FIRST LEGO League
Nature’s Fury
United States Weather Hazards
Professor Paul Sirvatka
College of DuPage Meteorology
9/8/2013
Museum of Science and Industry
College of DuPage Meteorology
• Most comprehensive community college meteorology
program in the nation.
• Courses include:
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Intro to Meteorology
Severe and Unusual Weather
Forecasting
Intermediate Meteorology
Mesoscale Meteorology
Severe Weather Analysis
Thunderstorm Lab
Climate and Global Change
• Home of NEXLAB – comprehensive data web site
• Well-known for its storm chase program
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NEXLAB
http://weather.cod.edu
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Natural Hazards Relating to Weather
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Avalanche or landslide
Tornado or cyclone
Earthquake
Tsunami
Flood
Volcanic eruption
Hurricane
Wildfire
Storm (wind, sand, blizzard, or rain)
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Billion Dollar Events
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Most Expensive Weather Disasters
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2012 Weather Disasters
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Natural Disasters World-wide
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Deadliest US Disasters
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5-9
10.
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Galveston, TX Hurricane - 1900 ~ 10,000 Dead
San Francisco Earthquake - 1906 ~ 3400 Dead
Great Okeechobee Hurricane, Florida - 1928
Johnstown, PA Flood - 1889
Hurricanes
Tri-state tornado 1925 695 Dead
Museum of Science and Industry
Thunderstorms
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Hail
Annually
Crop losses ~ $1.3 Billion
Property Losses ~ $1 Billion
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Tornado Climatology
Harold Brooks - SSL
There are more than 1000 tornadoes in the US per year.
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All Tornadoes
Tornado Frequency
Significant Tornadoes
Deadly Tornadoes
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Still Nature’s Most Furious Wind
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Tornado Destruction
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House Destroyed
Wind Storms
Derechos
Coastal Winds
Volcano Blow Downs
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Lightning
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Flashes per Square Mile per Year
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Flooding is the most common type of
natural disaster worldwide - 40% of all
natural disasters
Flash flooding is the leading cause of
weather-related deaths in the U.S.approximately 200 deaths per year
Over the 10-year period from 1988 to
1997, floods cost the United States on
average $3.7 billion per year
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Over 50% of
flood-related drownings
are vehicle-related.
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Hurricanes
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Hurricane Tracks
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Winter Weather!
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Heavy Snow
Over 70 percent of the nations roads are
located in regions which receive more than
five inches
Over 1,300 people
are killed and more
than 116,800
people are injured
in vehicle crashes
on snowy, slushy or
icy pavement
annually
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Major Snow Storms
Cause Major Impacts
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One of the damaging and costly ice
storms in recent history struck
North America in January, 1998.
Phone and power lines collapsed,
electricity pylons buckled, and 4
million people were left without
power. 25 people were killed by
falling ice or fires set by collapsing
electrical units. The total damage
cost around $1 billion.
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A 1/2" accumulation on power lines can add 500 pounds of extra weight.
Ice can increase the weight of branches by 30 times.
The most devastating storms contain ice accumulations of an inch or more!
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To some extent, all weather related
disasters are predictable
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Preparedness is the Key
What will you do?
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Thanks and good luck on your projects!
Paul Sirvatka
College of DuPage Weather
9/8/2013
Museum of Science and Industry