WAB Learns: G07: I&amp;S Forces of Nature: Hurricane/Typhoon/Tornado

Events to investigate

Click on the links below to get more resources on the following Hurricanes: Galveston Hurricane 1900, Super Typhoon Nina 1975, Hurricane Katrina 2005, Cyclone Nargis 2008

Click on the links below to get more information on the following Tornadoes/Cyclones: Tri-State, USA March 18, 1925, Faridipur and Dhaka Districts, Bangladesh- March 19, 1961, Ivanovo Tornado Outbreak- Former Soviet Union 1984; Yangtze River, China June 1, 2015

Tornados facts

Tornado explained
Tornadoes are vertical funnels of rapidly spinning air. Their winds may top 250 miles an hour and can clear a pathway a mile wide and 50 miles long.
Also known as twisters, tornadoes are born in thunderstorms and are often accompanied by hail. Giant, persistent thunderstorms called supercells spawn the most destructive tornadoes.
Fire Tornado
A fire tornado whirled above a burning plastic-processing plant during a huge conflagration outside Budapest, Hungary, on Tuesday night
The National Severe Storms Laboratory - Tornado
A tornado is a narrow, violently rotating column of air that extends from a thunderstorm to the ground. Because wind is invisible, it is hard to see a tornado unless it forms a condensation funnel made up of water droplets, dust and debris. Tornadoes can be among the most violent phenomena of all atmospheric storms we experience.
Damaging Air Winds: Kids Guide to Tornadoes
Windy days can really stir things up and make it difficult to hold on to things that are important, like your umbrella or paper from school. Wind can also be pretty scary, too, especially when that wind is a tornado. Known as twisters, tornadoes can tear down a house and can really hurt or even kill people who are in its path. An air purifier or air ionizer can be helpful when people have to seek shelter from tornadoes in basements or in areas that are underground and safe.
How to Prepare for a Tornado: The Definitive Safety Guide
Most thunderstorms are no big deal, right? Wrong. Every thunderstorm, no matter how big or how small, carries with it some danger.
From lightning strikes to high winds and even tornadoes, thunderstorms across the country cause property damage, cost Americans billions of dollars annually, and even take lives.
Tornado project
Welcome to the Tornado Project Online! We are a small company that gathers, compiles, and makes tornado information available to tornado and severe weather enthusiasts, the meteorological community and emergency management officials in the form of tornado books, posters, and videos.
U.S. Midwest hit by tornadoes that take lives, destroy homes
UPDATED FEBRUARY 29, 2012 12 CST (18 UTC) The U.S. Midwest has been hit by a line of tornadoes that took lives and destroyed property overnight on February 28. At least nine people were killed and parts of several towns were flattened, according to local officials on February 29. Kansas Governor Sam Brownback issued a disaster declaration for his state, parts of which were without power.

Hurricanes facts

How hurricanes work
Hurricanes are powerful storms, and captivate human imagination. Hurricane Harvey hit Texas in August 2017, flooding one of the largest metro areas in the United States. Less than two weeks later, thoughts turned to hurricane Irma, among the strongest Atlantic hurricanes ever measured.
What causes Hurricanes?
The two essential ingredients in every hurricane are warm water and moist, warm air. That’s why hurricanes begin in the tropics.
What causes Hurricanes?
Every year, coastal regions brace themselves for violent windstorms known as hurricanes. But how do these storms form and grow?

The oversimplified answer: Warm ocean water plus the Earth’s eastward rotation.
Causes and effets hurricanes
Hurricanes are some of the most destructive kinds of natural disasters today. They cause destruction to property and loss of life every year. According to the National Hurricane Center, the biggest hurricane in the world known as the Great Galveston Hurricane occurred in the United States in the 1900’s.
How Are Hurricanes Formed?
Hurricanes begin as tropical storms over the warm moist waters of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans near the equator. (Near the Phillippines and the China Sea, hurricanes are called typhoons.) As the moisture evaporates it rises until enormous amounts of heated moist air are twisted high in the atmosphere.
What causes Hurricanes?
Hurricanes are intense low pressure areas that form over warm ocean waters in the summer and early fall. Their source of energy is water vapor which is evaporated from the ocean surface.
Why Irene Was More Dangerous Than It Should Have Been
So far Hurricane Irene's estimated damage isn't as bad as had been feared, but the storm was actually much more destructive than it had any right to be, experts say. (See Hurricane Irene pictures.)
Hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones: Earth's tropical windstorms
f you live or like to vacation along the world's coastlines, chances are good you've been affected by a tropical storm or hurricane.

Hurricanes, which are more broadly called "tropical cyclones" because they originate over Earth's tropical oceans, are some of nature's largest and fiercest storms. They get their name from Hurican, the Carib god of evil, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale
The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale is a 1 to 5 rating based only on a hurricane's maximum sustained wind speed. This scale does not take into account other potentially deadly hazards such as storm surge, rainfall flooding, and tornadoes.
National Hurricane Center
NHC Outreach Resources
The National Hurricane Center conducts a practical program of education and outreach on hazardous tropical weather for the public, educators, students, scientists, businesses, and government agencies. Increased awareness of hazardous tropical weather and its potential impacts are vital to the public and those emergency managers charged with safeguarding lives and property. NHC fulfills this responsibility through direct contact with these groups; formal and informal training; increased data availability; dissemination of scientific and other publications and feedback to effectively adapt to evolving needs.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Hurricanes are one of nature’s most powerful storms. They produce strong winds, storm surge flooding, and heavy rainfall that can lead to inland flooding, tornadoes, and rip currents.
Hurricanes meteorology guide
Hurricanes are cyclones that develop over the warm tropical oceans and have sustained winds in excess of 64 knots (74 miles/hour). These storms are capable of producing dangerous winds, torrential rains and flooding, all of which may result in tremendous property damage and loss of life in coastal populations. One memorable storm was Hurricane Andrew (pictured above), which was responsible for at least 50 deaths and more than $30 billion in property damage.

G07: I&S Forces of Nature: Hurricane/Typhoon/Tornado

Events to investigate

Tornados facts

Hurricanes facts

Hurricane prevention

Hypercanes