Storms Stations Labs

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Storms Stations Labs
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Station 1Tornado Safety

• Where would you go during a tornado if you were
  (be detailed)
• 1. In a car
• 2. In a grocery store
• 3. At HSE in room B217
• 4. In your home
• 5. At a basketball game
• 6. In the B220 computer lab

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Station 2Tornadoes in Indiana

• Read the article and answer the questions on your
  sheet
• When is tornado season in Indiana?
• How far did the Tri-State tornado travel?
• On Palm Sunday 1965, how many tornadoes struck
  Indiana?
• When was the largest outbreak of tornadoes in
  Indiana?
• For the 2000-20001 season, how many people in
  Indiana were killed by tornadoes?

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Tornado Article- Station 2 Page 1

• In a northwestern Kansas wheat field, not far
  from the Nebraska border, John Newport returned
  to his field chores after a brief rain shower had
  passed. The edge of an enormous thunderstorm,
  laced with brilliant lightning, had passed
  overhead and it seemed as if the worst of the
  storm was over.
• Life was not easy on the Great Plains of Phillips
  County, Kansas on May 25, 1932. For some members
  of the Newport family, life was about to become
  even harder. A muffled roar in the distance grew
  sharper and louder. As John began to move toward
  the house, he realized that the low, indistinct
  form in the distance was not rain or a patch of
  fog, but a rotating transparent cloud, beneath a
  dark mass of cloud extending under the southwest
  corner of the thunderstorm. An occasional
  snake-like form would briefly appear within the
  cloud, and then suddenly vanish. It was coming
  directly toward the farm.
• At his next glance, three or four contorted and
  transparent columns would briefly circle the
  center of what looked like a patch of swirling
  mist. The cloud looked nothing like the thin
  funnels and ropes that he had seen in the
  distance every few years. He now ran at full
  speed for the house, trying with each gasp to
  shout "Cyclone!" Within the next few seconds,
  seven people would make life or death decisions
  about contentd possessions, about family members,
  and about self preservation. The rotating cloud
  had changed from transparent mist to solid brown
  mass at the edge of the newly plowed fields and
  continued to advance relentlessly on the small
  cluster of farm buildings.
• With the edge of the vortex still to the
  southwest, the corner of the roof suddenly gave
  way and the 30-year-old cottonwood trees that
  surrounded the house began to snap. A powerful
  jet of air, flowing into the tornado, began
  ripping at the house and the entire building
  vibrated as the unearthly roar grew steadily
  louder. One child grabbed a prized locket from a
  dresser, another gazed at the barnyard full of
  panic-stricken animals, another yelled for the
  dog. The oldest stared in denial at her mother
  the youngest just stood and cried.

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Tornado Article- Station 2 Page 2

• The mother had but one thought, that everyone
  head immediately for the small root cellar. The
  storm cave, dug some distance from the house, was
  now out of reach behind a growing wall of flying
  debris. The root cellar was the only remaining
  refuge. The children went first, the mother
  grabbing each by the arm, and quickening their
  movement by a half-step. The father braced
  himself against the kitchen door. The last child
  was on the steps when the parents finally moved
  toward the cellar, but the first of the intense
  whirling columns had reached the house.
• In later interviews, none of the children
  mentioned whether there was, between the parents,
  a final glance at one another. If there were
  final words at the top of the stairs, they were
  not heard above the deafening roar.
• Winds in excess of 200 mph created a pressure of
  20 tons on the side of the small farm house and
  the building finally reached its limit of
  resistance. In an instant, a lifetime of work
  ..... walls, beams, plaster, furniture, tools,
  clothes, toys, books, and family treasures were
  all airborne. Some would fall only a few hundred
  feet away smaller bits and pieces would be
  carried 120 miles. Sheet metal and boards flew
  across the barnyard at 150 feet per second,
  impaling anything that was standing. The
  12-inch-thick hand-hewn sills, on which the house
  had sat for forty years, would hit the ground a
  quarter-mile away and plunge eight feet into the
  prairie soil. An entire cottonwood tree was found
  two miles away.
• After a few minutes the children emerged from the
  cellar, not into the kitchen, but out into a rain
  and hail storm. They located the lifeless body of
  their mother about 100 yards from the empty
  foundation. The father, barely alive, was found
  200 yards further away, across the state line in
  Nebraska. His last words were instructions to get
  to the nearest neighbor for help, a half mile
  away. He fell into unconsciousness in the arms of
  his eldest daughter. The children, Mildred,
  Martha, Eleanor, Dean, and Paul, ages 3-15, ran
  through a barrage of five-inch-diameter hail.
  They arrived at the next farm battered, bloodied,
  with broken arms and ribs. John died a few hours
  later neighbor's living room. The children began
  new lives with their grandparents.

