May 28, 2013
EXTREME WEA TH ER m
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Blizzards
Weather
Hurricanes
Tornados
Thunderstorms
What is weather? The key
What are Hurricanes? Key
What are Tornados? Key
ideas of weather.
ideas of Hurricanes.
ideas of Tornados.
What are Blizzards? What are Thunderstorms and Key ideas of Blizzards.
and flooding
flooding? Key ideas of thundersstorms and flooding. Page 2
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Dear Reader, Weather Weekly is the best magazine to tell you all you about important weather conditions. Our first magazine is an introduction with some stories about four topics. Our topics are thunderstorms and flooding, tornadoes, blizzards and lake effect snow, and hurricanes. The editors have been working so hard to make this magazine happen. During the process we learned many interesting facts about weather. (Some of them will be included in our articles.) We thought we knew a lot but after our research we found some things were  very new to us. The topics listed before are very important. They are fairly common to everyone and some of them happen every day in the world. Our job is to help everyone understand the world’s conditions and ways to keep safe during their occurrences. Thanks for reading, Weather Weekly Editors
Lowell middle school. May 28,2013. By Mackenzie, Nate, Kirsten, and becca
May 28, 2013
Weather Weather are the properties of the atmosphere at a given time and location. Weather can be classified as warm or cold, wet or dry, or even if its cloudy or windy. Weather happens in the troposphere, the Earth’s lowest atmospheric layer. The season and climate of an area determine what sort of weather is going to occur there. For example; during the summer months, June and July, the weather is particularly warmer and more dry. Weather can be influenced by the sun, ocean, and atmosphere. The sun can change the weather by its angle of sunlight thats directed on the earth. If the sun is shining most of its light on the northern hemisphere, than that hemisphere would have more sunlight per day. Warm ocean waters provide the energy for storm systems, which cause hurricanes, typhoons, etc. Ocean currents affect climate. In the tropics, the sun’s heat warms the ocean water. Trade winds push the water towards the equator, where a current flows towards the West. When this current reaches a continent it deflects, going to many places. The atmosphere can also change weather. The ozone layer protects us from direct sun rays, and absorb the UV rays these carry. The gases in the troposphere create the greenhouse effect, which retain heat and make our planet sustain life. Weather can be influenced by the sun, atmosphere, and oceans. Weather controls our lives. It decides what we wear each day, where we live, and what our daily lives entail. The more we know about our planet's weather, the better prepared we are for daily curveballs.
Lowell middle school. May 28,2013. By Mackenzie, Nate, Kirsten, and becca
May 28, 2013
H URRIC A NES Today is the 7th of November and you are just returning home to Hoboken, NJ, and you look out the window of the car. Your devastated. Your whole neighborhood has been ruined. There’s nothing left. Have you ever been in that situation before, or have a hurricane hit your. Well if you live in the middle of the of the U.S.A you probably have not. If you live on the coast you have had a better chance of this happening. Hurricanes are a tropical storm that usually form over bodies of water, and have high wind speeds. THe hurricane season last about six months, between the beginning of June and the end of November. Hurricanes usually form when the water vapor over the ocean condenses and forms clouds and the clouds make the air warm. When the water vapor is absorbed the ocean becomes cooler and tropical thunderstorms are powered by wind shears, which are located on the top of the thunderstorms. The wind shear cause low pressure to form and the low pressure makes the “thunderstorm” to rotate in a circular motion. Storm surge are the two factors that pull the hurricane toward land. Factor one are the strong winds and the second factor is that the low pressure causes the suction. Why are hurricanes named? The only and real reason that weathermen/women name hurricanes is to keep track of them and not mix them up. Some of the famous hurricanes that are popular are: Hurricane Sandy(2012), Hurricane Ike(2008), Hurricane Mitch(1998), and Hurricane Isabel(2003). There is a classification system that classifies the hurricanes. There are five classification. Five being the strongest and one being the least strongest. Like for instance Hurricane Sandy was a category three, so it was a average strength. How dangerous are hurricanes? Hurricanes can be very dangerous in some cases. Flooding is always an issue when there is a hurricane. Rain is a key factor too. When the hurricane comes in it brings rain with it sometimes. When the rain and high speed winds mix they make rain that feels like pins on your skin. Storm surge is also very dangerous aspect of hurricanes. Some safety tips are if there is a severe alert for a hurricane, evaluate or go somewhere safe, always have a safety or emergency kit to have all extra supplies that you need (like bottles of water, canned food, flashlight, first aid kit and etc.) to survive. So if you live on a coast next time there is a hurricane take some safety precautions.
