rain?
The mountain creates its OWN rain, using water from the oceans, that water travels up the side of mt (orographic lifting) and then condenses and rain is produced
what is verga?
trails of rain that evaporate when they fall
why do vergas occur?
because of dry land
the destructive power in water is caused by what?
the water’s weight
what are Monsumes
rain that lasts 6 months because land has heated up
when there is an anvil head cloud, what would you assume occurred?
thermal inversion
what is the fuel for thunderstorms?
water vapor
where and why do the most thunderstorms occur?
the Tropics
high heat and humidity there= lots of water vapor
what state has lightning alley?
Florida
describe the formation of thunderstorms?
water vapor rises, condenses into droplets, falls as rain
what is sheet lightning?
lightning INSIDE of the cloud (most common)
what direction does a visible lightning bolt travel?
from the ground to the cloud
what other planets have lightning? Why?
Jupiter; the separation of charges
what is the scale that measures hurricanes? what does it measure to?
Saffir Simpson
categories 1-5
winds in hurricanes are driven by___?
Trade winds
what is the minimum speed wind must reach to be considered a hurricane? why is this?
74 mph
this is when the hurricane matures (updrafts, downdrafts, spinning)
why are Faraday cages safe from lightning?
The cage move the electricity around the people inside the cage.
the cage compresses and disperses the lightning
What are 2 examples of real life Faraday cages?
airplanes and cars
What is the one calmer spot in a hurricane?
The center/eye
Hurricane is an Indian word meaning ___?
Big Wind
what are hurricanes called in the (northern) pacific?
In the Australian and Indian Ocean?
Typhoons
Tropical Cyclone
In the northern hemisphere, which way does a hurricane spin? why?
counter clockwise
because it is a low pressure system
what is the real killing force of a hurricane?
the storm surge (wave of water)
storm surges are responsible for ___% of deaths involving hurricanes
90%
the ____ does not effect the classification of a hurricane
time on ground because they are multi day storms with flooding from the storm surge
where do hurricanes begin?
Sihugo, Africa
what are 2 ways that a hurricane dies?
it hits land
it goes over cold water
at what wind speed are storms considered tropical storms? when is it named?
39 mph
is named at the same time
at what speed is a tropical storm considered a hurricane?
74 mph
what are 2 reasons that the number of powerful hurricanes is increasing?
global warming heating the oceans
multidecadal effect/ oscillation
what is the mulitdecadal/ oscillation effect?
Multidecadal= when there is more intense hurricanes every 10, switching from northern to southern hemisphere each decade
In what months do tornadoes occur most?
3 months- April, May, June
what conditions are needed for tornado development?
warm humid air (up from the Gulf of Mexico) meets cold dry air (from north)
what 3 states make up tornado alley?
Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas
what 3 things are measured on the Enhanced Fujita scale?
based on time on ground
path of destruction
wind speed
How are tornadoes measured? on what scale? what is the range?
Enhanced Fujita scale
EF 0-5
what is the difference between a tornado watch and a warning?
watch= conditions are right for a tornado, be aware, usually 3-6 hours in advance warning= serious, take shelter/caution
