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Resource Library | Video

Resource Library
Video

Extreme Weather: Interconnections in Extreme Weather

Extreme Weather: Interconnections in Extreme Weather

Discover the ways in which air and water interact in a vast complex system. This video clip illustrates the interconnections between rising sea levels, forest fires, droughts, heat waves, typhoons, powerful storms, and flooding.

Grades

2 - 8

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Related Resources
  • Hurricane

    Hurricanes are tropical storms that form in the Atlantic Ocean with wind speeds of at least 119 kilometers (74 miles) per hour. Hurricanes have three main parts, the calm eye in the center, the eyewall where the winds and rains are the strongest, and the rain bands which spin out from the center and give the storm its size. Meteorologists use the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale to classify hurricanes into categories one to five. Categories three to five are considered a major storm. A category five hurricane has wind speeds that exceed 252 kilometers (157 miles) per hour. Coastal areas are often most heavily impacted by the damaging winds, rains, and storm surges as the storm collides with or brushes land. Use this curated collection of resources to teach your classroom about hurricanes.

    View Collection
  • Weather

    Weather is the state of the atmosphere, including temperature, atmospheric pressure, wind, humidity, precipitation, and cloud cover. It differs from climate, which is all weather conditions for a particular location averaged over about 30 years. Weather is influenced by latitude, altitude, and local and regional geography. It impacts the way people dress each day and the types of structures built. Explore weather and its impacts with this curated collection of classroom resources.

    View Collection
  • Flood

    Floods are events where water overflows onto land that is typically dry. This can occur when there is a large amount of rain, rapid snow or ice melt, a blast of water onto a coastline during a storm, or the failure of manmade infrastructures, such as dams or levees. Floods are among the most expensive and frequent natural disasters in the United States, and as the impacts of climate change are more acutely felt, floods are expected to worsen. In addition to property damage, floods, on average, kill more people than tornadoes, hurricanes, or lightning strikes in the United States each year. Learn more about floods with these resources.

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  • Environmental Hazards

    The environmental hazards you face depend on where you live. For example, if you live in northern California you are more likely to be impacted by a wildfire, landslide, or earthquake than if you live in Charleston, South Carolina, but less likely to be hit by a hurricane. This is because the physical conditions in each place are different. The active San Andreas fault runs through California and causes regular earthquakes, while the warm waters transported by the Gulf Stream can intensify a storm heading for South Carolina. These environmental hazards shape human activity regionally. Building codes in California require builders to meet standards set to minimize structural damage in an earthquake and coastal cities have building code to reinforce roofs and walls to resist a storm’s high winds. Learn more about environmental hazards with this curated resource collection.

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    View Collection
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    View Video
  • Extreme Weather

    Students examine the causes and effects of extreme weather events and read to contrast weather and climate. Next, they create and revise models of an extreme weather event using knowledge of weather variables. Finally, students link extreme weather events and climate change. Students use an interactive graph and long-term datasets, as well as create their own graphical representations of weather data. This lesson is part of the Climate Change Challenge unit.

    View Lesson
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    Students use prior knowledge, a photo gallery, and a video to discuss what they already know about extreme weather on Earth and brainstorm and categorize a list of weather-related words and phrases. Then they identify the necessary conditions for weather events to occur, and the factors that affect extreme weather. Students organize information about weather events and conditions, identify patterns, and make connections between weather and climate.

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View More Resources
Related Resources
  • Hurricane

    Hurricanes are tropical storms that form in the Atlantic Ocean with wind speeds of at least 119 kilometers (74 miles) per hour. Hurricanes have three main parts, the calm eye in the center, the eyewall where the winds and rains are the strongest, and the rain bands which spin out from the center and give the storm its size. Meteorologists use the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale to classify hurricanes into categories one to five. Categories three to five are considered a major storm. A category five hurricane has wind speeds that exceed 252 kilometers (157 miles) per hour. Coastal areas are often most heavily impacted by the damaging winds, rains, and storm surges as the storm collides with or brushes land. Use this curated collection of resources to teach your classroom about hurricanes.

    View Collection
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    Weather is the state of the atmosphere, including temperature, atmospheric pressure, wind, humidity, precipitation, and cloud cover. It differs from climate, which is all weather conditions for a particular location averaged over about 30 years. Weather is influenced by latitude, altitude, and local and regional geography. It impacts the way people dress each day and the types of structures built. Explore weather and its impacts with this curated collection of classroom resources.

    View Collection
  • Flood

    Floods are events where water overflows onto land that is typically dry. This can occur when there is a large amount of rain, rapid snow or ice melt, a blast of water onto a coastline during a storm, or the failure of manmade infrastructures, such as dams or levees. Floods are among the most expensive and frequent natural disasters in the United States, and as the impacts of climate change are more acutely felt, floods are expected to worsen. In addition to property damage, floods, on average, kill more people than tornadoes, hurricanes, or lightning strikes in the United States each year. Learn more about floods with these resources.

    View Collection
  • Environmental Hazards

    The environmental hazards you face depend on where you live. For example, if you live in northern California you are more likely to be impacted by a wildfire, landslide, or earthquake than if you live in Charleston, South Carolina, but less likely to be hit by a hurricane. This is because the physical conditions in each place are different. The active San Andreas fault runs through California and causes regular earthquakes, while the warm waters transported by the Gulf Stream can intensify a storm heading for South Carolina. These environmental hazards shape human activity regionally. Building codes in California require builders to meet standards set to minimize structural damage in an earthquake and coastal cities have building code to reinforce roofs and walls to resist a storm’s high winds. Learn more about environmental hazards with this curated resource collection.

    View Collection
  • Climate Change

    Global temperatures and sea levels are rising, and possibly contributing to larger more devastating storms. This can all be contributed to climate change. Climate change is defined as gradual changes in all the interconnected weather elements on our planet over approximately 30 years. The data shows the Earth is warming and it's up to us to make the changes necessary for a healthier planet. Use these resources in your classroom to help your students understand and take action on climate change.

    View Collection
  • Extreme Weather: Droughts

    Look at the causes and effects of the droughts that have plagued the western United States for years.  Understand the conditions that have led to increased numbers of forest fires year round and learn how the heat from these firestorms creates its own weather system, forming giant cloud structures called pyrocumulus.

    View Video
  • Extreme Weather

    Students examine the causes and effects of extreme weather events and read to contrast weather and climate. Next, they create and revise models of an extreme weather event using knowledge of weather variables. Finally, students link extreme weather events and climate change. Students use an interactive graph and long-term datasets, as well as create their own graphical representations of weather data. This lesson is part of the Climate Change Challenge unit.

    View Lesson
  • Extreme Weather on Earth

    Students use prior knowledge, a photo gallery, and a video to discuss what they already know about extreme weather on Earth and brainstorm and categorize a list of weather-related words and phrases. Then they identify the necessary conditions for weather events to occur, and the factors that affect extreme weather. Students organize information about weather events and conditions, identify patterns, and make connections between weather and climate.

    View Activity

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1145 17th Street NW
Washington, DC 20036

ABOUT
  • National Geographic Society
  • National Geographic Partners
  • News and Impact
  • Contact
EXPLORE
  • Our Explorers
  • Our Projects
  • Resources for Educators
  • Museum and Events
  • Technology and Innovation
JOIN US
  • Ways to Give
  • Apply for a Grant
  • Careers
Donate Get Updates
Connect
Connect

National Geographic Society is a 501 (c)(3) organization. © 1996 - 2021 National Geographic Society. All rights reserved.
Privacy Notice |  Sustainability Policy |  Terms of Service |  Code of Ethics

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