This is a real picture of Hurricane Sandy.
Lowell middle school. May 28,2013. By Mackenzie, Nate, Kirsten, and becca
May 28, 2013
TO RNA D O ES Out of the many natural disasters that occur in our country, tornadoes are arguably one of the most dangerous and most devastating. Whether they last for seconds or minutes, tornadoes rip through vulnerable towns and cities, costing millions to clean up. The bulk of these tornadoes happen during the evening. Averaging at Type to enter text about one thousand tornadoes a year, most go through the middle of the United States or, as it’s called, tornado alley. The reason why tornadoes happen in this section is because the cold, moist air traveling down from Canada meets up with the warm, dry air from the southern United States. When these two air masses collide, a massive spinning volume of wind creates a funnel cloud. The funnel cloud soon touches on to the ground, which is then considered a tornado. So you would think these colossal disasters gain a name like hurricanes do, but in reality they are just categorized based on the trail of damage they leave behind. The way these are categorized is by using a scale, called the Fujita Scale. The scale rates the tornadoes between the weakest (EF0) and the strongest (EF6) based on how fast the wind is spinning in the tornado. Usually, the EF5 is the strongest these disasters get. They leave behind an unbelievable scar across the lands where they touch down. Just like any other storm, there is a safety procedure you can apply to, possibly, save your life. What you do during a tornado is you find a room without any windows (usually a bathroom) and you lay in the bathtub while you have a matress over your body. This allows maximum safety for you and your family so you can possibly survive. One of the more recent tornadoes was in Oklahoma. Right away you notice that Oklahoma is within the boundaries of tornado alley. This tornado was categorized as an EF5, the second strongest tornado on the fujita scale. The tornado ripped through Oklahoma City, leaving behind not only physical damage, but emotional damage.
Lowell middle school. May 28,2013. By Mackenzie, Nate, Kirsten, and becca
May 28, 2013
TH UND ERS TO RMS A N D F LO O D IN G
The humid climate sent warmth to her skin. She looked up into the sky and saw dark gray clouds. Becky Black saw a flash of light followed by a loud rumble, her body shook. She dashed off her porch into her house spilling her glass of lemonade. This nice June day turned into horror within 10 seconds. The intelligent Becky knew to go inside. Surrounding her house were many trees, she also has a pool in her backyard. It’s important to avoid things like that because of the damage lightning can cause. The thunder and lighting continued to roar and rumble as light flashed through her windows. She turned on her television to watch the news. A strip of warnings showed up on the bottom of the screen. The label showed a severe weather warning for her area, Florida. A severe watch is when your area is expecting a storm. A severe warning is when it is actually happening. She decided it would be best if she stayed upstairs. Her basement was really old and she has a back door in her basement. The walls made a crackling sound as the wind crashed down on the house. All of a sudden Becky heard a rush of water crashing in. As she checked her basement she saw a puddle of water forming. Her basement door had cracked open near the bottom, a perfect opening for the flood. Becky tried everything she could. Stuffing towels in the crack didn’t last long. The right thing was to get out of her house. She went to her neighbor’s house who had a top floor and a strong basement. Becky listened to the radio for any news. The lightning and thunder only lasted about an hour, but the rain continued to last for awhile. Ponds started to overflow and streets became covered with water. Everyone stayed inside hoping for the best. Night soon came by and most people soon fell asleep. In the morning Becky woke to the peaceful sounds of birds chirping. People were stacking sandbags to hold back the water. Everyone wanted to help. Later that day the news had also announced that no one had died and there were no injuries. Florida was very lucky. Becky gathered up her things and walked down to her house. She took in a deep breath as she approached her house. A