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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.
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.
The course
7 worlds · 26 lessons
World 1 · Hurricanes
FREEA heat engine over warm water- 01Anatomy of a hurricane: eye, eyewall and spiral bandsCut a storm in half and name the parts · 12 min
- 02Warm water fuel: why oceans power stormsThe heat engine inside a hurricane · 12 min
- 03The Coriolis spin: why storms rotateThe deflection that turns a draught into a storm · 13 min
- 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- 01The supercell recipe: fuel, lift and spinWhat a storm needs to rotate · 13 minPRO
- 02How a tornado forms: tilting a rolling tubeFrom horizontal spin to vertical spin · 14 minPRO
- 03The Enhanced Fujita scale: rating damage, not windWhy a tornado is rated after it is gone · 12 minPRO
- 04Tornado myths and factsIdeas that sound right and are not · 11 minPRO
World 3 · Lightning and Thunder
PROCharge, flash and the sound that follows- 01Charging a cloud: where lightning beginsHow ice makes electric charge · 12 minPRO
- 02The flash: leader and return strokeWhat happens in a few hundredths of a second · 12 minPRO
- 03Thunder and distance: count the secondsThe flash-to-bang rule · 11 minPRO
- 04Lightning safety: when thunder roars, go indoorsWhat the official guidance says and why · 13 minPRO
World 4 · Hail
PROIce that rides the updraft
World 5 · Tracking Storms with Radar
PROEchoes, colours and decisions- 01How weather radar works: echoes from raindropsSend a pulse, listen for the echo · 12 minPRO
- 02Reflectivity: reading dBZ coloursHow strong is the echo? · 12 minPRO
- 03Doppler velocity: which way is it moving?Green toward, red away · 12 minPRO
- 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- 01Plans and kits: before the stormThe best time to prepare is when the sky is clear · 11 minPRO
- 02Hurricanes and floods: evacuate, do not drownRespect the water · 13 minPRO
- 03Tornado shelter: where to be and whyPut walls between you and the outdoors · 12 minPRO
- 04After the storm: and being a good storm-watcherHazards that stay behind and a safe way to help science · 12 minPRO
