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    Dec 22, 2003
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   Dec 22, 2003
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Severe Weather

Read the following questions, then answer them during the video "Tornado! Hurricane! Flood! Wonders of Weather" from Discovery Channel Video. After the video, verify your answers and notes with 2 other students.

1. How fast can tornado winds blow?

 

2. How big can they get?

 

3. How long can they last?

 

4. What conditions lead to tornado formation?

 

5. What kind of storms/fronts can produce a tornado?

 

6. What percent of tornados are strong?  Exceptionally powerful? 

 

7. How many tornados touch down in North America each year?

 

8. What area of the country has the most tornados?

 

9.  How long do most tornados last?  How far do they travel?

 

10. What kind of damage can be caused by a tornado?

 

Over the past 20 years, public perception that highway overpasses offer sound shelter from tornado winds has increased substantially, mainly due to the events of 10 April 1979 in Wichita Falls, TX and, especially, a video from 26 April 1991 in southern Kansas that gained widespread distribution. However, it appears that highway overpasses offer, at best, questionable shelter not only from tornadoes, but severe storms in general: three people in Oklahoma lost their lives while seeking shelter near or under overpass bridges.

11. What do meteorologists look for on radar to try to detect tornado formation?

 

12. How many thunderstorms hit the U.S. each year? How many produce tornados? How many are deadly?

 

13. How far ahead do they try to issue a tornado watch?

 

Lightning section

 

14. Most lightning stays:

 

15. How many strikes to ground are there in the U.S. every year?

 

16. About how many hit people?     How many people survive?

 

17. How many people are killed by lightning worldwide each year?

 

18. How long can a lightning be?

 

19. Describe the sequence of events leading to a lightning bolt.

 

 

 

20. Where are the most severe thunderstorms on the planet?

 

21. How many active thunderstorms are there at any one time?

 

22. Where is the highest incidence of lightning in the U.S.?

 

23. What happens when lightning hits a tree?

 

24. How often can a plane be expected to be hit by lightning?

 

25. Describe lightning sprites.

 

 

Sources of some tornado and lightning information:
  • Thunderstorm Safety Brochure (pdf)
  • Connecticut's Worst Tornados
  • Connecticut Tornado Statistics
  • Connecticut's Tornado Risk Rank
  • Connecticut's Tornado Alley
  • Painting of a Connecticut Tornado (Return to top of page)

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