Weather to go outside or not
Developed by: Diana M. Smith (kevindiana99@yahoo.com) and
Naeisha Delaney (mspinkngreen08@gmail.com)
Overview
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Overview/Introduction/Cloud types & stories/Assessment, Games, and Conclusion
Introduction
Johnny and Betty are out camping and notice the many white puffy clouds in the sky. They lie on the ground and begin making images out of the clouds. Betty notices a bunny and a ship, while Johnny notices a dog and an airplane. They continue playing these games and find so many images as the clouds move around in the sky. Johnny then notices the dark clouds in the sky heading their way; but Betty notes that the clouds were puffy and white when they first started their camping adventure. After they finish eating, the dark scary looking clouds continue heading their way with windy weather conditions. They notice rain and lightning far off. They are finished eating, but what do you think they should do now?
The following pages will give you information about the many clouds in the sky you will notice. These clouds are present during different weather conditions. For example, white puffy clouds are present when the sun is out and it’s a very nice day. Dark dreary looking clouds come out when rain or snow is getting ready to fall. There may be wind or lighting with these storms. We will study and learn about these different clouds. You will need to learn about these clouds to play the games at the end of this webquest.
Overview/Introduction/Cloud types & stories/Assessment, Games, & Conclusion
What
are clouds?
A cloud is a large collection of very tiny droplets of water or ice crystals.
The droplets are so small and light that they can float in the air.
How
are clouds formed?
All air contains
water, but near the ground it is usually in the form of an invisible gas called
water vapor. When warm air rises, it expands and cools. Cool air can't hold as
much water vapor as warm air, so some of the vapor condenses onto tiny pieces of
dust that are floating in the air and forms a tiny droplet around each dust
particle. When billions of these droplets come together they become a visible
cloud.
Why
are clouds white?
Clouds are white
because they reflect the light of the sun. Light is made up of colors of the
rainbow and when you add them all together you get white. The sun appears a
yellow color because it sends out more yellow light than any other color. Clouds
reflect all the colors the exact same amount so they look white.
Why do
clouds turn gray?
Clouds are made up
of tiny water droplets or ice crystals, usually a mixture of both. The water and
ice scatter all light, making clouds appear white. If the clouds get thick
enough or high enough all the light above does not make it through, hence the
gray or dark look. Also, if there are lots of other clouds around, their shadow
can add to the gray or multicolored gray appearance.
Why do
clouds float?
A cloud forms when
air heated by the sun. As it rises, it slowly cools it reaches the saturation
point and water condenses, forming a cloud. As long as the cloud and the air
that its made of is warmer than the outside air around it, it floats!
How do
clouds move?
Clouds move with
the wind. High cirrus clouds are pushed along by the jet stream, sometimes
traveling at more than 100 miles-per-hour. When clouds are part of a
thunderstorm they usually travel at 30 to 40 mph.
How is
fog formed?
There are many
different types of fog, but fog is mostly formed when southerly winds bring
warm, moist air into a region, possibly ending a cold outbreak. As the warm,
moist air flows over much colder soil or snow, dense fog often forms. Warm,
moist air is cooled from below as it flows over a colder surface. If the air is
near saturation, moisture will condense out of the cooled air and form fog. With
light winds, the fog near the ground can become thick and reduce visibilities to
zero.
(Graphic Credit:
USA TODAY.)
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Cloud
Chart
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Cloud Group |
Cloud Height |
Cloud Types |
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High Clouds = Cirrus |
Above 18,000 feet |
Cirrus |
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Middle Clouds = Alto |
6,500 feet to 18,000 feet |
Altostratus |
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Low Clouds = Stratus |
Up to 6,500 feet |
Stratus |
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Clouds with Vertical Growth |
Cumulus |
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Special Clouds |
Mammatus |
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Cirrus Clouds
Cirrus clouds are the most common of the high clouds. They are composed
of ice and are thin, wispy clouds blown in high winds into long streamers.
