WEATHER Storms! Safety Tips! Interesting Facts! Indiana Weather! AND MORE!
Indiana Weather- Article on page 2 Hurricanes- Article on page 5 Tornados and Thunderstorms- Article on Page 7 Monsoons- Article on page 11 Blizzards- Article on page 16
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Indiana Weather Map
Lake Effect Snow
Jet Stream
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Indiana Weather Indiana is located in the eastern part of the United States. It borders Illinois, Kentucky, Ohio and Michigan. It also borders one of the 4 great lakes, Lake Michigan. Indiana has a variety of different weather, and weather patterns. I’ve had many scary experiences with Indiana’s weather, and I will tell you about them later in this article. Indiana’s weather changes throughout the seasons and is very interesting in many ways. The average temperature for the state of Indiana is different in the summer and the winter. During summer the average temperature is 70-80ºF. During the winter it is 25-35ºF. The climate also changes during different seasons. During the summer it is hot and humid, spring and fall is normally pretty chilly to warm temperatures, and during the winter it is cold. There is different temperatures in different seasons because the earth’s axis is tilted. The sun is our main source of heat and the earth moves around the sun. The closer the earth is to the sun, the warmer. When the earth is further away, it’s cooler. Indiana's weather comes from the west. West of indiana is Illinois, Iowa, and Missouri. Some types of weather in indiana is rain, sunny, humid, snow and many more. Indiana's average annual rain is 42 inches a year.
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Jet stream is often used to describe the general flow of upper atmospheric winds blowing faster than 57 mph. They play a key role in weather by steering storms and also helping determine where storms form. Thunderstorms also occur in Indiana. Thunderstorms require warm moist air like the air masses we get from the Gulf of Mexico. Pressure determines wind and weather patterns. A low pressure system is an area where the atmospheric pressure is lower than the area surrounding it. High pressure systems are when as the air in the high cools it becomes denser and moves toward ground. Low pressure systems are bad and cause tropical storms. High pressure systems are good, and they caused clear skies, and calm weather. Lake snow effect occurs when a mass of cold air moves over a body of warmer water, creating an unstable temperature in the atmosphere. They occur in northwestern and North central indiana. The lake that the lake snow effect comes from is Lake Michigan (North of Indiana). One time a few years ago Indiana got hit with a blizzard, It was cool at the time but also very dangerous and scary. The roads were covered with snow and you could hardly see. There was mounds of snow everywhere, almost up to my waist. On the news everyone kept talking about lake snow effect. Before I had no idea what it was and what it did, but now I do. Flooding in Indiana can be caused by an overflow of a lake or river. One of the most difficult lakes in indiana to keep from flooding would be the wabash river. The Wabash river flows from Ohio through Indiana to the Indiana/Illinois border. Some other interesting weather that happens in Indiana
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would be tornados and fog. Indiana’s tornado average is about 20 per year. One time it was so foggy out they had to cancel school. Nobody could see more then 7 feet in front of them! I’ve lived in Indiana for about 5 years now, and i’ve had many scary experiences from blizzards to thunderstorms. One time we had a really bad thunderstorm the power went out. There was rain and wind blowing in every direction. The wind was blowing so hard the trees in my front yard almost broke. It was very scary but soon it ended. That was on experience I had with Indiana weather. As you can see Indiana has a great variety of weather and weather patterns. Lake snow effect and jet stream play a very important role in Indiana’s weather in guiding and making weather happen. Thank you for reading! By: Mariah B.
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Article on page 5
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HUR RICANES
By: Gabby B.
I was outside enjoying the summer day, then large puddles of water began forming. I knew that this was not a good sign. I ran inside my house and took cover. Then it came, the hurricane. Me and my family were prepared since we had a three days notice. Large waves were crashing against the walls of the house. Ripping and tearing the sides off. The windows looked as if our house went through a car wash. I knew if we just waited for a while, it would be over. Â A hurricane is an intense tropical weather system with a well defined circulation and maximum sustained winds of 74 mph or higher. Warm moist air from the oceans surface begins to rise and then encounters cooler air which causes it to form storm clouds and drops of rain. Condensation then releases heat and warms the cool air above which rises and then lets in more humid air. This is how a hurricane occurs. Hurricanes occur in the Pacific and Atlantic Ocean, and along the coast lines.
