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Severe Storms & Extreme Weather |
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Thunderstorms
More than 1,000
thunderstorms rage across Earth's surface at any moment.
They bring beneficial rains, but thunderstorms can also
spawn lightning, tornadoes, hail, and flash floods. NCAR
scientists and their collaborators pry into the heart
of thunderstorms using aircraft, balloons, mobile radars,
and computer models. more > |
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Hail
The pelting chunks of ice known as hail can ruin vehicles
and slice plants to ribbons in minutes. Only a few Americans
have been killed by hail in recent decades, but a number
are injured each year. NCAR researchers have analyzed
some of the biggest hailstones on Earth and developed
radar-based techniques for spotting hail. more > |
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Lightning
Using sophisticated
instruments that can track lightning bolts and the electric
fields that trigger them, NCAR scientists have learned
much about these spectacular, deadly products of thunderstorms. more > |
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Tornadoes
More than 1,000 twisters touch down in the United States
in a typical year. However, U.S. death and injury tolls
have dropped considerably in recent decades due to better
warnings. NCAR has joined colleagues to delve into the
processes that drive tornado formation and evolution. more > |
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Floods
The powerful and deadly force of flash floods is an
underrated risk. Even though the U.S. population has nearly doubled
since 1950, the death toll from most weather hazards
has dropped by half or more, while the flooding toll
has risen slightly. NCAR's precipitation research touches
on many aspects of the flood threat. more > |
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Hurricanes and typhoons
Tropical cyclones with winds at or above 74 miles per
hour (119 kilometers per hour) are called hurricanes in the Atlantic
and northeast Pacific, and typhoons in the western Pacific.
Sensors and computer models developed at NCAR help track
and predict these tropical tempests more accurately than
ever.
more > |
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Winter storms
Large, complex weather systems can dump snow on one
city, coat another with ice, and drench others in rain. These
storms are shaped by weather elements that extend from the tropics
to the poles and from ground level to the heights where aircraft
cruise. NCAR is studying the mechanisms behind our worst
winter storms.
more > |
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