LESSON PLAN 4
Tornadoes
6–8
Tornado Safety
Tornadoes Past and
Present
Tornadoes are one of nature’s most violent and frightening storms.
Meteorologists work with the latest technology to help them predict the
path of these severe storms. Storm chasers hunt the storms and the
National Weather Service meteorologists keep information up-to-date
on the actual tornado—where it is, where it is moving and how fast and
its potential rating on the Enhanced Fujita Scale (EF scale).
Key Terms and Concepts
Doppler radar
forecasting
National Weather Service
(NWS)
Nexrad (next
generation radar)
radar
simulation
storm chaser
tornado WARNING
tornado WATCH
whirlwind
Purposes
To show the students how expert meteorologists can help the
public stay safe in the face of severe storms
To have the students discover the role of storm chasers in tornado
safety and forecasting
Objectives
The students will—
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• Discuss recent severe storms and how they were reported.
• Create a time line, using Eyewitness to Time; research to find and
add tornado facts to the time line.
• Share Eyewitness to Time at home and ask family members to add
any personal knowledge about severe storm forecasting. (Home
Connection)
• Research the role of the National Weather Service (NWS) in
issuing tornado WATCHES and tornado WARNINGS; write a
paragraph on the ways the NWS decides to make its announcements. (Linking Across the Curriculum)
• Research to learn about Doppler radar and its use by meteorologists to predict tornadoes. (Linking Across the Curriculum)
• Discuss the role of storm chasers in tornado forecasting using
Storm Trackers; simulate a historical storm chasing team using
Tornado Mapping; share the eyewitness accounts of storm
chasers.
• Discuss media portrayals of storm chasers. (Linking Across the
Curriculum)
Masters of Disaster® Tornadoes, Tornado Safety, Lesson Plan 4/Tornadoes Past and Present
Copyright 2007 The American National Red Cross
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• Research definitions of storm chaser jargon and terms; use these to
write an imaginary conversation between storm chasers and National
Weather Service meteorologists. (Linking Across the Curriculum)
• Research to learn more about storm chasers; create a cartoon of the
typical storm chaser. (Linking Across the Curriculum)
• Set up a storm chaser home base and monitor weather reports.
(Linking Across the Curriculum)
Tornadoes
6–8
Activities
“Tornado Technology”
“Storm Chasers”
LESSON PLAN 4
Tornadoes Past and
Present
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Masters of Disaster® Tornadoes, Tornado Safety, Lesson Plan 4/Tornadoes Past and Present
Copyright 2007 The American National Red Cross
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“Tornado Technology”
SET UP 15 minutes CONDUCT 40 minutes
Language Arts: Research; Social Studies: History; Science: Technology
Tornadoes
6–8
LESSON PLAN 4
Tornadoes Past and
Present
1. Lead a class discussion on recent severe storms and tornadoes that they
have read about or seen in the news. How have these storms been
reported? How long before the tornadoes struck were residents warned?
How were they warned?
2. Ask the students how they think scientists forecast tornadoes. Has forecasting changed over the years? Explain.
3. Distribute Eyewitness to Time. Have student pairs work together to
correctly create the time line.
4.
Materials
Eyewitness to Time, 1 copy per
student
Teams will research to add at least five important tornado
events to this time line. For each date listed, they must
explain the importance of the event to the overall time line
and how it led to better forecasting and better safety
preparedness.
Wrap-Up
Have the students share their time line additions and
discuss the importance of each new date. As a class,
discuss the importance of each technological advance.
Home Connection
Students will take the completed copies of Eyewitness to Time
home to ask family members to add any personal knowledge
about severe storm forecasting. What forecast information was available to
meteorologists when they were younger? How do they think forecasting
has changed in their lifetime?
Linking Across the Curriculum
Language Arts: Research and Writing
Have the students conduct research to discover the role of the
National Weather Service (NWS) in issuing tornado WATCHES and
tornado WARNINGS. Have them write paragraphs describing the difference between a WATCH and a WARNING and the ways the NWS decides
to make its announcements.
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at www.redcross.org/disaster/masters
Masters of Disaster® Tornadoes, Tornado Safety, Lesson Plan 4/Tornadoes Past and Present
Copyright 2007 The American National Red Cross
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Science: Technology
Challenge interested students to learn about Doppler radar and how meteorologists use it to predict tornadoes. The students will find out what is
meant by the signature of a tornado and how it appears in a radar image,
how the radar works and how its information is read. Ask researchers to
create a short brochure to explain their findings on Doppler radar,
including pictures from the Internet. Display the brochure for anyone in the
class to read.
