apter 3
Ch
Extreme Weather
Events Affect Living
and Non-Living Things
Have you ever experienced an extreme weather event like a
thunderstorm or a heavy snowfall? Extreme weather events
can have extreme effects on both living and non-living things.
Thunderstorms
When you hear a sharp crack of thunder and see lightning,
you are near a thunderstorm. If you hear a thunderstorm you
should go indoors. If you are safe, thunderstorms can be
spectacular! As well as thunder and lightning, thunderstorms
can have strong winds and heavy rain. Thunderstorms can
also cause flooding, and lightning can start forest fires.
왖 This fire, in the Kelowna area, was started by lightning.
66
왖 Crouch down if you are
outdoors during a thunderstorm.
Do not stand under trees.
NEL
Hail
Sometimes thunderstorms bring hail. Hail can damage crops
in farmers’ fields and plants in gardens. It can also break
windows and damage cars.
The heaviest hailstone
to fall in Canada
weighed 290 g. It fell
in Saskatchewan in
1973. The heaviest
hailstone ever recorded
fell in China in 1995. It
weighed 15 kg!
왖 Hailstones
Tornadoes
Sometimes a thunderstorm can create a tornado. Tornadoes,
which are also called twisters, do not happen very often in
British Columbia. A tornado is a funnel-shaped storm that
spins quickly. The winds in a tornado can be as high as
500 km/h. Tornadoes can destroy buildings and crops.
Fortunately, tornadoes are not very big, so the damage is
limited to a small area.
왖 A tornado
NEL
왖 Tornado damage to houses
67
Blizzards
A blizzard is a snowstorm that has very high winds. These
winds blow the snow, which makes it hard to see outside.
The blowing snow also makes large snow piles. The winds
make the temperature seem much colder than it really is.
This is called wind chill. Blizzards can happen in the interior
of British Columbia, but are not common along the coast.
왖 Blowing snow from a blizzard makes it very hard to see.
Drought
A long time without rain is called a drought [DROUT].
We might be able to water our gardens, but it is harder for
farmers to water their crops. The lack of water is also hard
on wild plants and animals.
왖 The effects of drought on a corn crop
68
NEL
1. Make a table like the one below in your notebook.
Extreme Weather
Event
Effects on
Living Things
Effects on
Non-Living
Things
Thunderstorm
• In the first column, list the extreme weather events you
learned about in this section. You can add another extreme
weather event you know about if you like.
• Draw a picture of each extreme weather event under its name.
• Work with a small group to discuss how each extreme
weather event might affect living things (wild plants, wild
animals, pets, gardens and crops, people) and non-living
things (hillsides, rivers, buildings). Use some examples from
the textbook, then try to think of some other examples. Use
drawings and words to explain these effects in the second
and third columns of your table.
2. What extreme weather events have you experienced? How did
they affect you?
NEL
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