Severe Weather Guided Notes

1. What are the 3 conditions needed for thunderstorm formation?

- There must be an abundant source of moisture in the lower levels of
the atmosphere.
- Some mechanism much lifts the air so that the moisture can
condense and release latent heat.
- The portion of the atmosphere through which the cloud grows must
be unstable.
2. What are the 3 steps in the lifecycle of a thunderstorm?
The cumulus stage, the mature stage, and the dissipation stage.
3. What is a tornado and how are they classified?
A tornado is a violent, whirling column of air in contact with the
ground. Tornados are classified by The Fujita tornado intensity scale by
classifying their path to destruction, wind speed, and duration.
4. How do tropical cyclones (hurricanes) form?
- An abundant supply of very warm ocean water
- Some sort of disturbance to lift warm air and keep it rising.
5. What are the stages of a tropical cyclone?
- Tropical cyclones usually begin as disturbances that originate either
from the ITCZ or as weak, low-pressure systems called tropical
waves.
- Only a small percentage these ever develop into hurricanes because
conditions throughout the atmosphere must allow rising air to be
dispersed into the upper atmosphere.
6. How are the tropical cyclones classified?
The Saffir- Simpson hurricane scale classifies hurricanes according to
wind speed, air pressure in the center, and potential for property
damage.
7. What are the hurricane hazards?
Hurricanes can cause a lot of damage, particularly along coastal areas.
Much of this damage is associated with violent winds of the eyewall,
the band about 40 to 80 km wide that surrounds the calm eye.