No matter where you live or travel on Earth, you are likely to encounter a storm of some kind sooner or later. Some places, of course, are stormier than others. Some storms are deadly or cause great damage, while others bring little danger. Many storms bring the rain or snow needed to supply drinking water and keep crops growing. All storms, big or small, demonstrate nature’s power. Many scientists who study the atmosphere were first attracted to meteorology by the wonders of storms. All storms have two things in common: low atmospheric pressure at the storm’s center, and winds that are created by the flow of air from higher pressure outside the storm toward the low pressure at the center.
Lightning and thunder
Despite their dramatic behavior, thunderstorms are the smallest of the different kinds of storms. They average around 16 km (10 mi) across, but they often occur in lines that can be a few hundred miles long or clusters a couple hundred miles across. Thunderstorms are often part of larger storms such as hurricanes. Every thunderstorm includes lightning because lightning causes thunder. Lightning creates a danger in any thunderstorm, no matter how large or small. Many thunderstorms drench the countryside with heavy rain, so you also have to worry about flash floods—that is, floods that rise very quickly, sometimes running over the banks of normally small streams. If a thunderstorm is strong enough, it can also create hail or balls of ice that fall from the storm.
Monsters from the tropics
Over the years, gigantic storms that originate in the tropics have killed more people around the world than any other single kind of storm. These storms are known by different terms in different regions. They are called hurricanes when they form over the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, or the eastern Pacific Ocean north of the equator. The same storms are called typhoons when they form over the western Pacific and tropical cyclones when they occur over the southern Pacific or the Indian Ocean. When the storm moves over land or cold water it begins to die, but a storm can stay over a warm ocean for a week or two, sometimes even longer, growing stronger or at least not losing much strength. A hurricane consists of lines of thunderstorms that spiral into the storm’s calm center, which is called the eye. Winds grow stronger as you approach the eye, and the very strongest winds occur in the wall of thunderstorms around the eye, called the eye wall. If the storm hits land it brings with it this mound of water, called a storm surge, which can be up to 6 m (20 ft) high. Storm surges still present a real danger for those who don’t evacuate, of course.
Avoiding the dangers of lightning and floods
Lightning and floods kill more people in other parts of the world than any other storm hazard. To avoid being hit by lightning, stop all outdoor activities and get into a sturdy building when you see a flash of lightning or hear a clap of thunder. Don’t take shelter under trees or in an open picnic shelter. A vehicle with a metal roof is a safe place if you roll up the windows. When a hurricane threatens, you should heed any orders to evacuate areas that could be flooded. You should also find out if any nearby streams are subject to flash floods. If so, leave if you hear a flash-flood warning. Whatever you do, don’t drive your car onto a flooded road, even if the water looks shallow. Most flood accidents in the United States occur when vehicles drive into floodwater.
Taking shelter from the wind
Tornadoes, severe thunderstorms with winds faster than 89 km/h (55 mph), and hurricanes all produce potentially deadly winds. When such a storm threatens, don’t waste time opening windows. The biggest danger from high winds comes from the things they blow around, including objects such as garbage cans and parts of buildings. Flying debris outside the house can hit a window and send glass flying all around a room. If possible, take shelter in a basement. If not, get into a small room with no outside windows, such as a bathroom or central closet. Anyone who lives in an area where tornadoes or hurricanes hit, and whose home isn’t likely to be flooded by a storm surge or flash flood, should build a safe room, which can serve double duty as a storage room and as a shelter from storm winds when needed.
Lightning and thunder
Despite their dramatic behavior, thunderstorms are the smallest of the different kinds of storms. They average around 16 km (10 mi) across, but they often occur in lines that can be a few hundred miles long or clusters a couple hundred miles across. Thunderstorms are often part of larger storms such as hurricanes. Every thunderstorm includes lightning because lightning causes thunder. Lightning creates a danger in any thunderstorm, no matter how large or small. Many thunderstorms drench the countryside with heavy rain, so you also have to worry about flash floods—that is, floods that rise very quickly, sometimes running over the banks of normally small streams. If a thunderstorm is strong enough, it can also create hail or balls of ice that fall from the storm.
Monsters from the tropics
Over the years, gigantic storms that originate in the tropics have killed more people around the world than any other single kind of storm. These storms are known by different terms in different regions. They are called hurricanes when they form over the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, or the eastern Pacific Ocean north of the equator. The same storms are called typhoons when they form over the western Pacific and tropical cyclones when they occur over the southern Pacific or the Indian Ocean. When the storm moves over land or cold water it begins to die, but a storm can stay over a warm ocean for a week or two, sometimes even longer, growing stronger or at least not losing much strength. A hurricane consists of lines of thunderstorms that spiral into the storm’s calm center, which is called the eye. Winds grow stronger as you approach the eye, and the very strongest winds occur in the wall of thunderstorms around the eye, called the eye wall. If the storm hits land it brings with it this mound of water, called a storm surge, which can be up to 6 m (20 ft) high. Storm surges still present a real danger for those who don’t evacuate, of course.
Avoiding the dangers of lightning and floods
Lightning and floods kill more people in other parts of the world than any other storm hazard. To avoid being hit by lightning, stop all outdoor activities and get into a sturdy building when you see a flash of lightning or hear a clap of thunder. Don’t take shelter under trees or in an open picnic shelter. A vehicle with a metal roof is a safe place if you roll up the windows. When a hurricane threatens, you should heed any orders to evacuate areas that could be flooded. You should also find out if any nearby streams are subject to flash floods. If so, leave if you hear a flash-flood warning. Whatever you do, don’t drive your car onto a flooded road, even if the water looks shallow. Most flood accidents in the United States occur when vehicles drive into floodwater.
Taking shelter from the wind
Tornadoes, severe thunderstorms with winds faster than 89 km/h (55 mph), and hurricanes all produce potentially deadly winds. When such a storm threatens, don’t waste time opening windows. The biggest danger from high winds comes from the things they blow around, including objects such as garbage cans and parts of buildings. Flying debris outside the house can hit a window and send glass flying all around a room. If possible, take shelter in a basement. If not, get into a small room with no outside windows, such as a bathroom or central closet. Anyone who lives in an area where tornadoes or hurricanes hit, and whose home isn’t likely to be flooded by a storm surge or flash flood, should build a safe room, which can serve double duty as a storage room and as a shelter from storm winds when needed.
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