Tornadoes
6–8
LESSON PLAN 4
Tornadoes Past and
Present
Resources
• University of Wisconsin-Madison Space Science and Engineering
Center: Doppler Radar
(http://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/oakfield/radar.htm)
• WW2010 from the University of Illinois: Interpreting Doppler Radar
Velocities
(http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/(Gh)/guides/rs/rad/ptrn/ptrn4.rxml)
• WW2010 from the University of Illinois: Locating Tornadoes
(http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/(Gh)/guides/rs/rad/appl/trndo.rxml)
• The National Weather Service: Jetstream, Radar FAQs
(http://www.srh.weather.gov/jetstream/remote/radarfaq.htm)
• The National Weather Service: Jetstream, Remote Sensing:
Introduction
(http://www.srh.weather.gov/jetstream/remote/remote_intro.htm)
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Masters of Disaster® Tornadoes, Tornado Safety, Lesson Plan 4/Tornadoes Past and Present
Copyright 2007 The American National Red Cross
4
“Storm Chasers”
SET UP 15 minutes CONDUCT 40 minutes
Language Arts: Reading; Social Studies: History; Science: History of
Technology
1. Distribute Storm Trackers. Allow sufficient time for students to read the
information. As a class, discuss the role storm chasers have played in
supporting the development of forecasting technology.
Tornadoes
6–8
LESSON PLAN 4
Tornadoes Past and
Present
2. Group students and direct them to follow the steps on the activity sheet
to set up their own storm-chasing teams and report on historical tornadoes using Tornado Mapping.
Wrap-Up
Materials
• Storm Trackers, 1 copy per
student
• Tornado Mapping, 1 copy per
group
After the groups have shared their “eyewitness”
reports, as a class discuss the following:
• How have past storm chasers contributed to our understanding of
tornadoes?
• Is the information they have gathered worth the risks they take?
Defend your answer.
• How do storm chasers assist the National Weather Service?
Linking Across the Curriculum
Language Arts: Media Literacy
• Internet, newspapers
media center resources
and
Lead the students in a discussion of the ways the media portrays
storm chasers and tornadoes. Are the presentations accurate? Are they
informative? Do they promote or obstruct public knowledge? Have the
students cite examples as they answer each question.
Language Arts: Communication
Research the following sites to define and explain the
significance of these terms to storm spotters and
storm chasers.
anvil
bear’s cage
beaver tail
Enhanced Fujita Scale
(EF Scale)
HP Storm
LP Storm
mesocyclone
rain free base
rear and forward flank
core
updraft
visual vault
wall cloud
National Weather Service’s Spotters Guide Glossary
(http://www.srh.noaa.gov/oun/severewx/glossary.php)
National Weather Service’s Storm Spotter Guide
(http://www.srh.noaa.gov/oun/stormspotting/)
National Weather Service’s Spotter Education Site
(http://www.srh.noaa.gov/oun/skywarn/spotterhelp.php)
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Masters of Disaster® Tornadoes, Tornado Safety, Lesson Plan 4/Tornadoes Past and Present
Copyright 2007 The American National Red Cross
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Students will use their definitions to write an imaginary conversation
between storm chasers and National Weather Service meteorologists as they
discuss the Super Outbreak that struck April 3–4, 1974, unleashing 148
tornadoes in 13 states.
Linking Across the Curriculum
Language Arts: Research; Fine Arts: Visual Arts
Tornadoes
6–8
LESSON PLAN 4
Tornadoes Past and
Present
Why chase storms? What is it like to be a storm
chaser? Storm chasers are people who drop everything
to follow the progress of thunderstorms near where they live, hoping to see
a tornado form. If they do witness a tornado, they usually try to follow it,
from a safe distance, of course, to its conclusion. They report their movements, meteorological measurements and sightings to the National Weather
Service which uses the information to keep people in the area informed.
Have students find the answers given by actual storm chasers to the questions above by checking the Web sites below. Afterward, students will
create a cartoon showing a fully equipped storm chaser and illustrate the
cartoon by labeling and explaining the equipment and expressing several of
their favorite reasons to chase severe storms.
Chris Kindler’s Sky Diary, KidStorm: Storm Chasing
(http://skydiary.com/kids/chasing.html)
Jim Leonard: Cyclone Jim
(http://www.cyclonejim.com/biography.htm)
Keith Brown: StormScapes
(http://mywebpages.comcast.net/kbbrown2/skyscapes.htm)
Robert Prentice
(http://members.cox.net/rprentice/storm_chasing.htm)
Charles Edwards
(http://www.cloud9tours.com/bear/)
Social Studies: Geography; Science: Earth Science
Using information from their storm-chasing diaries and maps,
plus national weather maps from the past several days, have the
students select a location that has a potential for severe weather
development. Instruct them to pick a location for their stormchaser home base and monitor weather reports to see if that location was a
good choice.
• Would they have been able to track any severe storms from that
location?
• Did tornadoes develop in the area?
• What factors may have contributed to success or failure in
making an effective choice for home base?
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at www.redcross.org/disaster/masters
Masters of Disaster® Tornadoes, Tornado Safety, Lesson Plan 4/Tornadoes Past and Present
Copyright 2007 The American National Red Cross
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Eyewitness to Time
Page 1 of 1
Name ________________________________________________________________________
Directions: Use the data below to create a sequential time line and add at least five more documented tornadoes to the list. Beneath each entry on your time line, describe its importance in the
development of greater tornado safety.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
1880—First group of weather “reporters” documents tornadoes and the weather associated with
them.
1950—Tornado and severe weather data and plotting are written out by hand.
1938—The word tornado is now included when weather conditions indicate.
