Hurricane season starts on June 1 and goes through November. Hurricanes happen when tropical storms--which form over the ocean--gather strength and speed, then hit coastline cities. (That's why we don't have any hurricanes in Utah--we don't have an ocean!) Hurricanes are categorized according to strength, from category 1 to category 5. These storms are particularly devastating when they hit large cities right on the coast. Hurricane Katrina is a famous example. It devastated New Orleans in 2005 as it broke levees holding back the waters of the Gulf of Mexico.To learn more about hurricanes, check out this page at Scholastic.com . You can also watch this video at brainpop, then answer the questions in the quiz that follows.
What about tornadoes? We
have tornadoes in Utah, but they usually don't touch down for as long or do as much damage as they do in cities in the midwest. Why do you think that might be? Check out this page on Scholastic.com to learn more about tornadoes and how they form, and see if you can figure out why tornadoes aren't a big problem in Utah, especially near the Wasatch Front.While our mountains protect us, they help create an area in the United States called "Tornado Alley". During the spring--April, May, and June--tornadoes of varying strengths occur frequently. Check out this page to get more information.
Here is a picture taken by KTVX News 4 Utah of the tornado that hit downtown Salt Lake on August 11, 1999.Weather is powerful and can be scary. The more you know about it, the better you will be able to prepare for wild summer weather!
