2013
B Y : A M B E R , J E S S I C A , R A M O N , S K Y L A R
FREE
WEATHER w
The state of the atmosphere at a place and time as regards heat, cloudiness, dryness, sunshine, wind, rain, etc.
! There are all different kinds of weather , such as rain, tornadoes, and blizzards. Some of these weather subjects have rating scales . Most of these storms or types of weather are very dangerous and could cause major damage to that certain area or even you .
TWISTERS
Thunder Storms
BLIZZARDS
Table of Context page 1 - Cover Page page 2 - Table of Contents page 3 - Letter from the Editors page 4 - Group Article page 5 - tornadoes page 6-8 - hurricanes page 9-10 - blizzards and lake effect snow page 11-13 - Thunderstorms and Clouds page 14 - bibliography
Dear Readers, Each article in our magazine is carefully selected and handpicked specifically for your enjoyment. In this issue of our lovely magazine, we go in depth about specific types of weather. We list the intriguing facts, safety procedures, conditions, and damage that can be done due to weather. As we, the editors, worked side by side on this project, we learned friendship, responsibility, and the importance of teamwork. We also studied each other’s topics, and if we noticed something missing or some important information that needed to be included, we would inform our teammate politely, and the problem would be fixed. Everyone in this group seemed to work well together, and have fun at the same time. Every topic included in this magazine has a specific purpose. We choreographed the topics into an order that smoothly transitions into one another. Every topic included a specific type of weather that intertwined with the overall topic of our group. We worked our very hardest on this, so we hope you enjoy this magazine as much as we enjoyed working on it together. Sincerely, The Editors
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What Causes Weather?
Energy from the sun is kind
strange weather happens,
of a big deal. Have you ever
seasons are the overall
enjoyed a nice breeze or warm
weather that occurs
summer day? Well, ENERGY
throughout a portion of the
FROM THE SUN DID THAT.
year. Our atmosphere plays a
Okay, the sun did most of
role in our weather too. The
that. There are other factors
atmosphere is made up of
involved such as, latitude,
gases that trap the sun’s rays
altitude, distance from the sea,
and heat the earth, like when
winds, and aspect. In addition,
you are stuck wearing that
seasons caused by the earth’s
ugly wool sweater your aunt
tilt have a lot to do with what
bought you that traps all the
we experience when we step
heat in your body...only it’s a
outside our houses. Since the
good thing. Oceans contribute
axis of the earth is tilted,
to weather by pulling the sun’s
different parts of the globe
energy along certain paths.
are oriented toward the sun at
They are able to absorb and
different times of the year.
store heat from the sun. By
Summer happens when the
doing this, they can affect the
earth is tilted more directly at
temperature of the atmosphere
the sun and more of the sun’s
and circulation all over the
rays hit the earth. Winter
world. Oceans: also a pretty
happens when the sun’s rays hit
big deal. We live in Indiana. If
less directly because the earth
you’re happy about that, good
is tilted away. Science! Seasons
for you! Indiana is colder than
are basically climates put into
most states due to its location
groups. Although sometimes
and distance from the oceans. It could be worse, we could be Louisiana.
tornadoes !!! A tornado is a vortex made up of violently rotating winds carrying water, dust, and debris. Tornadoes form when different
EF 1! EF 1! EF 2! EF 3! EF 4! EF 5!
65-85 mph 86-110 mph 11-135 mph 136-165 mph 166-200 mph over 200 mph
Fujita Scale is used to rate the intensity of a tornado by examining the damage caused by the tornado after it has passed over a man-made structure.
temperatures and humidity meet to form thunderclouds. When this occurs, the cold air on top begins to sink, sending the rising wind spinning upward. The warm wind rotates faster and faster in a high column. When the updraft is strong, the column can rise to high speeds and create a tornado. Tornadoes usually occur during the warmer seasons. For the upper midwest, the tornado season is usually in June or July. Though usually happening during warm weather months, tornadoes can happen at any time of year. They can also happen at any time of day or night, but most tornadoes occur between 4-9 p.m.
Around 1000 tornadoes move through the US, but only about 2% of them reach either F4 or F5 status on the Fujita scale, occurring in rural areas and doing little to no damage. Some tornadoes, however, are much stronger, and can cut their way through a major metropolitan area or through an entire small town.
