Storms Sweep through the Southern Plains

ENVIRONMENT

Storms battered the Southern Plains, as far east as Florida and as far south as Mexico, resulting in deadly floods, a rush of tornadoes, and gale-force winds. (CNN)

Use our activity to create your own weather map, and take a look at our own with today’s MapMaker Interactive map.

Teachers, scroll down for a quick list of key resources in our Teachers’ Toolkit.

Discussion Ideas

• Severe weather has swept through the southern Great Plains of the U.S.—floods, tornadoes, hail, and strong winds. What is a flood? Read through our encyclopedic entry for some help.
  • A flood happens when water overflows or soaks land that is normally dry. Usually, a flood occurs as river or reservoir overflows its banks.

 

• What are some rivers or watersheds that have been flooded recently? Use the zoom feature on today’s MapMaker Interactive map for some help.
  • Houston: San Jacinto River
  • San Marcos: Blanco and Comal Rivers
  • Austin: Colorado River
  • Dallas: Trinity River

 

• What is a tornado? Take a look at our “Forces of Nature” interactive for some help.
  • A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that forms at the bottom of a cloud and touches the ground.

 

• Are the southern Great Plains a part of “Tornado Alley”, a region recognized for its frequent, violent wind storms? Take a look at the “Tornado Alley” bookmark on today’s MapMaker Interactive map, or read through this blog post for some help.
  • Yes. The central and southern Great Plains experience some of the most violent storms in Tornado Alley.

 

• What is hail? Take a look at our short encyclopedic entry for some help.
  • Hail is formed when drops of water freeze together in the cold upper regions of thunderstorm clouds. These chunks of ice are called hailstones. Most hailstones measure between 5 millimeters and 15 centimeters in diameter, and can be round or jagged.

 

• Does Tornado Alley experience frequent hailstorms?
  • Yes. In fact, according to our encyclopedic entry, the Great Plains region is also nicknamed “Hail Alley.”

 

• What are gale-force winds? Take a look at our excellent (and downloadable!) illustration of the Beaufort scale for some help.
  • A gale is simply a very strong wind, usually one blowing more than 50 kilometers per hour (25 miles per hour).

 

• What other extreme weather elements do you think the southern Great Plains probably experienced recently?
  • Residents of the southern Great Plains may have experienced lightning, downbursts, and possibly even waterspouts.

 

 

TEACHERS’ TOOLKIT

CNN: Texas floods: More rain on the way as 13 people remain missing

NOAA/National Weather Service: Storm Prediction Center

The Weather Channel: Tornado Central

Nat Geo: Severe Weather during Memorial Day Weekend map

Nat Geo: Create a Weather Map

Nat Geo: What is a flood?

Nat Geo: Forces of Nature interactive

Nat Geo: Are Storms Redefining Tornado Alley?

Nat Geo: What is Hail?

Nat Geo: What is the Beaufort Scale?

Nat Geo: What is wind?