A storm is any disturbed state of an astronomical body's atmosphere especially affecting its
surface, and strongly implying severe weather. It may be marked by
strong wind, hail, thunder and/or lightning (a thunderstorm), heavy precipitation (snowstorm,
rainstorm), heavy freezing rain (ice storm), strong winds (tropical cyclone, windstorm), or wind
transporting some substance through the atmosphere as in a dust storm, blizzard, sandstorm,
etc. Storms generally lead to negative impacts to lives and property such as storm surge,
heavy rain or snow (causing flooding or road impassibility),lightning, wildfires, and vertical wind
shear; however, systems with significant rainfall can alleviate drought in places they move
through.
Storms are created when a center of low pressure develops with a system of high pressure surrounding
it. This combination of opposing forces can create winds and result in the formation of storm clouds, such
as the cumulonimbus.
Cyclones are huge revolving storms caused by winds blowing around a central area of
low atmospheric pressure. In the northern hemisphere, cyclones are called hurricanes or
typhoons and their winds blow in an anti-clockwise circle. In the southern hemisphere, these
tropical storms are known as cyclones, whose winds blow in a clockwise circle.
How do Cyclones occur?
Cyclones develop over warm seas near the Equator. Air heated by the sun rises very swiftly, which
creates areas of very low pressure. As the warm air rises, it becomes loaded with moisture which
condenses into massive thunderclouds. Cool air rushes in to fill the void that is left, but because of the
constant turning of the Earth on its axis, the air is bent inwards and then spirals upwards with great force.
The swirling winds rotate faster and faster, forming a huge circle which can be up to 2,000 km across. At
the centre of the storm is a calm, cloudless area called the eye, where there is no rain, and the winds are
fairly light.
Why do Cyclones occur?
When warm air rises from the seas and condenses into clouds, massive amounts of heat are
released. The result of this mixture of heat and moisture is often a collection of thunderstorms,
from which a tropical storm can develop.
The trigger for most Atlantic hurricanes is an easterly wave, a band of low pressure moving westwards,
which may have begun as an African thunderstorm. Vigorous thunderstorms and high winds combine to
create a cluster of thunderstorms which can become the seedling for a tropical storm.
Typhoons in the Far East and Cyclones in the Indian Ocean often develop from a thunderstorm in the
equatorial trough. During the hurricane season, the Coriolis. Effect of the Earth's rotation starts the winds
in the thunderstorm spinning in a circular
What is a tornado?
A tornado is a violent rotating column of air extending from a thunderstorm to the ground. The
most violent tornadoes are capable of tremendous destruction with wind speeds of up to 300
mph. They can destroy large buildings, uproot trees and hurl vehicles hundreds of yards. They
can also drive straw into trees. Damage paths can be in excess of one mile wide to 50 miles long.
In an average year, 1000 tornadoes are reported nationwide.motion.
How do tornadoes form?
Most tornadoes form from thunderstorms. You need warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico and cool, dry
air from Canada. When these two air masses meet, they create instability in the atmosphere. A change in
wind direction and an increase in wind speed with increasing height creates an invisible, horizontal
spinning effect in the lower atmosphere. Rising air within the updraft tilts the rotating air from horizontal to
vertical. An area of rotation, 2-6 miles wide, now extends through much of the storm. Most strong and
violent tornadoes form within this area of strong rotation.
What do tornadoes look like?
Tornadoes can appear as a traditional funnel shape, or in a slender rope-like form. Some have a
churning, smoky look to them, and other contain "multiple vortices", which are small, individual tornadoes
rotating around a common center. Even others may be nearly invisible, with only swirling dust or debris at
ground levels as the only indication of the tornado's presence.
A hurricane is a tropical storm with winds that have reached a constant speed of 74 miles per
hour or more.
The eye of a storm is usually 20-30 miles wide and may extend over 400 miles.
The dangers of a storm include torrential rains, high winds and storm surges.
A hurricane can last for 2 weeks or more over open water and can run a path across the entire
length of the Eastern Seaboard.
The term "global warming" refers to the increase in the average temperature of global surface air
and oceans since about 1950, and to continuing increases in those temperatures.Another term
for "global warming" is "climate change." Global warming is caused by excessive quantities of
greenhouse gases emitted into Earth's near-surface atmosphere. Greenhouse gases are both
man-made and occur naturally, and include a number of gases, including:
carbon dioxide
methane
nitrous oxide
chlorofluorocarbons
A typhoon is a violent cyclone that occurs in the northwest Pacific Ocean. Typhoons feature heavy rains
and winds that maintain speeds equal to or greater than 74 miles (119 kilometers) per hour. Similar
storms that occur in other parts of the world are called tropical cyclones or hurricanes. The word typhoon
comes from the Chinese term tai-fung, meaning great wind.
Typhoons occur most frequently in the late summer. They form over warm seas between about 5 and 20
degrees of latitude from the equator. They tend to move west, northwest, and eventually northeast at
speeds of 10 to 20 miles (16 to 32 kilometers) per hour. Inside a typhoon, strong winds blow in a
counterclockwise direction around an area of low pressure at the storm's center, which is called the eye.
The eye usually measures about 10 to 40 miles (16 to 64 kilometers) in diameter. The strongest winds
blow inside the eyewall, a ring of clouds that surrounds the eye. These winds often reach speeds of more
than 110 miles (180 kilometers) per hour.
The heavy rains and strong winds of a typhoon can cause great loss of life and billions of dollars in
property damage. As a typhoon approaches lands, its winds produce a rush of seawater called a storm
surge that can devastate coastal areas.