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Hurricane season in the U.S. is from June 1 to November 30. It occurs during this time because it needs warmth to develop and summer and fall are usually warm enough. People always ask what's the difference between a hurricane and a tornado. Well, I’ll tell you. Hurricanes form on water, while a tornado forms on land. Tornadoes form during thunderstorms but hurricanes create them. Hurricanes flood water and tornadoes contaminate it. The similarities between hurricanes and tornadoes are they both come from a storm system, have severe winds, and can create and cause serious damage that can be fatal to people.
What causes most deaths from hurricanes? The storm surges, which is a wall of water that accompanies a hurricane. This causes so many deaths because it floods houses and streets of cities or towns. Storm surges can also drown anyone who is in it’s way. Hurricanes are named by being assigned in alphabetical order as they are discovered each season. Names can be repeated but very severe ones are retired.
Even though they are bad, hurricanes can do some good things. For an example tropical cyclones are important rainmakers. They provide 25% or more rainfall to places like Japan, India, Southwest Asia, and Texas. Hurricanes also maintain global heat balance Hurricanes have a Saffir- by moving warm tropical air Simpson scale. This scale has away from the equator and a range from 1 to 5 based on towards the poles. Without the maximum sustained them the tropics would be a lot wind speed of the hurricane. hotter and the poles would be a Hurricanes can cause lot cooler. It also stirs up the damage such as strong ocean and drives the process of winds, storm surges, upwelling. Also by stirring the flooding, tornadoes, and till ocean, hurricanes cycle tides. Mainly hurricanes nutrients from the seafloor to cause flooding. Flooding is the surface, boosting ocean caused by storm surges and productivity heavy rainfall due to or during the storm.
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The experience that I had from the hurricane was tragic. I couldn’t stand the high flooding everywhere. Cars floating up and down the streets. Trees that have been ripped out from their roots floating like a little stick in a pond. I even saw some bodies floating around, different size and ages. Most too young. So if you are ever have an experience like me, which most people would, you will need supplies. The supplies you need are a flashlight, radio, both with extra batteries, first-aid kit, medicines, gallons of water, canned or non-perishable foods, change of clothing, manual can opener, air mattresses, pillows, and blankets. So make sure you always have these supplies and have a safe place that water or the strong winds can’t damage as much. A tip to always remember, is to always be prepared.
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Tornados And Thunder storms! 7
Tornados & Thunderstorms I was sitting on my porch eating my barbecue baby back ribs and sipping my apple juice when I saw a funnel forming in the sky. I was so frightened I dropped my apple juice, grabbed my cat, fluffy, and ran to my basement. My husband saw me running to the basement and thought I was crazy, but when he looked outside he started closing all the doors and windows. When he joined me shortly after, we sat in a dark corner away from windows holding each other, talking about what we would do with fluffy if one of us dies. Tornadoes are a localized, violently destructive windstorm occurring over land, especially in the Middle West, and Type to enter text shaped like a long funnel coming from the clouds to the ground.  Cold air and warm air combine in a set pattern, the cold air drops as the warm air rises. The warm air eventually twists into a spiral and forms a funnel cloud. A tornado has formed. Tornadoes form when two masses of different temperatures and humidity meet. If the lower layers of the atmosphere are unstable, a strong upward movement of warmer air is formed. Only a small percentage of these systems develop into narrow, violent tornadoes. Tornadoes can appear in a traditional funnel shape or can appear as a slender rope-like form. They have a churning, smokey look to them, and some are almost invisible and the only thing you see if the floating debris. There is also a thing called a funnel cloud and it is a rotating cone-shaped column of air that extends downward from the base of a thunderstorm, but doesn't touch the ground. If it reaches the ground then it’s a tornado.
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The conversation cut short as we heard the booming sounds of thunder and the wind whipping our house. Tighter and tighter our grasps on each other became. The Fujita-Pearson scale or more known popular as the F scale, is used to measure the intensity of a tornado based on the amount of damage done by a passing tornado over an area. The scale was introduced in 1971 and is named for Ted Fujita who is a professor at the University of Chicago. Tornadoes can appear from any direction. Most move from southwest to northeast, and or west to east. Some tornadoes have changed direction during their path, and even backtracked. Some areas of the US tend to have more paths from a certain direction, such as northeast in Minnesota or southeast in Texas. This is because of an increased frequency of tornado-producing weather patterns. Then after a moment of destruction, it was all over. I opened my eyes and was glad to see my husband still next to me. Our cat fluffy, was happy too. I looked up and saw that the top of our house was gone. I was disappointed, but happy that me and Fluffy are ok and my husband too. Tornadoes can be completely destructive. They can wipe out a home in seconds. They also can carve a path of what they destruct leaving some homes untouched while others in the same area are destroyed. People don’t really understand how tornadoes stop, because they form, grow, and eventually die. Tornado researchers are still trying to solve the problem, but it seems that they uncover new pieces that need to be studied as they go.
