Wild & Wacky Weather Watchers Sample

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Explore extreme weather and natural

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Welcome to Weather Watchers

We are so happy that YOU decided to join us as our newest member. If you get excited about exploring the weather—especially wild and wacky weather—and storm science, then you are in the right place. We love to talk about storms and what makes them tick. Plus we want to be weather-wise. Wild and wacky weather is full of fun science—only if no one gets hurt. That means, safety first!

Be sure to check out the Weather Safety Mini Guide at the end of this book. It will tell you how to stay safe in a storm.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS

Hi! I'm Rex.

I love watching the sky light up during a thunderstorm. Don’t you? Storms are especially cool at night when I can watch them from my bedroom window. It sounds just like a battle is happening outside. And it is!

During the day, hot air from the earth rises. When it invades the cold air’s space, it forces the cooler air to drop. That makes the cold air mad and BOOM!—a big fight breaks out.

The cold air gets pushed to the ground, and it fights back with strong winds that can blow trees down.

At the same time, the hot air begins to cool. It forms clouds that dump rain all over the place. Those clouds are full of energy and shoot electricity across the sky as lightning. That’s when you hear a big rumble (or thunder). Cool, right?

Thunderstorms are great to watch—from inside the house! Sometimes they have very high winds, hail, or even a tornado!

Weather forecasters, or meteorologists, will issue a warning when storms get this rough. That’s when it’s time to find a safe place to wait for it to pass.

Lightning doesn't just happen in thunderstorms. You can see lightning during heavy snowstorms, volcanic eruptions, and even during forest fires.

ISAIAH 4:6

[The Lord] will be a … hiding place from storms and rain.

Looks like I need to go inside. See ya!

TORNADO

Have you ever seen a tornado? Even if you never visit the area in the Midwest called Tornado Alley, you can create your very own tornado. It’s completely safe. You can do this fun STEM* experiment right at home or in your classroom.

ALL YOU NEED ARE:

OPTIONAL BUT WAY MORE FUN!

Are you ready? Good! Then let's get started.

Follow these easy instructions and in a few minutes, you will be able to create your own tornado.

STEP 1

Fill the jar mostly full of water. (Be sure to leave a little room at the top.)

STEP 2

Add a teaspoon of vinegar and 2 drops of liquid soap to the water.

STEP 3

Sprinkle a tiny bit of glitter of any color to the top of the water. (Optional, but we recommend blue!)

STEP 4

Close the lid tightly. (Double check this. It’s very important!)

STEP 5

Shake the jar using a circular motion. Then hold your jar still and watch the water spin into a tornado.

Did you see it? Try it again and again and again.

Tornadoes can occur over oceans and lakes too. But instead of dirt and debris, these tornadoes pick up water. This is called a waterspout.

Earthquakes don’t just occur on land. Many of those tectonic plates are in the ocean. If an underwater earthquake is large enough, it creates a swell in the water. When that wave hits land, it’s called a tsunami.

Tsunami is Japanese for “wave.” It’s the same thing that happens when you throw a stone into a pond. It splashes, right? Then, the water ripples across the top.

That’s what happens when the earth shifts underwater. It creates a large ripple. When the water moves towards land, the wave becomes larger.

If you guys are done, I have something to add to that.

And, just like waves, the tsunami moves in and out of the land again and again. Except, these waves are much larger. They cause more damage than regular waves. But they eventually return to normal size.

When geologists detect an earthquake under the ocean, they post a warning that a tsunami might hit. This gives people time to go to a safe place.

Tsunamis can move faster than a jet airplane—over 500 miles per hour!

He called the storm to a whisper and stilled the waves.

PSALM 107:29

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Use the clues below to fill in the Weather Crossword puzzle on the left. (Psst ... you can find the answers in the booklet!)

1 When a lot of water overflows onto dry land

5 Sudden shaking of the earth’s crust

7 Disturbance in the atmosphere with strong winds, rain, thunder, and lightning

9 Rumble that usually happens after a flash of lightning

11 A fire that gets out of control

across down

You're doing great! Let's keep going...

2 Bright flash of electricity in the sky

3 Path of water as it moves from the sky to the ground and back up to the sky again

4 Strong storm that begins in the ocean near the equator

6 Storm with rotating winds that reaches from the clouds to the ground

8 Caused by a shortage of rain for a long time

9 A large wave often caused by an earthquake

10 Movement of air across the surface of the earth