Cirrus clouds are usually white and predict fair to pleasant weather. By
watching the movement of cirrus clouds you can tell from which direction weather
is approaching. When you see cirrus clouds, it usually indicates that a change
in the weather will occur within 24 hours.
)
Cirrostratus clouds are thin, sheet like high clouds that often cover the
entire sky. They are so thin that the sun and moon can be seen through them.
Cirrostratus clouds usually come 12-24 hours before a rain or snow storm.
)
Cirrocumulus clouds appear as small, rounded white puffs that appear in
long rows. The small ripples in the cirrocumulus clouds sometime resemble the
scales of a fish. Cirrocumulus clouds are usually seen in the winter and
indicate fair, but cold weather. In tropical regions, they may indicate an
approaching hurricane.
)
Click here to read about how Cirrocumulus clouds can impact our lives
"Alto" Clouds
Altostratus clouds are gray or blue-gray mid level clouds composed of ice
crystals and water droplets. The clouds usually cover the entire sky. In the
thinner areas of the clouds, the sun may be dimly visible as a round disk.
Altostratus clouds often form ahead of storms with continuous rain or snow.
)
Altocumulus clouds are mid level clouds that are made of water droplets
and appear as gray puffy masses. They usually form in groups. If you see
altocumulus clouds on a warm, sticky morning, be prepared to see thunderstorms
late in the afternoon.
)
Stratus Clouds
Stratus clouds are uniform grayish clouds that often cover the entire
sky. They resemble fog that doesn't reach the ground. Light mist or drizzle
sometimes falls out of these clouds.
)
Stratocumulus clouds are low, puffy and gray. Most form in rows with blue
sky visible in between them. Rain rarely occurs with stratocumulus clouds;
however, they can turn into nimbostratus clouds.
)
Nimbostratus clouds form a dark gray, wet looking cloudy layer associated
with continuously falling rain or snow. They often produce precipitation that is
usually light to moderate.
)
Cumulus Clouds
Cumulus clouds are white, puffy clouds that look like pieces of floating
cotton. Cumulus clouds are often called "fair-weather clouds". The base of each
cloud is flat and the top of each cloud has rounded towers. When the top of the
cumulus clouds resemble the head of a cauliflower, it is called cumulus
congestus or towering cumulus. These clouds grow upward and they can develop
into giant cumulonimbus clouds, which are thunderstorm clouds.
)
Cumulonimbus clouds are thunderstorm clouds. High winds can flatten the
top of the cloud into an anvil-like shape. Cumulonimbus clouds are associated
with heavy rain, snow, hail, lightning and even tornadoes. The anvil usually
points in the direction the storm is moving.
)
Click here to learn how Cumulonimbus clouds can impact our lives
Special Clouds
Mammatus clouds
are low hanging bulges that droop from cumulonimbus clouds. Mammatus clouds are
usually associated with severe weather.
)
Lenticular
clouds are
caused by a wave wind pattern created by the mountains. They look like discs or
flying saucers that form near mountains.
)
Fog
is a cloud on the ground. It is composed of billions of tiny water droplets
floating in the air. Fog exists if the atmospheric visibility near the Earth's
surface is reduced to 1 kilometer or less.
)
Click here to learn how fog can impact our lives
Contrails
are condensation trails left behind jet aircrafts. Contrails form when hot humid
air from jet exhaust mixes with environmental air of low vapor pressure and low
temperature. The mixing is a result of turbulence generated by the engine
exhaust.
)
Overview/Introduction/Cloud types & stories/Assessment. Games and Conclusion/
Fog Stories
February 12, 1998
PADUA, Italy (CNN) -- A high-speed chain reaction crash on Thursday involving 250 vehicles on a fog-bound highway in northeastern Italy left at least 4 people dead and injured dozens, police said. There was no immediate word on what started the pileup on the A-13 highway between Padua and Rovigo.
Scores of crumpled and burnt cars, trucks, and buses were piled behind one another on both sides of the four-lane road linking Padua and Bologna. Some vehicles plunged down a grass bank into a ditch.
