Kids love learning about their world, especially if it involves something as fascinating as weather! From eye-opening records to fascinating phenomenon (did you know crickets can act as natural thermometers), here are 33 weather fun facts which will amaze them.
Mawsynram in India is home to the wettest place on Earth – it sees 467 inches of rainfall every year!
Thundersnow
Thundersnow may sound like something out of science fiction, but it’s actually an entirely real meteorological occurrence. Thundersnow occurs when lightning, which produces thunderclaps, strikes during a snowstorm. Though frightening, thundersnow can also be quite fascinating: when Patrick Market from University of Utah began researching thunderstorms during winter storms he discovered many similarities between summer storms and wintry ones!
Thunderstorms and snowstorms both form when air moves over the ground, creating an air temperature gradient between colder air high in the atmosphere and warmer air closer to Earth’s surface. When these air masses turbulence occurs, some water molecules lose electrons and become electrified; creating the same type of shock wave seen during warm-weather thunderstorms.
However, snow in thundersnow storms tends to muffle the sound of thunder. Falling snow acts as an acoustic dampener, meaning you might only hear thundersnow within a mile or so of its location – making the sound less frightening but still present enough of a threat than regular thunderstorms.
Lightning strikes during thundersnow storms are not uncommon, though the incidences tend to be lower compared with conventional summer thunderstorms due to cloud-to-cloud strikes instead of reaching down to touch the ground directly.
Thundersnow usually occurs in areas prone to lake-effect snowstorms, such as the Great Lakes region of the United States and Canada, Rocky Mountains, Great Salt Lake and northeastern North America. March is traditionally peak month for thundersnow events.
Thundersnow storms may not pose as great of an immediate threat as rain-accompanied ones; nonetheless, it is essential that people remain indoors during these storms and never venture outside when seeing lightning strike. If this proves impossible for any reason, seek shelter within your car or home and stay clear from tall objects such as power lines which could become lightning targets.
Raindrops
Raindrops form when water vapor clings to dust particles floating in the air, condensing into drops that then begin falling from clouds. Once this accumulation reaches sufficient numbers, these raindrops begin to drop through turbulent air into turbulent water where their shape becomes altered due to surface tension; small raindrops become spherical while larger ones assume an oval-like form similar to that of a hamburger bun. Surface tension causes this clingy quality causing molecules to have more force pushing together than pulling apart so creating an extremely thin skin for this formation process that then falls from clouds onto surfaces below.
Rainwater is essential to life on Earth, yet too much of it can cause flooding and saturated soil. If you are not used to rainy weather, make sure that when walking in it you wear rubber boots and take extra precautions.
Fog
Fog is a cloud of water droplets or other particles that reduces horizontal visibility to less than 1,000 meters (3,281 feet). Mist may also be classified as fog depending on its form; sometimes fog occurs with smoke or ice particles as well. Fog is one of the most frequently seen weather phenomena worldwide and at any time of year; though its appearance during fall and winter seasons is most common.
Foggy weather can present drivers with difficulties because it makes it hard to see the road ahead, necessitating fog lights on cars and trucks. Ships at sea can find it challenging to locate land due to fog; therefore they use lighthouses and foghorns to assist them – one emits bright beams of light showing where land lies while the other makes low, deep noises alerting them that they are approaching shore.
Fog is an enchanting phenomenon, full of fascinating facts for your children: Fog forms when air temperatures fall below their dew point temperature – at which water vapor in the atmosphere begins to condense – due to ground temperatures being cooler than air around it, or due to snow cover adding moisture into the atmosphere. Fog typically forms first thing in the morning due to these factors and other environmental conditions that create moisture-laden air conditions like draught.
Wind is also an influential factor when it comes to fog formation; fog forms more easily when wind blows in an upward-bound direction that allows it to quickly pass through the atmosphere, which explains why fog formation near coastal regions in summer months tends to occur more than in wintertime.
Your smartphone app of choice for fog monitoring should be Tempest WEATHERmeter, as this app offers accurate wind speed, temperature, humidity and air pressure readings. Satellite data also offers insight into fog formation; however current geostationary and polar satellites don’t produce very high-resolution images; new GOES-R series satellites due for launch between 2020-2024 should provide clearer images of fog formation.
Clouds
Clouds are an essential element of our atmosphere and play a huge part in determining our weather. Clouds can help provide important insight into temperature, moisture content and sunlight reaching Earth – all essential indicators! Clouds consist of tiny droplets of water or ice crystals suspended in air; their color depends on their shape and height in the sky.
If you want to determine what kind of cloud you’re looking at, try pointing with your thumb; if the shape appears bigger than your thumb then it could be cumulus, while smaller clouds might be altocumulus. Color of clouds comes from reflecting sunlight; smaller particles scatter it to create an illusion of whiteness while larger drops absorb light and appear grayer.
Clouds cover more than two-thirds of Earth, more than we anticipated! They typically form over oceans and reflect twice as much sunshine than continents do, making them brighter than continents while keeping temperatures down during the daytime. Scientists study them to understand how our environment functions; satellites even monitor clouds from space! Other planets too possess clouds like Mars with water vapor clouds or Titan with methane/ethane deposits – though only our own planet has this abundance!
Thunder, another fascinating weather fact, occurs when lightning “slices” through atmospheric air pressure and then when it retracts it causes collision between colliding air molecules to create soundwaves which then collide causing thunderous sounds! That is how thunder gets its signature rumble!
Share these fun weather facts with your children to increase their understanding of meteorology! For an in-depth view of local weather systems, Tempest offers highly accurate wind, temperature, humidity and air pressure readings direct to your smartphone – an engaging way to show kids about all that surrounds them!