What would it be like to be a real weather person - not just someone who reports the weather, but someone who can actually control it? Well here's your chance. Using our Interactive Weather Maker, you'll be able to turn a sunny day into a windy day. Or create a rainy day. And if you create the correct conditions, you can make a blizzard - complete with a whiteout! To find out more about how weather works, visit Weather Watch.
Directions:
Even as you control the weather, there are still two rules you have to follow:
The temperature towards the poles (either north or south) must always be less than the temperature towards the equator.
The maximum difference in the two temperatures is 70 degrees.
Other than that, you can make whatever kind of day you like just by moving the humidity slider and either of the two temperature sliders.
What is a hurricane?A hurricane is a huge storm! It can be up to 600 miles across and have strong winds spiraling inward and upward at speeds of 75 to 200 mph. Each hurricane usually lasts for over a week, moving 10-20 miles per hour over the open ocean. Hurricanes gather heat and energy through contact with warm ocean waters. Evaporation from the seawater increases their power. Hurricanes rotate in a counter-clockwise direction around an "eye." The center of the storm or "eye" is the calmest part. It has only light winds and fair weather. When they come onto land, the heavy rain, strong winds and large waves can damage buildings, trees and cars.
[how do hurricanes form? | hurricane safety | hurricane links]
What is a tornado?A tornado is a violent rotating column of air extending from a thunderstorm to the ground. The most violent tornadoes are capable of tremendous destruction with wind speeds of up to 300 mph. They can destroy large buildings, uproot trees and hurl vehicles hundreds of yards. They can also drive straw into trees. Damage paths can be in excess of one mile wide to 50 miles long. In an average year, 1000 tornadoes are reported nationwide.
[what causes a tornado? | measuring tornadoes | tornado safety | what if you're in your car? | tornado links]
Winter storms derive their energy from the clash of two air masses of different temperatures and moisture levels. Winter storms usually form when an air mass of cold, dry, Canadian air moves south and interacts with a warm, moist air mass moving north from the Gulf of Mexico. The point where these two air masses meet is called a front. If cold air advances and pushes away the warm air, it forms a cold front. When warm air advances, it rides up over the denser, cold air mass to form a warm front. If neither air mass advances, it forms a stationary front.
How is snow formed?Snow is commonly formed when water vapor undergoes deposition, which is when water vapor changes directly to ice without first becoming a liquid, high in the atmosphere at a temperature of less than 32°F and then falls to the ground.
How does rain form?Water droplets form from warm air. As the warm air rises in the sky it cools. Water vapor (invisible water in the air) always exists in our air. Warm air holds quite a bit of water. For example, in the summer it is usually very humid. When enough of these droplets collect together, we see them as clouds. If the clouds are big enough and have enough water droplets, the droplets bang together and form even bigger drops. When the drops get heavy, they fall because of gravity, and you see and feel rain.
Ball lightning occurs after a ground flash. The ball is usually red, orange, or yellow. It can be as small as a grapefruit or as big as a pumpkin. After briefly hovering above the ground or darting wildly about, the lightning ball fizzles out—or ends with a startling BANG!
Cloud lightning never strikes the earth.
Spider Flashes of spider lightning crawl across the sky for up to 90 miles.
What is lightning?
Lightning is a bright flash of electricity produced by a thunderstorm. All thunderstorms produce lightning and are very dangerous. If you hear the sound of thunder, then you are in danger from lightning. Lightning kills and injures more people each year than hurricanes or tornadoes; between 75 to 100 people.
Are you as good as David Braine? Use the interactive weather map and find out the weather for the next five days. Then drag 'n' drop the symbols and hey presto, you're a weather presenter (Macromedia Shockwave, 230K).
Can you battle against the elements? Defend yourself against the bad weather, destroy the bonus clouds and remember to enter your score in our top ten! (Macromedia Shockwave, 64K)
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