Emergency crews rushed to the scene, sifting through twisted wreckage for possible survivors. Police said fog had reduced visibility to less than 60 yards (200 meters) when the chain reaction crash began about 9 a.m. The first collision occurred on the southbound side of the road, but there were fatalities in both directions. Some vehicles veered across the median into oncoming traffic as they tried to avoid the pileup. In addition, drivers who slowed down to look at the pileup also contributed to the chain reaction crash, reports said.
With both lanes blocked, emergency vehicles had trouble reaching victims. The fog was so thick, helicopters could not land to remove the injured by air.
A truck carrying uranium was in the midst of the wreckage. Experts were sent to determine if its cargo was in danger of leaking.
Two years ago, on February 12, 1996, 12 people were killed and 100 injured in a 300-vehicle pileup on the nearby A-4 motorway.
Pileups are fairly common on roads in the Padua flatlands where fog is a constant problem.
Cumulonimbus clouds stories
As you read the story below, think about how you would answer these questions.
A Close
Encounter with Lightning
Story by Matt Kelsch
In the early morning of July 5, 1973 the best fireworks show I have ever seen occurred near my Long Island home, less than 10 hours after the Fourth of July fireworks had ended. On Long Island, the scariest part of a thunderstorm is lightning. Frequent, close lightning strikes were what I loved and feared, and that day I was to get a show I’d remember for the rest of my life.
That morning, the voice on the weather radio warned about a line of strong thunderstorms moving east across New York City and onto Long Island. Judging from the crackle of the static on the radio, there was a lot of lightning traveling with these storms. The weather radar on the early morning news showed a line of gray-white blobs representing the thunderstorms. The brightest white blobs were the strongest storm cells. Were the brightest blobs headed my way? I was hopeful because I liked incredible storms. But, I also liked gardening, and I knew I only had about an hour to tend to my garden outside before the storm would chase me indoors.
By 6:30 AM my dad had left for the Great South Bay where he earned money during the summer as a clam digger. I was harvesting peas and picking up bottle rocket remnants that had fallen into the garden the previous night. Through the haze of the humid morning I could see dark gray clouds appearing on the west and northwest horizon. I was happy. I moved to the front yard rock garden where I had a better view of the approaching thunderstorms. Shortly before 7:00 AM, the western sky was dark and deep booms rumbled through the air. This was really going to be a good one! Within 5 minutes I began to see detail in the low, charcoal-colored cloud that was moving out ahead of the most intense part of the thunderstorm. The thunder had grown louder and sharper. At 7:10 AM the angry dark cloud was almost upon me. Just beyond the low hanging, dark cloud I could now see a slightly lighter cloud that offered a backdrop to many fat and long-lasting lightning bolts. I sat in the rock garden awestruck by the power and beauty of the show. In a place that received about 20 days per year with thunderstorms, I just didn’t get enough of this, or so I thought.
By
7:20 the darkest part of the cloud was directly overhead and the frequent
dance of lightning bolts was getting quite close. Loud, crashing thunder
followed less than 5 seconds after the lightning indicating that the
lightning strikes were within a mile of me. Large raindrops began to splat
on the ground around me as a breath of cool air pushed over me from the
storm. I stood up and began backing toward the house, not able to take my
eyes off the angry but fascinating sky. If only this could happen at least
once a week, I thought. I wasn’t sure what would finally chase me indoors,
rain or lightning. Then it hit. First there was a loud hiss that moved
rapidly overhead and to my left, which was followed a split second later by
a brilliant bolt of lightning into the back of the next-door neighbor’s
house. The explosive force of the lightening bolt nearly knocked me off my
feet. I couldn’t tell if my house had been hit. I turned toward the front
door and paused briefly to see if the house was on fire. Another intense
flash from behind was followed instantaneously by a deafening crash of
thunder. I dashed inside. Although my nerves were quite rattled there was
still that powerful desire to go back to the front door and watch the show.
Within a minute I was sitting at the door beside my dog, Bismarck, who
unlike many dogs enjoyed watching thunderstorms too. Heavy sheets of rain
were swept along by the gusty wind as lightning continued hit within a mile
or two of my location. After about ten minutes the most electrical part of
the storm was off to the east and southeast and the rain became gentle.
