Bad Things Happen: Teaching about Hazardous Weather

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Bad Things HappenTeaching about Hazardous
Weather

• Dr. Michael J. Passow
• AMS Peer Trainer
• STAO 2004

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Hazardous Weather is Everywhere!

• Thunderstorms, Lightning Strikes, Hail
• Winter Storms and Blizzards
• Lake Effect Snows
• Tornadoes
• Flash Floods
• Heat Waves and Droughts
• Wildfires
• Hurricanes and NorEasters
• Severe local weather conditions
• (e.g. chinooks, temperature inversions)

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Impacts of Hazardous Weather

• Dangers to people and animals
• --immediate injuries and deaths
• --long-term health damage
• Dangers to property and services
• Economic impact from lost work/learning time

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Necessity for Emergency Plans

• Community services
• Family planning
• School response planning
• How well could your school system handle
  hazardous weather conditions?

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Before you take any action, you need to know its
time to take action!

• From where do you get your weather information?
  How timely and accurate?
• Looking out your window?
• TV and radio weather?
• Meteorological Service of Canada
  www.msc.ec.gc.ca

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How Does MSC Monitor Weather?

• Local instrumentationmanual and/or automated
• Weather Radar
• Weather Satellites
• Geostationary
• Polar-Orbiting (especially useful for
• sea ice conditions)
• International WX networks

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Educational Resources

• American Meteorological Society Education
  Progamwww.ametsoc.org/amsedu
• Project Atmosphere Summer Teacher Professional
  Development at the NWS Training Center, Kansas
  City, MO
• DataStreme Atmosphere
• Water in the Earth System (WES)

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Project Atmosphere Canada

• Developed by Environment Canada and Canadian
  Meteorological and Oceanographic Society in
  cooperation with the AMS
• 14 online modules (English/Français)

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Examples

• Weather Satellites Introduction
• Basic Understandings
• Activities
• 1 A Satellite Puzzle
• 2 What Can You See?
• 3 Comparisons of Satellite Imagery for
• Storm Analysis
• Hazardous Weather

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Bad Things Happen Teaching about Hazardous
Weather

• The lesson you teach may save lives!
• The information and inspiration you provide now
  form the basis for future advances in emergency
  services planning.
• Any questions? Need more information?
• Michael J. Passow
• michael_at_earth2class.org