There are safety signals called tornado watches and tornado warnings. A tornado watch is issued by meteorologists when the conditions of a storm indicate that a tornado is possible. A tornado warning is issued when an actual tornado has been seen. Tornadoes are powerful and destructive forces of nature. Recently there was a tornado of epically violent proportions that carved a huge path of destruction
If tornados occur by you ,you should learn about tornado safety.Stay away from mirrors,windows and things that can break,also if you have a basement that is the safest place to be. If you don’t you could always go in your closet . Any small room with no windows or glass is suitable.
through Moore, Oklahoma. Nearly a hundred people died and the damage will cost nearly a billion dollars to repair. by: Amber Jordan
Woah! watch out!!! Everyone was running and screaming outside on the city streets while I was in the sprint store. I didn’t know what was happening! I was trying to keep close attention to what people were screaming about. While I was looking around, I seen it! The huge wave coming into the city! I screamed, hurricane! And ran out of that store quickly. I got into my car which was parked out front and rushed home. When I got home my parents were freaking out, trying to get ahold of me on my phone. I ran up to them and said “i’m here, i’m ok, we need to take cover!” They did exactly what I had told them to do, TAKE COVER. We went to the crawl place where we had all of our emergency hurricane objects. We had flashlights, a transistor radio and also extra working batteries, a good supply of clean clothes, blankets and or sleeping bags for each person, several days supply of canned foods and beverages that don’t need to be refrigerated and lastly but most important, medicine. My dad went all around the house and locked the windows and doors and secured them with wood. While my dad was doing that my mom got all of our valuable papers. My brother and I were under the stairs like our parents had told us to do. Thank God we were ok. After the internet was up and running I was researching on the internet what exactly a hurricane is and what you do during one and different supplies you need. This is what I found..
Hurricanes !!! A hurricane is a powerful system with a large low pressure center that produces intense wind and rainfall. It happens when hot and cold climates mix together and form a funnel cloud. Considering hurricanes are huge water tornadoes, they always form over an ocean . About 97% of all hurricanes occur between June 1st and November 30th and can cost billions of dollars in damage. Hurricanes happen because of the high temperatures during these months. Hurricanes occur mainly in 6 places, and all have specific dates in which to expect them in.
damage. Hurricanes happen because of the high temperatures during these months. Hurricanes occur mainly in 6 places, and all have specific dates in which to expect them in.
There are many famous names of hurricanes. The Great Galveston Hurricane of 1900 was one of the deadliest hurricane to ever hit the United States and caused between 8,000 and 12,000 deaths. The storm reached the Texas coast south of Galveston on September 8 as a Category 4 hurricane with 8 to 15 feet of water everywhere you went. The lack of warning and the high storm A hurricane is a powerful surge caused this storm to system with a large low have the highest death toll pressure center that of any United States produces intense wind and hurricane. We also have rainfall. It happens when hurricane Katrina, a hot and cold climates mix category 5 hurricane. together and form a funnel Katrina was the most cloud. Considering destructive Atlantic hurricanes are huge water hurricane of the 2005 tornadoes, they always form Atlantic hurricane season over an ocean . About 97% and it was also the costliest of all hurricanes occur natural disaster. Katrina between June 1st and killed around 1,833 people. November 30th and can cost We also have a hurricane billions of dollars in Hugo, Hugo occurred the
year of 1989 but killed 600 to 900 people. Hugo was rare, but powerful. You should always be prepared for a hurricane and know where to go during one. Here are some things you should make sure you already have ready before a hurricane occurs,  flashlights, transistor radio that works and also extra working batteries, a good supply of clean clothes, blankets and or sleeping bags for each person, filled fuel tanks, safe battery water levels on your vehicles, several days supply of canned foods and beverages that don’t need to be refrigerated and lastly but most important, medicine. These are the things you need to do before or during a hurricane but quickly, make sure doors and windows are locked and secured then cover them with blinds or wood, have your valuable papers with you, and lastly TAKE COVER.
PICTURES
fun facts ! The word hurricane comes from the Taino Native American word, hurricane, meaning evil spirit of the wind. The first time anyone flew into a hurricane happened in 1943 in the middle of World War II. A typical hurricane can dump 6 inches to a foot of rain across a region. Every second, a large hurricane releases the energy of 10 atomic bombs. Can produce tornadoes. Most people who die in hurricanes are killed by the towering walls of seawater that comes inland. The planet Jupiter has a hurricane which has been going on for over 300 years. It can be seen as a red spot on the planet. This hurricane on Jupiter is bigger than the Earth itself.