When
the storm ended I learned that lightning damaged houses on both sides of
ours and struck a clump of three scrub oak trees just behind the house. At
the base of the trees, large cobblestones were dislodged and two crows were
found dead, apparently electrocuted. One of the trees dried up and died over
the next few weeks. The lightening strike had caused dishes to fall from
shelves and pictures to fall off walls along the back wall of the house.
Half of the house had no electricity. The next-door neighbor on the other
side lost a television set to the electrical surge and two of four bulbs in
a kitchen light fixture popped when the lightning struck. A few miles away
at the marina, my Dad had waited to set the boat into the bay when he heard
the thunder. He saw several wet dazed fisherman stagger back into the marina
after the storm, stunned by the ferocity of the sudden squall.
SAFETY RULES: (Adapted from NOAA)
As you read the story below, think about how you would answer these questions.
Tornadoes
on the Soccer Field!
Story by Nicole Gordon
It was a hot, steamy day for an afternoon soccer game. I was 10 years old and forgot to bring my soccer shoes along, so the coach made me play goalie in sandals. My team was ahead by a few goals. From where I stood in the net, bored and sweating, I had a perfect view of thunderclouds swelling on the horizon.
The game was held at the National Sports Center in Blaine, Minnesota. With nearly forty fields, the National Sports Center is the largest collection of soccer fields in the country. Today it has athletic facilities and offices, but back then it was a flat expanse of plains with nothing but a few parking lots and drainage ditches.
The longer the game went on, the darker the sky got. Thunderstorms can blow in quickly on summer days in southern Minnesota, but even so, we were surprised at how soon the first raindrops fell. By half-time it was pouring and lightning strikes were close enough to our field that the referee temporarily stopped the game.
I was huddling with my teammates in a canvas tent by the side of the field waiting for the storm to pass when we saw a funnel forming at the bottom of the clouds. Before we realized what has happening, a tornado was spiraling down from the sky, spinning tight and fast toward the ground. The tornado touched down on the soccer field. A few miles away, another twister was also dropping from the clouds. A third twister would appear shortly in the distance over the town of Blaine.
In
a flurry of flying lawn chairs, wet blankets and soccer bags, parents
grabbed their kids and ran in different directions. My family’s car was
several fields away and there was no good shelter nearby and no time to
think. We ran to the nearest drainage ditch.
We crouched just above the ditch water, worried about lightning strikes, and watched the tornado come closer until it was just across the field and the grass flew in its wake I could see every detail of its twisting body. We ran across the next field and ducked into another ditch.
We ran from ditch to ditch three times, planning our routes and sprinting through the wind. I remember being scared but also thinking that the three tornadoes were the most amazing things I’d ever seen. In the distance we even saw debris flying at the base of the tornado over town.
And then, in the same way it came, the tornado shrank and melted back into the sky into wisps of cloud. The rain stopped and the clouds loosened. The sun came out and dried our clothes as we walked to the car, cold and tired but happy to be safe and grateful for what we’d just seen.
SAFETY RULES: (Adapted from NOAA)
As you read the story below, think about how you would answer these questions.
Wild Ride
During a Flash Flood
Story by Susan, Ben, Catie, and Lizzie Foster
We saw a flash flood one July when we were on a river trip with our kids, Catie (age 12) and Lizzie (age 8), in Westwater Canyon on the Colorado River. The day started out sunny and warm. We adjusted our life jackets and, with two other families, launched two rafts and a pretty green wooden boat called a dory. The morning hours were filled with swimming, water fights, and lazy floating on the brown, silty river.
Around
noon, we stopped for a picnic lunch. As usual, the kids gathered to make
mud-castles on the shore. Clouds gathered as well in the sky overhead and
thunder rumbled along the beautiful red canyon walls. Such storms are common
in Western Colorado on summer afternoons, but this one became something to
remember!
