Название: How It Works Book of Extreme Weather Second Edition
Автор: Aaron Asadi (Publishing Director)
Издательство: Imagine Publishing
ISBN: 1785462350
Год: 2016
Страниц: 164
Язык: английский
Формат: pdf (true)
Размер: 44.8 MB

It’s part of human nature to discuss the weather on a daily basis, but beyond a slight drizzle or chill in the air, what do we know about the wildest weather to hit planet Earth? Extreme weather events like lightning strikes, hurricanes, monsoons and fl oods affect people around the world every day, so it is important to understand the science behind them to avoid death and destruction. This book looks at the most destructive natural phenomena, their impact on the environment and how humankind attempts to predict and control it. We even speak to Michael Fish about his career at the UK Met Office and that fateful storm of 1987. So take a look at the extraordinary sights to behold on Earth (and beyond)!

What you see here isn’t a cloud or smoke from a fi re , but a haboob: a dust storm of monumental proportions that hit Phoenix, Arizona, in August 2011. Although the dust storms themselves aren’t especially unusual in the region, this was a monster at two kilometres (1.2 miles) high and 100 kilometres (62 miles) across. Early June marks the beginning of the monsoon season for Arizona and it’s where this massive haboob began its life. Most of the land was still very dry when a large thunderstorm-forming depression settled over the desert, causing winds to move into its centre. When it collapsed, the winds reversed and downdraughts of up to 100 kilometres (62 miles) per hour blew across the arid region, kicking up a huge wall of dust that swept over the city.