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The experience I had with a tornado was very life changing and was so unexpected. We eventually fixed up our house thanks to insurance. But next time we will be prepared. We have a supply of non-perishable food, a few gallons of water, first-aid kit, flashlight and extra batteries, canned foods, and some blankets and pillows to lay in. We have chosen a safe spot in our basement, the same one that had saved our lives but more secure. We made sure that we were away from windows and other things that could harm us. So always make sure you have all these items and a safe place where you and your family can go. And to always expect the unexpected.
By: Wiktoria B
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Monsoons Monsoons are seasonal winds that bring heavy rains in the summer and dry conditions in the winter. This phenomena is in response to differential air temperatures over land and sea
Meaning The Arabic word for season, mawsin, is the origin of the word monsoon due to their annual appearance. Although the precise cause of the monsoons is not fully understood, no one disputes that air pressure is one of the primary factors.
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-written by Rebekah Harden
How does it all happen? How? During summer, landmass becomes very hot. This creates an area of low pressure above the land. The low pressure attracts or pulls in wind from nearby oceans. The land and ocean absorb heat in different ways. When the temperature of land is significantly warmer or cooler than the temperature of the ocean, large scale sea breezes get stronger and stronger. As the winds reach land, they encounter high mountains. These mountains stop the winds from going any further. As you can see, a monsoon occurring on a flat plain will travel a lot farther than on a coast with high mountains to block the dangerous weather. The clouds therefore rain over land. This is how the monsoon takes place.
Where? The north american monsoon originates over Mexico and spreads into the southwest. Some frequently affected states include Arizona, south western Texas, New Mexico, and southern California.
When? North american monsoons mainly occur in late June or early July usually lasting into September. During these months there is very heavy rain and thunder/lightning storms. Though monsoons seem dangerous, it is important for them to occur. If they occur too late, or not at all, then drought will occur. Monsoons bring about a whole third of North America’s yearly rain. So as you can see, monsoons are very important.
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FACTS •
The "Gulf Surge" is an important player in Arizona monsoon weather.
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A Gulf surge is a push of low-level moist and cool air that moves northward over the Gulf of California and into southern Arizona. It is difficult to predict how strong a monsoon season will be so we must be prepared by: • Knowing about the dangers of the storm can keep family members safe.
Although monsoons have the ability to damage, they have become an intricate part of society, changing agricultural patterns and affecting people’s lives in many ways. Benefit -the floods from the monsoons replenish the nutrients in the soil and provide much needed water to many parts of the world.
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Having a readiness kit can benefit if other disasters strike.
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Closing blinds so that if a window shatters, broken glass will not cover your floor
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Unplug appliances in case of electrical shocks or power shortages when power comes back on
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Also don’t turn on water, electric currents can easily carry through metal pipes
During a monsoon you should: •
Stay tuned to the local weather station during severe storms.
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Turn off all major appliances to protect these machines from voltage fluctuations and help avoid circuit overloads when power returns.
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Stay indoors away from windows.
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Draw blinds and shades over windows to prevent glass from shattering into your home.
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Do not drive in a monsoon – or a street flooded by a monsoon
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Don't shower during a monsoon storm - lightning can pass through metal pipes.
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To avoid being struck by lightning stay away from open fields, high land, trees, poles, other tall objects, bodies of water, and metal objects.
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Don't touch downed power lines or try to move them.
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Stay off the phone unless you need to make an emergency phone call.
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Phoenix, Arizona Latitude: 31°20'N to 37°N Longitude 109°3'W to 114°50'W Climate: Dry, desert, mild winters and hot summers We think that Phoenix has the climate that it does because of its elevation, the surrounding mountains, and the latitude and longitude of the city.
Why is arizona affected most ?
• In early July, the winds in Arizona shift in a southern direction. Moisture streams north from the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. This shift produces a huge change in moisture conditions and along with daytime heating, causes the Arizona monsoons. • Arizona monsoon storms usually start with heavy winds and sometimes result in a wall of dust hundreds of feet high. These dust storms often include thunder and lightning and heavy rain. • The storm’s heavy rains, high winds, and lightning can be very dangerous. • Wind and lightning can snap utility poles and power lines, and heavy rains can cause flash flooding.