First,
we felt the sting of marble-sized hailstones on our skin – especially the
tops of our bare feet. We huddled together beneath the few shrubs growing on
the riverbank. Next, the rain came down heavily for about a half hour. We
looked up in wonder as the dry canyon walls all around us began to stream
with long silver waterfalls! In time, the rain tapered off a little and we
got back in the boats. We needed to float downstream and ride the rapids to
reach our campsite.
And what a site we saw! The red sandstone cliffs gave way to black basalt rocks. These cliffs seemed to have tomato sauce pouring over them, reaching all the way down to the river. Little side canyons, almost always bone dry, were flash flooding, releasing jets of red water into the river as we floated by. The clear rainwater was turning bright red as it picked up mud washed from sandstone layers high above the black cliffs. These “tomato sauce” streams began to turn the river red, too. We watched in wonder, knowing we would be sharing memories of these sights forever.
The
rapid turned out to be a wild ride as usual, but it was all the more
exciting because of its color. But quickly, the rapids were behind us. The
sun appeared and a rainbow bridged from canyon rim to rim. How good the
sunshine felt on our skin as we removed our rain jackets, with the campsite
just around the next river bend.
Over
supper, people of all ages recalled details of what we had seen. More
stories followed of other river trips full of surprises. As we laid out our
sleeping bags and snuggled up under the stars, we saw a great blue heron
roosting on a cliff above us. We wondered if it, too, was thinking about the
storm and flashflood it saw that day.
FLASH FLOOD SAFETY: (From NOAA)
As you read the story below, think about how you would answer these questions.
Adventures in Snow!
Story by Colette LaForce
One
of Colorado most powerful blizzards, The Blizzard of 1982, covered the city
of Denver with several feet of snow on December 24th, 1982.
I was 10 years old then, and delighted to be enjoying winter break from school. I remember my uncle was in town from the East coast, and the final round of grocery shopping and preparations for the feast (and a spectacular raspberry tart!) were to take place on Christmas Eve. But no one could have expected the scene we awoke to that morning.
The snow had begun to fall on the evening of the 23rd. The snow fell very quckly. Each hour another inch of snow fell, building up rapidly. By the morning of the 24th, our car was buried in the driveway, and snow was piled up against the doors of the house. The wind was blowing snow into huge drifts that reached the second story of the house. The power would go out for short periods of time and then come back on, and wind chill was 30 degrees below zero.
For my sisters and I, this was an adventure. For my parents, it was a bit of a nightmare. We had to get to the store, so we worked frantically to uncover the car and a path to the street. My mom and uncle carefully drove to the store, and were lucky enough to find a nearby market that was open.
As
the amount of snow increased dramatically, us kids decided to dig a tunnel
from the back door down a long walkway to the back of the yard. We were able
to get the back door open just enough to sneak out and begin digging—first
with our hands, then using garden tools. It took several hours to build this
remarkable tunnel. My dad packed the snow firmly for us, to make sure that
the tunnel wouldn’t cave in on anyone.
The tunnel kept us busy for quite some time, but we couldn’t resist another adventure—jumping off the roof into giant snowdrifts. My sisters and I snuck out a second story window onto the garage, and leapt into the huge 10-foot piles of snow on the side of the house. When my mom got word of this activity, we were promptly steered inside and got a major scolding.
For my family, the blizzard was not tragic. It gave us kids the opportunity to explore one of nature’s most powerful phenomena, and spend some quality time with each other. Many, however, were not so lucky and spent that Christmas holiday without heat or enough food. Denver’s Blizzard of ’82 forced the city to develop its first-ever emergency snow removal plan, one that is still in effect today.
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Xenia, Ohio -
Tornado - April 3, 1974
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Cirrocumulus clouds Stories
As you read the story below, think about how you would answer these questions.
Surviving
Hurricane Carla
Story by Carol Park
I was 10 years old in September of 1961 when a storm began to form out in the Gulf of Mexico. The storm grew into a Category 5 hurricane. They named it Carla.
We lived in a Houston neighborhood with small homes and ditches running alongside the streets. In those days, people did not evacuate to flee storms, nor did they board up their homes; they stayed put. My parents decided to throw a hurricane party for the adults and while they were inside playing cards, the kids were outside running wild.
