Mission 3

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• Mission 3
• The Chase On the Run in Tornado Alley

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Thunderstorm Clouds A rapidly moving mass of
cooler air can lift warmer, moisture rich air
aloft. As the warm air cools, water vapor
condenses and forms thunderstorm clouds.
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• Dry Line Map
• A dry line often appears where dew points east
  of the line are above 50F (10C) with winds from
  the southeast, and dew points west of the dry
  line are generally below 40F (4C).
• Air temperatures also can differ east and west
  of the line. In the spring, temperatures east of
  the dry line are usually between 70 and 80F (21
  to 27C), and temperatures west of the line are
  typically above 85F (29C).
• Tornadic thunderstorms often develop just east
  of a dry line.
• In this map, air temperatures appear over dew
  point temperatures.

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Charge Distribution in a Cloud When the
accumulation of separated, opposing electrical
charges becomes too great for a cloud to
maintain, a transfer of charge occurs. We
observe this transfer of charge as lightning and
thunder.
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You see lightning hit a hilltop 3 km away. About
how long will it take thunder to reach you?
About 9 seconds.
You see lightning then hear thunder 14 seconds
later. How far away was lighting?
About 4.67 km (2.9 mi)
Using data table, construct 3 problems for a
classmate to solve. Questions should ask how to
determine either the distance to a t-storm or
time it will take you to hear thunder if you know
the distance to the lightning strike. Try to use
values not listed in table. Is there a pattern
you can use to figure out the answer without the
table?
Patterns include 1 second .33 km, and 1 km 3
seconds.
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Tornadic Thunderstorm A tornadic thunderstorm
has a region of strong updraft, a region of
strong downdraft, and a column of strong
rotation. Tornadic thunderstorm clouds develop
from cumulonimbus clouds and often have an anvil
shape.
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Tornado Alley is a region through the Great
Plains of the Central United States where the
greatest incidence of tornadoes has been recorded.
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Tornadoes Around the World Tornadoes can
occur in many places on Earth where warm, moist
air masses clash with drier, cooler air masses at
a dry line.
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