Meteorology: Thunderstorms and Tornadoes

Part 1: Thunderstorm Development

1 (+1): "Fuel" for thunderstorms is air that has (choose: high or low) levels of moisture and is (choose: cooler or warmer) than the air in the upper atmosphere. The more fuel the storm is supplied, the stronger it can become.

2 (+1): The following is an image that shows how a single-cell thunderstorm develops:

Put the following stages of single-cell thunderstorm development into the proper order:

A.) Outflow = updraft

B.) Updraft > outflow

C.) Outflow > updraft

3 (+1): Describe in one or two sentences why single-cell storms are often short-lived and do not become very powerful. Hint: it has to do with questions 1 and 2

4 (+1): Wind shear is very important in creating strong thunderstorms. Examine the two images:

Describe in one or two sentences how having strong shear helps to create long-lasting and more powerful thunderstorms. Hint: it has to do with questions 1 and 2

5 (+1): Analyze the wind shear data below

If you were a forecaster, would you issue a severe thunderstorm watch (meaning that the atmospheric conditions were favorable for strong thunderstorms to develop) in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, or Mississippi? Identify which state you would issue the watch in and describe in one or two sentences your reasoning. 

6 (+1): Lightning is a potentially deadly part of thunderstorms. Analyze these four images and place them into the proper order to describe how lighting occurs. For your response, state just which comes first, second, third, and finally, fourth.

7 (+1): OK, now we need to review why some storms cause lightning and predict which storm is more likely to have lightning formation. Look at the data from these three storms:

Identify which thunderstorm is more likely to have lightning associated with it (based on how lightning develops from thunderstorms) and describe your reasoning in one or two sentences. 

Part 2: Types of thunderstorms

Examine the following radar image

8 (+1): There are four different types of thunderstorms: single cell, multi-cell, squall line, and supercell. Identify the type of thunderstorm located near Thomasville, Alabama (Storm B) on this summer day.

9 (+1): There are four different types of thunderstorms: single cell, multi-cell, squall line, and supercell. Identify the type of thunderstorm located near Columbiana, Alabama (Storm A) on this summer day.

10 (+1): Gust fronts caused by the downdrafts of storms often help other storms form causing multi-celled storms and mesoscale convective complex (MCCs). Examine the following image of a gust front:

Examining the radar above, for the city marked by the yellow star to the south of the gust front, describe in one or two sentences why this city should be expecting thunderstorms as the gust front moves through. In Florida, we often start with one single-cell thunderstorm and the gust fronts and outflow boundaries of these storms cause many other storms. This is one reason we get many thunderstorms in the summertime. 

11 (+1): Examine the radar image below:

Identify the type of thunderstorm that this represents and what weather feature/phenomenon/process is occurring to create such a long, curved line of strong thunderstorms.

12 (+1): You open a radar app on your phone and you see this

That little “curved” part of the radar is called a bow echo. If you saw this on your weather app, describe in one sentence what this may mean weather wise if this bow echo were to pass over you.

Part 3: Tornadoes

13 (+1): Analyze the picture below. Wind shear can be created by increasing speeds or direction with altitude in the atmosphere.

Using the image, describe why wind shear (increasing wind speed or a change of direction in the upper atmosphere) is critical to tornado formation as warm, moist air rises upward into the thunderstorm.

14 (+1): There are two types of wind shear: speed shear and directional shear. Analyze the following table

Identify which location would most likely at risk of tornado formation and describe your response in one or two sentences. Hint, think about what happens to the inflow of warm, moist air as it rises vertically into the thunderstorm

15 (+1): There are two types of wind shear: speed shear and directional shear. Analyze the following table

Identify which location would most likely at risk of tornado formation and describe your response in one or two sentences. Hint, think about what happens to the inflow of warm, moist air as it rises vertically into the thunderstorm

16 (+1): Radar is a powerful tool for meteorologists to help save lives. Examine the following radar image.

A tornado warning means either someone has visually observed the tornado on the ground OR it is indicated by radar. In this case there is a tornado on radar. If you were a meteorologist, which location would you issue a tornado warning for? Identify the location and describe your reasoning in one or two sentences.

17 (+1): Examine the weather map below:

A tornado watch means that the atmospheric conditions are present for tornadoes to occur. Watches can be issued hours to a day or so in advance to give people time to prepare. In the map above, the wind shear at four different locations is shown. The red = higher shear and blue = less shear. If you were a meteorologist, which location would you issue a tornado watch for? Identify the location and describe your reasoning in one or two sentences.

18 (+1): Tornadoes are most often associated with which type of thunderstorms?