Name ______________________________ Date _______________ Block _______

Severe Weather Web Quest

TORNADOES
Click on the website: http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/natural-
disasters/forces-of-nature/

Once you get to this site, click on the “Tornadoes” icon. Be sure the number “1” is dark
gray then read the information in the gray box about tornadoes.

1. What is a tornado? ____________________________________________________________________

2. Which state has the most twisters per year? _________________How many occur per year? ________

Click on the #2. Read the information in the gray box, and answer the following questions.
3. What are supercells? __________________________________________________________________

4. Where do most tornadoes in America occur? _______________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

5. Why do most tornadoes occur in the late afternoon? ________________________________________

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Click on the “Next” button to zoom in to see a tornado.

6. When do tornadoes form? ______________________________________________________________
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7. What is an updraft? ___________________________________________________________________

8. Why would it start to rotate? ____________________________________________________________

9. Before the storm turns into a tornado, what type of cloud does it become? ______________________

Click on #3. Read the information in the gray box and answer the following questions.
10. What kind of weather accompanies tornadoes? _____________________________________________

Click “See Tornado Damage” at the bottom.

11. How does the Fujita scale measure tornado intensity? _______________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

Move around the Fujita scale to see the effects tornadoes of different intensities have.

Click on the #4 to see a video of a tornado passing.

Click on the #5 and read the information in the gray box to answer the following:
12. What is the difference between a tornado watch and a tornado warning? ________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

Click on #6 to create a tornado. Read the instructions at the top. You can keep trying
until you form an F5.
13. What conditions are perfect for making a tornado?

Air Mass 1 needs to be ______________________. Air Mass 2 needs to be ______________________.

Pressure needs to be ________________________. Winds need to be __________________________.

HURRICANES – Click on the Hurricane Symbol at the top of the window.

1. How many mph must winds be going in order for a tropical storm to be a hurricane? ______________

2. Where do hurricanes form? ____________________________________________________________

3. Where do cyclones form? ______________________________________________________________

4. Where do typhoons form? _____________________________________________________________

Click on #2, and read the information. Click the “next” button when you are done.

5. Does the eye of the hurricane have HIGH or LOW pressure? _________________________________

6. Where are the most violent winds in the hurricane? _________________________________________

Click on the #3.

7. In the northern hemisphere, hurricanes always turn how? ____________________________________

8. In the southern hemisphere, they always turn how? _________________________________________

Play with the image of the hurricane to see a 3-D image.

Click on the #4.

9. All of the rain from hurricanes can cause what to occur? _____________________________________

10. What is a storm surge? _________________________________________________________________

Click on the #5. Read the information, and watch the video.

Click on the #6.

11. What is the difference between a hurricane watch and a hurricane warning? ____________________

____________________________________________________________________________________
Click on the #7, read the instructions to create a Hurricane.

12. Create a hurricane at each location by tweaking the factors and record the following information:

Location 1- Intensity at landfall: ________ Top Speeds: _______________ Danger: ______________________

Location 2- Intensity at landfall: ________ Top Speeds: _______________ Danger: ______________________

Location 3- Intensity at landfall: ________ Top Speeds: _______________ Danger: ______________________

Location 4- Intensity at landfall: ________ Top Speeds: _______________ Danger: ______________________

Location 5- Intensity at landfall: ________ Top Speeds: _______________ Danger: ______________________

13. What factors do you need to create a hurricane? Ocean Temperatures need to be ________________.

Humidity needs to be _______________. Air Pressure needs to be ________________.

THUNDERSTORMS - Go to http://www.srh.noaa.gov/jetstream/tstorms/ingredient.htm
1. List the 3 ingredients necessary for a thunderstorm.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

2. Where are the two moisture sources for thunderstorms in the Southeastern United States?

_____________________________________________________________________________________

At the bottom of the page, Click Next to “Life cycle of a Thunderstorm”.

3. The thunderstorm cell has a distinct life-cycle that lasts about __________ minutes

4. List the three stages of a thunderstorm.

a) ________________________ b) ________________________ c) ________________________

5. Which is the most dangerous stage when hail, tornadoes, damaging winds and flash flooding may occur?

_____________________________________________________________________________________

At the bottom of the page, Click Next to “Types of Thunderstorms”

6. What is a squall line? _________________________________________________________________

7. What type of thunderstorms are responsible for nearly all of the significant tornadoes in the U.S.?
____________________________________________________________________________________

Click on Next to “Thunderstorm Hazards – Hail”

8. Which states have the most hail storms? ___________________________________________________

Click on Next to “Thunderstorm Hazards – Damaging Wind”

9. What is a derecho? _____________________________________________________________________

Click on Next to “Thunderstorm Hazards – Tornados”

10. In a typical year, how many tornadoes will strike the US? _______________________________________

At the bottom of the page, watch the short video of the train meeting the tornado.

Click on Next to “Thunderstorm Hazards –Flash Floods”

11. What is common the saying you should remember when coming upon a flooded roadway?

_____________________________________________________________________________________

BLIZZARDS - Go to http://www.ussartf.org/blizzards.htm
1. How does the National Weather Service define a blizzard? ____________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

2. The amount of cooling one “feels” due to the combination of wind and temperature is the ___________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

3. List four dangers of blizzards: __________________________________________________________

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4. What do we call a blizzard that moves up the east coast from the Mid-Atlantic to New England?

____________________________________________________________________________________

Read about how to stay safe in your home or vehicle during a winter storm.

Scroll down to “Keep Ahead of the Storm”

5. What does it mean if each of the following is issued?

Winter Storm Watch - _________________________________________________________________

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Winter Storm Warning - ________________________________________________________________

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