Blizzards and lake effect snow! Blizzards and Lake Effect snow
Blizzards and Lake Effect snow When you hear the word “blizzard” or the phrase “lake effect snow”, what pops into your head? Maybe blizzard makes you think of “Dairy Queen” blizzards, or lake effect snow makes you think of snow caused by the lake. But, if you didn’t know, blizzards are severe snow storms with high winds and low visibility, and lake effect snow is when cold air passes over a large warmer lake and picks up moisture and heat, creating snow. Blizzard For blizzards, the snow storm winds must exceed 35 mph. A severe blizzard can have winds over 72 km/h (45 mph), near zero visibility, and temperatures of −12 °C (10 °F) or lower. Blizzards usually last one day and occur in the northwest region. Blizzards are most common in the northern Mississippi Basin (the central part of Canada and in Russia). The difference between a blizzard and a snowstorm is the strength of the wind, not the amount of snow. A snow storm must have sustained winds or frequent gusts that are greater than or equal to 56 km/h (35 mph). Blowing and/or drifting snow caused by a blizzard can reduce visibility to 400 meters(quarter mile) or less and must last for a prolonged period of time — typically three hours or more Snow storms are caused by a warm front colliding with a cold front. This creates a low pressure zone. When clouds in the low pressure zone are filled with ice crystals, there are chances for a major blizzard. Low pressure creates high powered winds, as the warmer air spirals into the lower zone, and adds movement. If a low pressure zone decreases, the winds speed up. For snow to happen, there needs to be a lot of moisture in the air. This can be gathered up if the low pressure zone goes over a large body of water. This moisture cools as it rises into the atmosphere. Blizzards can be dangerous at times. They have cold winds that rapidly reduce the temperature of anything they touch. Blizzards create a variety of dangerous conditions. Traveling by automobile can become difficult or even impossible due to "whiteout" conditions and drifting snow. If you must drive in a blizzard, be prepared! Make sure your automobile is properly equipped with emergency supplies in case you become lost. The strong winds and cold temperatures accompanying blizzards can combine to create another danger. Exposure to low wind chill values can result in frostbite or hypothermia. Both require immediate medical attention. However, low wind chill values shouldn't keep you from going outside, but should encourage you be informed and dress properly. Blizzards also can cause a variety of other problems. Power outages can occur due to strong winds and heavy snow. Pipes can freeze and regular fuel sources may be cut off.
blizzards!
lake effect snow!
Fun Facts The weather Channel is creating names for the blizzards (like the names they call hurricanes) so they can be more memorable. The Storm of the Century, also known as the Great Blizzard of 1993, was a large cyclonic storm that formed over the Gulf of Mexico on March 12, 1993, and dissipated in the North Atlantic Ocean on March 15. It is unique for its intensity, massive size and wide-reaching effects.The most historic blizzard in indiana was the “The blizzard of 1978.” The storm set records still in place to this day, including the most snow in one month and most snow on the ground in Indianapolis. A ground blizzard is a weather condition where loose snow on the ground is lifted and blown by strong winds. Blizzard conditions of cold temperatures and strong winds can cause wind chill values that can result in hypothermia or frostbite. The wind chill factor is the amount of cooling the human body feels due to the combination of wind and temperature. A nor'easter is a macro-scale storm along the East Coast of the United States and Atlantic Canada. Lake Effect Snow Lake effect snow is produced in winter when cold winds moves across long expanses of warmer lake water, providing energy and causing snow. It is formed mostly in large rivers, bodies of water, and great lakes (for Indiana the nearest lake-effect snow-causing river is the Mississippi river). A lake effect blizzard is the blizzard-like conditions resulting from lake-effect snow. Under certain conditions, strong winds can accompany lake effect snows creating blizzard-like conditions. The wind chill and visibility values will often reach blizzard criteria; however the duration of the event is often slightly less than that required for a blizzard warning in both the US and Canada. If the air temperature is not low enough to keep the precipitation frozen, it falls as lake effect rain. Lake effect snow typically doesn't occur alongthe shoreline, but miles inland. Snow storms can last for at least one day on and off and lake effect snow usually occurs for a day or two. Lake effect snow can be dangerous. Like blizzards, it can cause hypothermia and frostbite. Also it can readily reduce the temperature. Lake effect snow hasn’t really harmed anyone like blizzards. In indiana the most remarkable lake effect snow occurred in February 14-19 1958 in La Porte and it was 37.0 inches. and 22.0” in 3 hours at Valparaiso, Indiana on Dec. 18, 1981.
