The document discusses various types of extreme weather events including hurricanes, tornadoes, blizzards, floods, and droughts. It provides details on the formation of hurricanes over warm ocean waters and specifics on major hurricanes like Andrew and Katrina. Tornadoes are described as powerful funnel clouds caused by colliding warm and cool air masses. The document also outlines significant blizzards, floods and droughts that have caused major damage and billions of dollars in losses across the United States.

3. Form over warm, tropical ocean
waters.
Sometimes called typhoons (Asia)
Formed when air flows over warm
water (over 80 degrees), picking up
large amounts of moisture and
energy.
This flows into a low pressure core &
tightens to form the “eye” or center.
The more heat energy there is, the
stronger the winds become.

5.  Forms slowly over
days
 10-20 mile wide eye
 Can be up to 500
miles wide
 Classified by wind
speed in the Saffir-
Simpson scale;
category 1-5
 Winds from 75-200
mph
 Winds move counter-
clockwise (northern
hemisphere)
 Most storms start off
the coast of Africa and
move west (Cape Verde
storms)
 Damage includes
flooding, wind
damage, & storm surge.

10.  In 1992, Hurricane
Andrew, a
category 5
hurricane made
landfall in Florida.
 At the time, it was
the most costliest
hurricane in
history, causing
over $26 billion in
damages.

13.  Hurricane Katrina was
one of the most
deadliest and
devastating hurricanes
in recorded history.
 It was responsible for
1,800 deaths and over
$81 billion in damages,
making it the costliest
natural disaster in U.S.
history.

18.  Powerful funnel-shaped columns of spiraling
air.
 Warm air and cool air colliding create them
 Winds up to 300 mph.
 Measured on the Fujita Scale; 0-6.
 Generally they have small diameters (300 ft.)
and travel short distances (1 mile)
 3 out of 4 tornadoes in the world occur in the
U.S. (around 700 per year)

20. F1 Tornado
F2 Tornado
F3 Tornado F4 Tornado

21. F5 Tornado

23.  On May 22, 2011 a
catastrophic, multi-
vortex F5 tornado hit
the town of
Joplin, Missouri.
 It killed 158 people and
caused nearly $3 billion
in damages making it the
deadliest and costliest
tornado in American
history.

25.  Before
 After

31. Blizzard - Heavy snowstorm w/
winds of more than 35 mph
creating reduced visibility.
Floods - Water spreads out over
normally dry land
Droughts – A long period of time
w/o rain or minimal rainfall.
 - Droughts result in crop
failures, reduced levels of water in
storage.

34.  In 1993, a massive storm hit the
United States.
 Known as the “White
Hurricane”, this storm not only
caused a blizzard, but heavy
winds, rains and tornadoes.
 Many states received several feet
of snow. Tennessee got the worst
with over 5 ft. of snow in some
areas!
 In total, more than 300 people
died as a result of this storm.

38.  In 1993 a great flood
occurred in the Mississippi
River basin.
 The flood was among the
most costly and
devastating to ever occur
in the United States, with
$15 billion in damages and
effecting over 30,000
square miles.
 The floods claimed near
50 lives.
LANDSAT views of the Mississippi,
Missouri and Illinois Rivers.

40.  Drought is an extended
period of time when a region
has a deficiency in its water
supply whether surface or
underground water.
 A drought can last for
months or years.
 It can cause significant
damage[and harm on
the ecosystem, agriculture o
f the affected region as well
as damage to the economy.

41.  The Great Plains
(150,000 square mile
region) was ravaged by
drought.
 Thousands of families
were forced to flee and
find work elsewhere.
 Major contributor of the
economic disaster known
as the Great Depression
that took over 10 years
to recover from.

44.  In 2011, Texas was hit hard by
drought.
 The drought dried up areas so much
that in one town, it revealed some
old history.
 The city of Bluffton, Texas was
purposefully flooded more 50 years
ago to create Lake Buchanan.
 Many parts of town were submerged
under the 20-30 feet under the
lake, that is, until the drought.
 Since the drought, receding lakes
have been revealing the foundations
of buildings, streets and eerily, old
gravesites…