GEOL 2207 Lecture Notes - Hurricane Andrew, Freezing Rain, Wind Speed
Document Summary
Dust storms: very strong winds in dry weather, exposed soils, strong summer storms that strike in drought, loss of topsoil (valuable for agriculture) Heat waves: extended hot periods (daily minimum temperatures) in summer months, made worse by humidity, kills ~200/year in north america, will become more common in some areas because the climate will be warmer. With high humidity, you could feel the heat more: greater humidity and temp, greater discomfort. Blizzards and ice storms: periods of freezing rain, moist, warm air on top of cold air (layered, snow melts as it falls through warm layer, refreezes in underlying cold layer, structures (buildings, trees) already have chilled. Hazards: severed utility lines, loss of power, interrupted transportation, communication. Wind chill: wind speed and actual air temperature, leads to hypothermia, lots of people underestimates this. Hurricane carry extra secondary effects like storm surges: tornados relatively narrow path, on the ground. Winds so strong, carry lots of debris.