1997—The National Severe Storms Laboratory is established as the foremost center for reporting
severe weather.
1948—Scientists accurately predict an outbreak of tornadoes.
1974—More than 300 people are killed in a “super outbreak” of 148 tornadoes in 11 Midwestern
states.
1952—The Weather Bureau–Severe Weather Unit is established and issues the first public tornado
bulletin. Thirty-six tornadoes cause deaths in Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama,
Tennessee, Kentucky and Missouri.
1947—A centralized severe weather forecasting program is established in the United States.
1842—The principle of sound waves is identified by Christian Doppler.
1888—The mention of the word tornado is felt to provoke undue fear and panic and is banned
from announcements to the public.
1999—Devastating outbreak of tornadoes strikes Oklahoma and Kansas.
1988—Doppler radar is used to more accurately predict severe weather.
1953—Deadly tornadoes strike Flint, Michigan; Worcester, Massachusetts; and Waco, Texas.
1980—An interactive computer arrives at the Centralized Storm Information Center.
1884—More than 800 people are killed by tornadoes in Mississippi, Alabama, North and South
Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky and Indiana.
1928—The first documented eyewitness account of a tornado is given by Will Keller, a Kansas
farmer.
1950—The use of Severe Weather Bulletins saves lives.
1965—Computers begin to be used in weather forecasting.
Source: National Weather Service
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EYEWITNESS TO TIME
Masters of Disaster® Tornadoes, Tornado Safety, Lesson Plan 4/Tornadoes Past and Present
Copyright 2007 The American National Red Cross
Storm Trackers
Page 1 of 1
Name ________________________________________________________________________
At one time, meteorologists had to depend solely on the eyewitness accounts of tornado survivors to
gather information about the nature of tornadoes. Today, the development of Doppler radar has made
it possible, under certain circumstances, to detect the possibility of tornado development. However,
people remain an important part of the tornado detection system. Not all tornadoes occur in situations in which radar can “see” a developing storm.
Volunteers make up a network of storm spotters, who work with their local communities to watch
out for approaching tornadoes. Forewarning helps communities take appropriate action in the event
of a tornado. Information from storm spotters is relayed to the National Weather Service (NWS), the
official provider of weather forecasts for the nation. When appropriate, the NWS issues a WARNING
that is then broadcast over a special weather link to NOAA Weather Radio and television and radio
stations.
Communities monitor all resources to obtain the latest information on a tornado or a possible
tornado: satellite and radar maps from the NWS, reports from storm spotters, utility company information, etc.
Professional and amateur storm chasers have perfected the art of being in the right place at the right
time for a tornado. They race after nature’s most destructive whirlwinds, armed with cameras,
camcorders and measurement devices. Storm-chaser documentation of the path and passage of
storms has added to meteorologists’ knowledge about the nature of these deadly storms. The technology available today makes storm chasing more accurate.
Assignment:
1. As a member of a storm-chasing team, you must follow the path of a tornado.
2. Select a historical tornado outbreak from the activity sheet Tornado Mapping.
3. Conduct research to follow the tornado: its path (length and width); the time of sightings; the
number of touchdowns; eyewitness interviews; statistical information (wind speeds, Enhanced
Fujita Scale number, damage reports, etc.).
4. Write your report in diary form, from the time you first set off to chase the possible storm, to your
first sighting, through the final damage reports. Describe your tools and the type of
information—measurements, videos and photographs, and eyewitness accounts—that you have
gathered. Include a map of the track of the tornado.
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STORM TRACKERS
Masters of Disaster® Tornadoes, Tornado Safety, Lesson Plan 4/Tornadoes Past and Present
Copyright 2007 The American National Red Cross
Tornado Mapping
Page 1 of 1
Name ________________________________________________________________________
Xenia, Ohio
April 4, 1974
34 killed
Poplar Bluff, Missouri
May 8, 1997
88 killed
Flint, Michigan
June 8, 1953
115 killed
8
5
3
2
1
Wichita Falls, Texas
April 10, 1979
45 killed
Waco, Texas
May 11, 1953
114 killed
Worcester,
Massachusetts
June 9, 1953
94 killed
6
3
Purvis, Mississippi
April 23, 1908
24 tornadoes; 55 killed
Texas to Kansas
April 9, 1947
181 killed in Glazier, Texas
Super Outbreak
April 3–4, 1974
13 states; 148 tornadoes
315 killed
Widespread Outbreak
November 21–23, 1992
26 killed
Adapted from The Weather Channel’s “The Weather Classroom.”
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3
4
7
Palm Sunday Outbreak
March 27–28, 1994
42 killed
(20 in Piedmont, Alabama)
The Tri-State Tornado
March 18, 1925
747 killed
Arkansas
Outbreak
March 1, 1997
27 killed
The Dixie Outbreak
April 23–24, 1908
16 tornadoes
320 deaths
8
Oklahoma to
Kansas
May 3, 1999
48 killed
TORNADO MAPPING
Masters of Disaster® Tornadoes, Tornado Safety, Lesson Plan 4/Tornadoes Past and Present
Copyright 2007 The American National Red Cross