Ramon Reyes
Thunderstorms and clouds
Thunderstorms are like regular rain showers, if rain showers were totally metal. Thunderstorms are rain showers, light or heavy, in which thunder occurs. Since thunder is the sound that lightning makes, all thunderstorms include lightning. Lightning looks hard core, which is why Thor is all about using it when he comes to Earth and Metallica puts it on all their t-shirts. Thunderstorms form when three specific ingredients come together as one, not totally unlike The Avengers. These “ingredients” include moisture, rising unstable air, and something to give that unstable air the little push it needs, like Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury pushing The Avengers to save Earth from aliens. In better terms, these ingredients are put into three categories that explain the life of a thunderstorm. The life cycle of a thunderstorm includes the developing, mature, and dissipating
stage. The developing stage is evident by a cumulus cloud that is being pushed upward by an updraft. The cumulus cloud begins to form a brutallooking tower shape as the updraft continues to develop. This stage includes casual lightning, with little or no precipitation. This might sound pretty tame so far, but these clouds are about to get Kanye crazy.The mature stage begins when rain starts to fall and a downdraft is created. When the downdraft and cooled air starts to spread out, it forms a line of gusty winds called a gust front. When a gust front is formed, hail, lightning, strong winds, tornadoes, heavy rain, and nightmares are most likely to occur. This leads into the dissipating stage when a large amount of rain is produced and the power of the downdraft overcomes the updraft. The gust front moves further and further away from the storm like your mom and dad getting a divorce, and eventually
cuts off the warm, moist air completely. Since there is nothing feeding the storm (or your parents’ love) anymore, the precipitation decreases enormously, but lightning still continues. Thunderstorms are most likely to happen during the months in Summer and Spring. They usually happen during the late hours of night, evening time, or whenever Adele sings a sad song. Under the right conditions, the rain from thunderstorms can produce flash flooding, hail the size of oranges(because nature doesn’t get baseball and it’s sick of you using sports metaphors to describe its’ fury), and dangerous wind and lightning. Flash flooding kills more people than tornadoes, hurricanes, and lightning every year. Lightning from thunderstorms can cause fires and backdrops for uncreative music videos. Dangerous hail can damage cars, windows, and can even kill animals caught in the open.
If you still don’t think thunderstorms are a big deal, their strong winds can knock down power lines, telephone poles, trees, mobile homes, the internet and SATELLITE TELEVISION. The biggest severe thunderstorm threats occur in a stretch from Texas to Minnesota. There are an estimated 16 million thunderstorms a year, and on average, there are about 2,000 happening at any time. About 100,000 of these a year happen in the U.S. alone. Our government has come up with two ways to signal us about thunderstorms before they happen. We call these two methods a severe thunderstorm watch, and a severe thunderstorm warning. A severe thunderstorm watch is sent out by meteorologists from the NOAA Storm Prediction Center who watch the weather across the entire United States 24/7 and get totally mad when you call them the NOAASPC because that acronym doesn’t make a cool word. They search for weather conditions that relate to those of a severe thunderstorm. A watch can range anywhere from part of a state, to multiple states because thunderstorms don’t care where you live. The key word in a severe thunderstorm watch is “watch.” Get it? It tells us to be on the lookout for signs and to stay tuned in for updates. A severe thunderstorm warning is sent out by meteorologists from the NOAA National Weather Service Forecast Office (NOAANWSFO) who watch a designated area 24/7 which if you think about it is a really boring job for most of the year. Warnings are issued when signs of severe weather have been reported by spotters, or picked up by radars. Warnings signal that there could potentially be an endangerment to life, or even serious damage to property. It is important to act immediately, and follow the safety procedures when warnings are issued because mother nature does not play around. Avengers Assemble!
T H U N D E R S TO R M I M AG E S
! Bibliography Thunderstorms/Severe Thunderstorm Sites (Jessica’s) http://www.nssl.noaa.gov/education/svrwx101/ thunderstorms/ blizzard/ lake effect snow http://www.dosomething.org/tipsandtools/11-facts-aboutblizzards http://www.chiff.com/science/blizzards.htm http://www.weather.com/blog/weather/8_10972.html http://www.noaa.gov/features/02_monitoring/lakesnow.html http://www.noaa.gov/features/02_monitoring/lakesnow.html Hurricane sites (Skylar’s) Hurricane-facts.com http://www.dorchesterhealth.org/hurricane.htm http://www.hurricane-facts.com/Interesting-HurricaneFacts.php
Amber’s Websites http://www.nssl.noaa.gov/education/svrwx101/tornadoes/