Severe weather phenomena are weather conditions that are hazardous to human life and property. Climate change is expected to worsen the frequency, intensity and impact of some types of extreme weather events. For example, sea-level rise increases the impacts of coastal storms and warming can place more stress on water supplies during droughts.
On Earth, the common weather phenomena include wind, cloud, rain, snow, fog and dust storms. Less common events include natural disasters such as tornadoes, hurricanes, typhoons, and ice storms. Almost all familiar weather phenomena occur in the troposphere( the lower part of the atmosphere).
Natural disasters are the result of a natural phenomenon, which we call a natural risk (earthquake, tsunami, flood, hurricane, an outbreak of fire, drought) and has markedly negative or. Catastrophic consequences for the human community in the affected area.
OVERVIEW
According to their origin, natural disasters are divided into two groups:
- Geological disasters: avalanches(land and snow), volcanic eruptions, earthquakes- as a consequence, tsunamis also belong to this group, as they are usually caused by an earthquake and volcanic eruption.
- Hydrological disasters: heatwave, fires, droughts, storms, floods – weather-related disasters, climate change – which can be largely attributed to humans. By using fossil fuels and deforestation, man has overloaded the natural mechanisms behind the removal of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere
So let’s explain some extreme weather phenomena.
Heatwaves
A heatwave is a period of unusually hot weather that typically lasts two or more days, to be considered a heatwave, the temperatures have to be above the historical averages for a given area.
Drought
The definition of drought varies from place to place. For example, only six days without rain is a drought in Bali. Since drought differs so much from place to place, there is no absolute figure that defines a drought. Instead, scientists measure it as a deviation from average rainfall, using the previous 30 years of rainfall.
Flash floods
Flash floods are the most dangerous kinds of floods because they combine the destructive power of a flood with incredible speed and unpredictability. Flash floods occur when excessive water fills normally dry creeks and rivers, causing rapid rises of water in a short amount of time. They can happen with little or no warning.
Learn more by reading the FULL SCIENTIFIC BACKGROUND
Use the INFO-GRAPHIC to present the topic to your class
Select one of the following Class activities:
- Blue Sky
- Rain and Flood facts
- Severe weather crash course
- Tornado