Storms and Extreme Weather
Extreme weather such as thunderstorms, hurricanes and tornadoes results from rapid movement of energy and moisture in the atmosphere.
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Extreme weather such as thunderstorms, hurricanes and tornadoes results from rapid movement of energy and moisture in the atmosphere.
- Thunder is caused by lightning heating air
- Hurricanes need warm seas
- Tornadoes form in severe storms
🧠 Quick quiz
Three questions. Score 2 or more to complete the topic.
What is Storms and Extreme Weather?
Within Earth & Environmental Science, which covers our planet, its resources and ecosystems, and how people can protect the environment, this topic explains Storms and Extreme Weather. Earth and environment topics show how the planet’s systems shape landscapes, climate and life, with models that make these processes visible.
Check that you can explain Storms and Extreme Weather in your own words and give one example from everyday life. If you can do that, you have understood the core idea.
Understanding Storms and Extreme Weather helps you explain the environment around you and weigh up how people can protect it.
Storms and Extreme Weather in detail
Extreme weather includes thunderstorms, tornadoes, hurricanes, blizzards, heatwaves and droughts. Thunderstorms form when warm moist air rises rapidly, building cumulonimbus clouds in which charge separates, producing lightning, and thunder is the sound of the air heated by lightning.
Tornadoes are rotating columns of air from storms, and hurricanes (tropical cyclones) form over warm seas, with strong winds, storm surges and torrential rain. Impacts include damage, injury, floods and loss of life. Climate change is expected to increase the frequency or intensity of some extremes. Warnings, preparation and safe shelters reduce harm.
How the interactive helps you understand Storms and Extreme Weather
Watch the Earth model in the interactive. Use any sliders or buttons it offers to change the values and see how the Earth model responds.
Before you change anything, predict the result. Then change one value at a time and check whether your prediction was right. This is a quick way to build a correct mental model of Storms and Extreme Weather.
Real-life uses and examples
- Use a diagram of Storms and Extreme Weather to describe the steps of a process in order.
- Discuss how human activity changes Storms and Extreme Weather, using a named example.
- Explain how Storms and Extreme Weather affects the landscape or climate near you.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Describing a process without the timescale it works over.
- Presenting one cause as the only cause of an environmental change.
- Learning the definition without testing it. Use the quiz and the interactive to check that you can apply the idea.
Frequently asked questions about Storms and Extreme Weather
What is Storms and Extreme Weather?
Extreme weather such as thunderstorms, hurricanes and tornadoes results from rapid movement of energy and moisture in the atmosphere.
What are the most important points about Storms and Extreme Weather?
The main points are: Thunder is caused by lightning heating air; Hurricanes need warm seas; Tornadoes form in severe storms.
Why is Storms and Extreme Weather useful?
Understanding Storms and Extreme Weather helps you explain the environment around you and weigh up how people can protect it.
How can I practise Storms and Extreme Weather?
Open the interactive at the top of this page and change the controls one at a time. Predict the result before each change, then take the three-question quiz. A score of two or more marks the topic as complete on this device.
Which topics are related to Storms and Extreme Weather?
Related topics in Earth & Environmental Science include Climate Change Evidence, Impacts of Climate Change, Oceans and Marine Ecosystems.