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Tornado Article- Station 2 Page 3

• Epilogue
• In mid-March, we were incredibly surprised to
  receive an email from a man in Arkansas. Much to
  our amazement, he is the grandson of John
  Newport, Martha's son, the next oldest daughter.
  He lives only a few miles from the Arkadelphia
  tornado path. He is involved with a Cub Scout
  troop, and they decided to study tornadoes. They
  went onto the WWW to see if they could find any
  information about the subject, and discovered
  this page. He was flabbergasted to find himself
  reading about his own family!
• Shortly afterward, we were able to speak with
  Eleanor, and found that she remembered details
  about the tornado that were not in the story.
  Eleanor's most vivid memory is of the corner of
  the house lifting up and the light appearing just
  above the floor. The children crawled underneath
  the remnant of a door to seek shelter from the
  pounding hail. In a state of shock, the next
  thing she remembered was waking up at the
  neighbor's home hours later. The daughters were
  kept pretty much together by other members of the
  family, and all graduated from the local high
  school before they went their own ways.
• We had a very pleasant visit with Eleanor in
  June, 1997. She, her husband, and their three
  children farmed wheat and cattle in southern
  Nebraska, not far from the Kansas border. Now 79,
  Eleanor is retired, but is very active keeping
  her lawn and garden neat and blooming. A few of
  her old photos are below. They are right above
  the photo of the storm shelter that sits about 20
  feet from their home. It was one of the first
  things Eleanor and her husband built after moving
  there.

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Station 3 Tornado article

• 1. Are there different kinds of tornados?
  Explain
• 2. When tornados most likely to occur?
• 3. What should we look at in the sky to identify
  likely conditions for a tornado?

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Station 3 Page 1

• Q. What is a tornado?
• A. A tornado is defined as a violently rotating
  column of air extending from a thunderstorm to
  the ground. The most violent tornadoes are
  capable of tremendous destruction with wind
  speeds of 250 mph or more. Damage paths can be in
  excess of one mile wide and 50 miles long. In an
  average year, 800 tornadoes are reported
  nationwide.
• Q. How do tornadoes form?
• A. Before thunderstorms develop, a change in wind
  direction and an increase in wind speed with
  increasing height creates an invisible,
  horizontal spinning effect in the lower
  atmosphere.
• Rising air within the thunderstorm updraft tilts
  the rotating air from horizontal to vertical. An
  area of rotation, 2-6 miles wide, now extends
  through much of the storm. Most strong and
  violent tornadoes form within this area of strong
  rotation.
• Q. Are there different kinds of tornadoes?
• A. Some tornadoes may form during the early
  stages of rapidly developing thunderstorms. This
  type or tornado is most common along the front
  range of the Rocky Mountains, the Plains and the
  western states. Tornadoes may appear nearly
  transparent until dust and debris are picked up.
  Occasionally, two or more tornadoes may occur at
  the same time.
• Waterspouts are weak tornadoes that form over
  warm water. Waterspouts are most common along the
  Gulf Coast and southeastern states. In the
  western United States, they occur with cold
  late-fall or late-winter storms, during a time
  when you least expect tornado development.
  Waterspouts occasionally move inland, becoming
  tornadoes causing damage and injuries.
• Q. What should people look for to identify likely
  conditions for tornadoes?
• A. Dark, often greenish sky large hail wall
  cloud a loud roar, similar to a freight train.
  Some tornadoes appear as a visible funnel
  extending only partially to the ground. Look for
  signs of debris below the visible funnel. Some
  tornadoes are clearly visible while others are
  obscured by rain or nearby low-hanging clouds.
• Q. When are tornadoes most likely to occur?
• A. Tornadoes can happen any time of the year and
  any time of day. In the southern states, peak
  tornado season is from March through May. Peak
  times for tornadoes in the northern states are
  during the summer. A few southern states have a
  second peak time for tornado outbreaks in the
  fall. Tornadoes are most likely to occur between
  3 p.m. and 9 p.m.