It
was eerie playing outdoors while the clouds grew dark and swirly. I remember it
looked like night, in the middle of the afternoon. It began to rain. The wind
began to howl and something in the air made us feel wild and free. We waded in
the ditches trying to catch crawfish but when the lightning began to strike
dangerously close to the crackle of thunder, my mother called us in. We were
drenched. Despite the edge of fear in the air, it was exciting and we all
remained in high spirits. I was mesmerized by what the storm was doing outside.
I remember watching out of our picture window. The wind caused the trees and bushes to bend over in funny ways I’d never seen before. The power lines were swinging around. The ditches flooded, then the roads, and then the yards. I recall seeing tiny, brightly colored frogs plastered on the window I was looking through. Was it raining frogs? Or, were the frogs just looking for an escape from the soaked ground?
After
some time, everything became still and silent. Even the birds were quiet. The
winds calmed, the clouds parted and the sun appeared. The eye of the hurricane
was over Houston! We ran outside and I looked up to see blue sky. After about an
hour, the clouds darkened and the wind and rain returned. We went back inside
and watched the second half of the storm.
We went to bed with the rain beating on the roof and the wind howling. The next morning we awoke to a different world. The sun was shining and the birds were chirping. Tree limbs were down everywhere and the roads and yards had become a giant lake. Hurricane Carla had left her mark on the landscape and our lives. The best part was that everyone was safe and the kids got a bonus 3 days off from school!
FACTS: Hurricane Carla
Assessment/Games
The first game/assessment activity involves matching pictures of
clouds with their proper names:
http://eo.ucar.edu/webweather/cloudmatch.html
The second game/assessment activity involves a concentration game
that includes a picture of the cloud with its name. Your job is to match the
two identical clouds to win the game.
http://eo.ucar.edu/webweather/concentration/concen2.html
The third game/assessment activity involves a blimp crossing the
world. In order to make it across the world, you are asked geographical
questions, but remember that weather is a big determining factor to see if you
are a winner.
http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/en/kids/goes/wwa/#
The fourth game/assessment activity is a crossword puzzle of the
words you’ve encountered during this webquest activity.
http://www.weatherwizkids.com/crossword.htm
Conclusion
While working on this webquest you should have learned about the many types of clouds, what clouds can do, and the disasters they can cause. Following each cloud type and disaster there is another website so you can cross reference. Between the two different web sites, you should be an expert on clouds. After you finished all your reading, there is a review on all the material you learned about. Finally there are four different games you can play. These games should quiz you on your knowledge of the different types of clouds. So after everything you’ve learned. What do you think Johnny and Betty should do when they see dark clouds approaching?
References
http://eo.ucar.edu/webweather/index.html
http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/en/kids/goes/wwa/#
http://www.weatherwizkids.com/index.htm
Overview/Introduction/Cloud types & stories/Assessment. Games and Conclusion/
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CATEGORY |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
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Students read through the webquest, and learned the different cloud types |
yes |
Student has read 75% of the webquest and understands 75% of the cloud formations |
Student has read 45% of the webquest and understands 45% of the cloud formations |
no |
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Student clicked on web links to read stories of how clouds impact our lives |
yes |
Student read 75% of these stories |
Stories read 45% of these stories |
No |
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Did Student complete concentration game and matching game assessments? |
Yes |
Student completed both game/assessments both didn't complete them. |
Student completed one of two game/assessments. |
No. |
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Did student complete crossword puzzle assessment |
Yes |
Student worked on crossword puzzle but only completed 65% of it. |
Student worked on crossword puzzle, but ony completed 35% of it. |
No. |
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Student completed the Wild Wind Adventure game |
Yes |
Student worked on game but only completed 65% of it. |
Student worked on game but only completed 35% of it. |
No. |
Date Created: Nov 13, 2007 09:32 pm (CST)
You need warm air!
Southerly winds bring warm, moist air over cold ground or snow.
Fog Forms! Moisture
condenses into fog as air is cooled from below.