Coastal weather and storms
Maia McGuire
Florida Sea Grant Extension
Weather
• The state of the atmosphere at a given time
and place, with respect to variables such as
temperature, moisture, wind velocity and
barometric pressure
Activity
• Scholastic’s “Weather Watchers” activities
• www2.scholastic.com/browse/unitplan.jsp?id-256
Water cycle
• http://www.eo.ucar.edu/kids/wwe/index.htm
Clouds
• A large collection of very tiny droplets of
water or ice crystals
• The droplets are so small and light that they
can float in the air
• Rising air contains water vapor, which
condenses on tiny dust particles to form
clouds
http://eo.ucar.edu/webweather/cloud3.html
Thunderstorms
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Storms with lightning (which makes thunder)
Produced by cumulonimbus clouds
Gusty winds, heavy rain and sometimes hail
Usually happen in spring and summer months
during afternoon and evening hours
Lightning
• A bright flash of electricity produced by a
thunderstorm
• Lightning kills and injures 75-100 people per
year
• Where is lightning right now?
http://thunderstorm.vaisala.com/explorer.html
Thunder
• Sound wave created by moving air following a
lightning bolt
• Travels 1 mile in 5 seconds
• If lightning is more than 15 miles away, we will
not hear the thunder (it’s too far away). We
can still see the lightning as light travels faster
than sound
Lightning safety
• Outdoors
– If you hear thunder, go to a safe place like a sturdy
building or a car (roll up the windows)
– Stay away from trees. If you cannot get to a safe
place, crouch down in an open area—try to get
twice as far away from a tree as it is tall
– Groups of people should spread out (about 15
feet apart)
– Stay out of water, avoid metal—even your
backpack!
Lightning safety
• Indoors
– Avoid water
– Do not use a corded telephone
– Do not use computers or appliances (electrical
equipment)
– Stay away from windows and doors, and off
porches
CALL 911 IF SOMEONE IS STRUCK BY LIGHTNING
Winter storms
• Form when two air masses (one cold and dry,
one warm and wet) meet
• Meeting point is called a front
• Nor’easters form along the Atlantic coast of
the US—warm air from the Gulf Stream is
pushed into cold air from the land resulting in
hurricane-force winds, high surf and lots of
rain.
Hurricanes
• Very large storms
• Can be up to 600 miles across
• Strong winds spiral inward (counter-clockwise)
and upward at speeds of 75-200 mph
• Central portion (“eye”) is calm
• Usually lasts about a week
• Energy comes from warm ocean water (80°F)
• Hurricanes usually form between 5 and 15° N
or S of the equator
• Wind movement needs to be fairly consistent
(speed and direction)
• Atmosphere
must cool off
quickly with
altitude
• Atlantic
Hurricane
season is June
1-Nov 30
Storm surge
• Shallow-water coastline
• Deep-water coastline
Oceans and temperature
• Water warms more slowly and cools more
slowly than air.
• Coastal areas can be warmer in winter (or
cooler in summer) than inland areas because
of this.
Cool online resources
• For KIDS:
– www.weatherwizkids.com
– http://eo.ucar.edu/webweather/
– http://www.eo.ucar.edu/kids/dangerwx/hurricane
1.htm
– http://climate.nasa.gov/kids/index.cfm
• For TEACHERS:
– http://www.meted.ucar.edu/comm_k12.htm
Climate
• NOT THE SAME AS WEATHER
• Long-term averaging of weather (over several
decades)
Oceans and climate
• Oceans trap atmospheric heat