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Earth science · Extreme weather

Storm Chaser

Cut a hurricane in half, cool its ocean, tilt a supercell into a tornado and time the thunder to find out how far the lightning struck.

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First lesson01 · Anatomy of a hurricane: eye, eyewall and spiral bandsSee all 26 lessons →

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The course

7 worlds · 26 lessons

World 1 · Hurricanes

FREEA heat engine over warm water
  1. 01Anatomy of a hurricane: eye, eyewall and spiral bandsCut a storm in half and name the parts · 12 min
  2. 02Warm water fuel: why oceans power stormsThe heat engine inside a hurricane · 12 min
  3. 03The Coriolis spin: why storms rotateThe deflection that turns a draught into a storm · 13 min
  4. 04Categories and storm surge: what the scale measuresWhy the number is only part of the danger · 13 min

World 2 · Tornadoes

PROFrom a rolling tube of air to a funnel
  1. 01The supercell recipe: fuel, lift and spinWhat a storm needs to rotate · 13 minPRO
  2. 02How a tornado forms: tilting a rolling tubeFrom horizontal spin to vertical spin · 14 minPRO
  3. 03The Enhanced Fujita scale: rating damage, not windWhy a tornado is rated after it is gone · 12 minPRO
  4. 04Tornado myths and factsIdeas that sound right and are not · 11 minPRO

World 3 · Lightning and Thunder

PROCharge, flash and the sound that follows
  1. 01Charging a cloud: where lightning beginsHow ice makes electric charge · 12 minPRO
  2. 02The flash: leader and return strokeWhat happens in a few hundredths of a second · 12 minPRO
  3. 03Thunder and distance: count the secondsThe flash-to-bang rule · 11 minPRO
  4. 04Lightning safety: when thunder roars, go indoorsWhat the official guidance says and why · 13 minPRO

World 4 · Hail

PROIce that rides the updraft
  1. 01Growing a hailstone: up and down the updraftLayer by layer inside a storm · 11 minPRO
  2. 02Sizes and updrafts: why bigger hail needs stronger stormsThe physics of falling ice · 14 minPRO
  3. 03Hail, sleet, graupel and freezing rain: telling them apartReading the temperature profile · 12 minPRO

World 5 · Tracking Storms with Radar

PROEchoes, colours and decisions
  1. 01How weather radar works: echoes from raindropsSend a pulse, listen for the echo · 12 minPRO
  2. 02Reflectivity: reading dBZ coloursHow strong is the echo? · 12 minPRO
  3. 03Doppler velocity: which way is it moving?Green toward, red away · 12 minPRO
  4. 04Watches, warnings and forecasts: turning data into decisionsWhat the words mean and what the cone shows · 13 minPRO

World 6 · Staying Safe in a Storm

PROUnderstanding official guidance
  1. 01Plans and kits: before the stormThe best time to prepare is when the sky is clear · 11 minPRO
  2. 02Hurricanes and floods: evacuate, do not drownRespect the water · 13 minPRO
  3. 03Tornado shelter: where to be and whyPut walls between you and the outdoors · 12 minPRO
  4. 04After the storm: and being a good storm-watcherHazards that stay behind and a safe way to help science · 12 minPRO

World 7 · Storms and Climate

PROWhere, when and what is still unknown
  1. 01When and where: basins, seasons and tracksThe geography of tropical storms · 11 minPRO
  2. 02Warmer air holds more water: rainfall and surgePhysics you can calculate · 13 minPRO
  3. 03What scientists still debateHonest answers include "we do not know yet" · 13 minPRO
Storm Chaser — interactive 3D lab · Novareka