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Station 3 Page 2

• Q. Who is most at risk during tornadoes?
• A. People in automobiles and people in mobile
  homes people who may not understand a warning
  due to a language barrier the elderly and very
  young people with physical or mental
  impairments.
• Q. What dangers other than tornadoes often
  accompany thunderstorms?
• A. Flash floods, lightning, damaging
  straight-line winds, and large hail.
• Prepare
• Q. I live in an area where there are a lot of
  tornadoes. What can I do to be prepared ahead of
  time?
• A. The most important steps you can take to
  protect yourself and your family is to stay tuned
  to weather forecasts for the most current
  information, watches and warnings. Have a NOAA
  Weather Radio with a warning alarm tone and a
  battery back-up.
• These special radios can be set up to turn on
  automatically and alert you when a tornado watch
  or warning is issued, even when you are sleeping.
  Listen to radio and television for more
  information. You should also develop a plan for
  you and your family so you know where to take
  shelter at home, at work, at school or when
  outdoors.
• Q. What actions should people take to protect
  themselves during a tornado?
• A. Move to a pre-designated shelter such as a
  basement in a home or building. If an underground
  shelter is not available, move to an interior
  room or hallway on the lowest floor and get under
  a sturdy piece of furniture. Stay away from
  windows get out of carsdo not try to outrace a
  tornado. If you're caught outside, lie flat in a
  nearby ditch or depression.
• Myths
• Q. Should I open my windows before a tornado
  approaches?
• A. It's a myth that open windows equalize
  pressure and minimize damage when a tornado
  strikes. Opening windows allows damaging winds to
  enter the structure. Leave the windows alone and
  immediately go to a safe place.
• Q. Doesn't the low pressure associated with a
  tornado cause buildings to explode?
• A. Violent winds and flying debris slam into
  buildings and cause most structural damage.

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Station 4Creative Visual Interpretation

• Draw a town showing destruction that ranks an F5
  on the Fujita scale. Your picture must include
• Vehicle
• Barn
• Brick house
• Tall concrete office building
• Fence
• Road
• Trees Click here for a Fujita Scale Website

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Station 5Tornado Alley
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Station 6Anatomy of a tornado
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Station 7Tornado Damage Story

• Use the article to answer questions on your sheet
• What form did John see in the cloud?
• What happened to the roof and surrounding trees?
• Where did the family go for safety?
• How fast were the winds moving and how much
  pressure did that create?
• What members of the family did not survive the
  tornado?
• Click here for the article.

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Station 8 Tornado History

• Go to the following web site http//www.tornadocha
  ser.net/index.html
• Use the article to answer the following
  questions
• Look under the heading Tornado Alley, then
  Tornado History
• 1. Who may have recorded the first tornado
  ever?In what year did that occur?
• 2. How did Samuel Stone describe the whirl
  wind?
• 3. How was the cloud described in the Connecticut
  Aug 1787 article different from the common
  thunder cloud?
• Look under the heading Tornado Alley, then How
  does a tornado form
• 4. What makes a tornadic thunderstorm more severe
  than an ordinary
• thunderstorm?
• 5. When is a thunderstorm defined as a
  mesocyclone?