tree from her neighbors house was struck with lightning and it landed in both of their yards. Lightning had also hit a small part of her house. The corner had fallen off. It was nowhere to be found but Becky knew it wouldn’t cost too much with insurance. She prepared herself as she walked into her house. Nothing on the top floor was ruined. As Becky walked down the stairs she gasped in horror. Water was up to her thigh. Lamps floated up to the surface and cabinets had ripped off the wall. There was a lot of work that need to be done and she couldn’t do it herself. She called her insurance company and soon people were there to help. It took about a week to get the water out and everything cleaned up and her house inspected. Becky needs to replace a few things, but luckily no one lost their life. Lowell middle school. May 28,2013. By Mackenzie, Nate, Kirsten, and becca
May 28, 2013
Blizzards and Blizzards Lake Effect Snow
You’re trying to escape your everyday life. It’s winter, and the cold, depressing weather is starting to get to you. About to leave for paradise, you finally feel alive for the first time in weeks. You’re boarding, when your vision is blurred by white. Your plane gets delayed, and you end up staying home. You’re stuck home, waiting. Waiting for the cold, bitter air to succumb the world you’ve come to love. The wintry feel of the situation has left, and been replaced with utter terror. You’re terrified you’ll be stuck for weeks on end, with no way of connection to the outside world. Blizzards are unmistakable terrors, that most people think nothing of. The dangers they possess, completely escaping our thoughts. Your line of vision limited to a few feet in front of you, wind the speed of hurricanes. Your contact with everyone you know and love, cut off. Society limited to what you can reach in your home. People have died from hypothermia, or severe frostbite cases within these storms. Household fires occur more often, as proper safety precautions don’t applied when candles, lanterns, and alternative heating sources have to be used. Trees have fallen because of the amount of snow and wind, as well as power lines. Buildings have collapsed when there was an overwhelming amount of snow. To be a blizzard, the storm has to last over three hours. They have lasted up to five days. The aftermath can cost between thousands and millions to clean up. Classified by the amount of damage, and how strong the winds are. They are caused by strong winds combined with blowing snow, when cold northern air meets warm southern air. Blizzards are destructive terrors that are overshadowed by the mass-destruction of other, bigger natural disasters. What we tend to forget is that they can be as deadly and destructive as tornadoes or hurricanes. These wonderful tortures of nature are underestimated by many people, but are still overestimated by others. released in the form of snow over the regions around these lakes. These storms are harder to predict, with the conditions and predictions of what happens all over the place. 76 inches of light density snow can fall within a 24 hour period, which means you’re isolated where over the worst of it happened. They are classified by the inches that fall, not by a scale or by damage.
Lake Effect Snow Lake effect snow is the result of cold air blowing over warm water, with the warm evaporating within the cold. Happening in the Great Lakes region, this is how we get most of our snow. It lasts between hours and days, and can cause extensive damage to cities if built unstable for these weather conditions. The can damage power lines and communication towers, and block signals to satellites. Most of the time, the only clean up is plowing the roads when the snow is done. It is caused when cold, dry air masses pass over the Great Lakes, and pick up extensive amounts of moisture, which is then released in the form of snow over the regions around these lakes. These storms are harder to predict, with the conditions and predictions of what happens all over the place. 76 inches of light density snow can fall within a 24 hour period, which means you’re isolated where over the worst of it happened. They are classified by the inches that fall, not by a scale or by damage.
Lowell middle school. May 28,2013. By Mackenzie, Nate, Kirsten, and becca
May 27, 2013
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