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“The summer heat is always unbearable to visitors here in Tombstone, Arizona. Usually the winds are solemn and quiet. But not this July. It was peaceful in June, we thought it would pass. Late; but it would still come. It was July 15 when it started which is unusual because it usually starts anywhere from mid June to early July. But not this time. We had little warning. It began to get extremely windy. Windier than usual. A few hours later the dust flew. High in the air. Peacefulness left this bairn landscape. Rain began to pour harder and harder. By noon thunder stroke and lighting started snapping power lines and utility poles. The monsoon had begun we had but a half hours notice to find shelter. I prepared the small house for the brutal attack it was soon to occur. I then grabbed my 2 little girls and ran to the basement. It would be their first experience of heavy flooding rains. We slept that night in the basement, the girls unknowing of the deadly weather occruing not a
foots depth through the wall protecting them from the flooding waters. They slept well that night but I could not. I worried for their safety. The next morning it was still raining but the thunder and lighting had stopped. I walked out of the basement, the girls still asleep. There was at least three feet of rain outside already. The power was on. Whether it had been off through the night, I was not concerned. I fried six eggs, enough for all of us. I woke the girls up. They enjoyed their breakfast. I told them school had been cancelled due to bad whether. Before i could finish talking they ran to the window, pulled back the drapes, and looked in amazement out the small window. I approached them, calmly. They did not seem to take it too badly as I figured they would have. I remember them asking me what was wrong with the rain. I giggled. I told the girls to pull out a puzzle or board game. I then turned on the news. The girls returned with a monopoly box. They laid it on the
floor as the broadcaster announced the weather. He said this would be an extremely short monsoon and schools would begin opening with in three days. The girls awed. I then knew they were listening. I turned the television off and then went to sit and play with the girls. We had fun. The girls returned to school on Friday and the rain had dried up almost completely by Monday. The monsoon had finished its brutal attack which fortunately had not badly effected our house due to the latitude of our home. I was very fortunate that the monsoon was quiet. The girls were safe and I was happy. Very happy. I want people to know how dangerous and unpredictable monsoons are and can be. It is important to be equipped with first aid kits and flashlights. Also to have your home regularly stocked with food in case of the incident of being stranded in your home.� -Hannah Strongworth of Tombstone,Arizona
Strongworth viewing the destruction of the monsoon she and her children had witnessed
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Blizzards
Blizzards occur when strong winds (at least 35 mph) combine with either falling snow or snow on the ground (sometimes referred to as a "ground blizzards�) rapidly blowing to reduce visibilities to 1/4 mile or less for at least three hours. The word blizzard didn’t mean a snowstorm until 1870, when a newspaper editor in Estherville, Iowa, needed a word to describe a fierce spring storm. The word blizzard had been hanging around with no particular origin for about fifty years and was used to describe a vicious physical attack, either with fists or guns. After its use by the editor, what better word to describe a violent snowstorm than blizzard?
16 -written by Rebekah Harden
How Do Blizzards Form? Three things are needed to make a blizzard. 1. Cold air (below freezing) is needed to make snow. For snow to fall to the ground, the temperature must be cold both up in the clouds where snowflakes form, and down at ground level. If the air near ground level is too warm, the snow will melt on its way down, changing to rain or freezing rain.
2. Moisture is needed to form clouds and precipitation. Moisture in the air is called water vapor. Air blowing across a body of water, such as a large lake or the ocean, is an excellent source of water vapor. As wind moves air over the water, some water evaporates from the surface, putting vapor into the air. This is how “lake effect snowstorms” pick up so much moisture. However, cold air is not able to hold much water vapor. In fact, very cold air does not make very much snow at all.
3. Warm, rising air is needed to form clouds and cause precipitation. For a blizzard to form, warm air must rise over cold air. There are two ways that this may happen. Winds pull cold air toward the equator from the poles and bring warm air toward the poles from the equator. When warm air and cold air are brought together, a front is formed and precipitation occurs. Warm air can also rise to form clouds and blizzard snows as it flows up a mountainside.
What Are Snowflakes? Snowflakes are made of ice crystals. Each snowflake is made of as many as 200 ice crystals. Some snow crystals are symmetrical, like the type that you cut from paper. They form a hexagonal shape because that is how water molecules organize themselves as they freeze. Others are small and irregularly shaped. If they spin like tops as they fall to the ground, they may be perfectly symmetrical when they hit the Earth. But if they fall sideways, they will end up lopsided. Even though most have a hexagonal structure, there are so many ways that water molecules can arrange themselves as the water freezes, that some people say that there are no two snowflakes alike. Probably no two snowflakes have exactly the same arrangement of molecules. But they can look alike. Many snow crystals are like the two in the photograph below. They are simple in shape and look alike.
