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Category Archives: Severe Weather
What is the cause of strong winds?
The wind is simply air in motion, flowing from high atmospheric pressures to low pressures.
Moving anything requires a force. The strong winds we experienced this past weekend were due to a strong pressure gradient force. Continue reading
How do I prepare for severe weather?
Severe summer weather can happen at any time and anywhere. The three biggest severe weather killers in the United States today are tornadoes, lightning and flash floods. Your best protection is to be prepared.
First, you need access to reliable weather information so you remain alert for potential weather hazards. Get a NOAA weather radio for weather updates. Subscribe to wireless emergency alerts, or WEAs, that provide free messages to your cell phone that will alert you about severe weather in your area. For more information on WEA Alerts, go to www.ready.gov/warning-systems-signals. Continue reading
What is a ‘bomb cyclone’?
The term “bomb cyclone” refers to the formation and rapid development of a mid-latitude cyclone. A mid-latitude cyclone is a large-scale, low-pressure system, characteristic of the middle latitudes, that has counter-clockwise flow around its center (in the Northern Hemisphere).
A primary measure of development in these storms is a drop in the atmospheric pressure at the center of the storm. Air near the ground is forced to move inward to the center of the circulation — this is known as convergence. Continue reading
What are the leading threats from hurricanes?
With all the news about hurricanes over the past couple of weeks we’ve been asked a lot of questions about the various threats posed by these storms.
Hurricane Harvey is a clear example of the damage that long-duration heavy rains can inflict. Hurricane Irma provides an example of the destructive power of the winds associated with these storms. Continue reading
Category: Severe Weather, Tropical, Weather Dangers
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Why is lightning white?
Lightning is a huge electrical discharge.
Static charges form in a storm composed of ice crystals and liquid water drops. Turbulent winds inside the storm cause particles to rub against one another, causing electrons to be stripped off, making the particles either negatively or positively charged. Continue reading
