Changing Weather

Mark Twain once said: “The weather is always doing something, … always getting up new designs and trying them on the people to see how they will go”.

Whirling winds. Tornadoes or twisters can occur in almost every part of the world. However the greatest number and some of the most severe tornadoes occur in Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma. This part of the United States in called: “Tornado Alley”. Winds from a tornado range from 40 to more than 261 mph.

Thunderstorms. Moisture and instability are the main ingredients needed: rain, strong winds, accompanied by bright flashes of lightning and the crack of thunder – a thunderstorm is born. There are more than 40,000 thunderstorms happening around the world every day. The most severe thunderstorm can produce tornadoes. Thunderstorms may last from 15 minutes to several hours.

Tropical Storms. Tropical storms, known as typhoons in the Pacific and hurricanes in the Atlantic, claim more lives each year than any other storm.

Hurricanes are formed from thunderstorms developing over the ocean or sea. Several thunderstorms come together to form a swirl of clouds. As the winds begin to grow, a distinct center will form in the cloud swirl and this becomes the “eye” of the storm. The storm continues to move, gaining energy from the warm air it sucks in. As the storm approaches land, winds are able to reach an excess of 150 mph and span a path of damage from 200 to 500 miles across.