How Snowflakes Form Snowflakes form in clouds where the temperature is below freezing (0ºC, or 32ºF). The ice crystals form around tiny bits of dirt that have been carried up into the atmosphere by the wind. As the snow crystals grow, they become heavier and fall toward Earth. Different types
of snowflakes form in different conditions. Temperature determines if the crystals become a flat plate, a long column, or a prism shape. On average, 10 inches of snow melt down to about an inch of water; however, not all snow is the same. Some places receive very heavy snow. For instance, only five and a half inches of January snow on Mount Washington, New Hampshire, melt down to an inch of water. In contrast, over 15 inches of January snow at Crested Butte, Colorado, melt down to an inch of water.
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Precipitation Forms Snow is not the only type of ice that falls from the sky! Other types are described below. Snow:A flake of snow, esp. a feathery ice crystal, typically displaying delicate sixfold symmetry. Graupel: Snowflakes that have become encrusted with ice. This happens when snowflakes pass through a chilly cloud on their way down and water droplets freeze on them. Ice pellets: Frozen raindrops, also known as sleet. They are usually quite small in size and unlike snowflakes, do not have a crystal shape. Hail: A frozen raindrop or graupel that is kept from falling to the ground by the upward flowing air of a thunderstorm. The more droplets that freeze onto the hailstone, the longer the hailstone spends in the sky. When it finally grows too heavy to be held up by the flowing air, it falls to the ground like those in the picture to the right.
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“Winter nights are always cold; but, this winter...This winter would be deadly. The month was January. January sixth. I woke up in the middle of the night shivering. the water by my bed side, frozen.Frozen solid. I went to the kitchen to cook a nice warm mug of delicious hot cocoa. The pipes were frozen. Luckily I remembered the frozen water by my bed side. I retrieved it and melted it. I then mixed the melted water with the delicious chocolate solute. I took a sip. It made my body temporarily warm. I then lit a fire in the fire place. My little dog was shivering in a corner by the heater when i went to get more blankets to wrap my freezing body in. I sat at the hearth. I then called Flash over. I placed the blankets on the couch and motioned for him to come. Still no response. He was too cold to move. I cautiously walked toward him. Whimpering, his nose was cold to the touch. I picked him up and put him on the couch. In my lap he snuggled with me as i with him. Flash, several blankets, and me. Suddenly i felt very warm and content. I dosed off to a peaceful nights sleep. When i woke up the next morning I remember turning the heat on. All the way on. I then turned on the television to hear the early morning weather broadcast. The weather man announced that there had been an
unexpected snow blizzard last night. It had fattily already killed seven people in this small town of Portland, Connecticut. Only seven hours since and already seven dead. He also announced that this small town has already received four feet of snow and several more feet are expected. I hugged Flash, and carried him to the television i then turned it off. I carried Flash to the pantry where i cracked open a can of dog chow. The hungry dog scarfed down the meaty chunks. I walked the sink praying the pipes had thawed. I slowly turned the knob. The water worked! it dripped out very, very slowly. I figured the pipes were still frozen but water found its way through some how. I filled a small pet bowl with water and placed it on the floor. Flash sped over lapping up water with his cupped tongue. Later i peered outside. I assumed it was still snowing, because all i could see was pure white. Not a thing but white. It would be far too dangerous to let Flash outside. Besides I couldn't even open the door, it was barricaded with snow. Instead i laid out several newspaper in the corner and hoped for the best. I remember my mother always telling me stories about blizzards; but i never witnessed one so destructive. I tried to call my mother but the call failed. I later discovered the telephone poles in the area had been knocked over and disabled.
A few weeks later and the snow had all melted. The window which had only to bare a winter wonderland now showed a breath taking green filled with flowers and life. Flash was happy to return to his outdoor haven. t’was spring and only a few snow drifted piles remained in dispersed areas. One of which happened to be Flashes favorite new place to lay. Its hard to imagine only a few weeks ago he hated the cold. Flash and i were ok and i eventually got a hold of my mother and she returned the call by expressing her worry for us and was happy we were safe. I told her how much I loved her and she said she loved me too. Flash barked. I love you too Flash and my mom and i laughed for hors. every once in a while we still bring up the subject of course followed by 2 giggles.”
-Casey Mickrett of Portland, Connecticut
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Flash playing in the snow