Twisted Tornadoes and Horrid Hurricanes

Introduction

You have been chosen from a field of experts to research the best location for  The Children's Museum of Favorite Things.  The museum must be built on one of two plots of land received as a generous gift from a wealthy philanthropist.  One plot of  land is located in, Carson County, Texas in the depths of  tempestuous Tornado Alley.  The other plot of land is located in  Dade County, Florida a hotbed of hurricane activity.

The Task

Your team must gather information about the severe weather patterns in both Carson County and Dade county.  You will decide which is the best  location for the museum based upon these weather patterns and the possible damaging effects they will have on the museum and its artifacts. You will present your recommendation in the form of a power point presentation to the Museum's Board of Directors and the philanthropist who donated both plots of land. 
 

The Process

1.  You will be assigned to a team of researchers.
2.  Each member of the team will be given a role and a list of tasks to complete.
3.  Once each team member completes his/her tasks, the team will collaborate and decide the best location for the museum.
 

Resources

Your team is composed of the following experts:

STORM TRACKER:  You will be responsible for researching the severity and frequency of previous storms in each area (Carson County, TX and Dade County, FL). 

     1.  Gain an understanding of the measurement scales used for judging the severity of each type of storm. Explain these scales to the Meteorologist.
     2.  Name and describe the three most severe tornadoes and the four most severe hurricanes in each area.  The description should include: the date, the location, and the rating. 

Tornado Project - Dade County and Carson County tornado history.  Directions:  Click on the link. Choose All Tornadoes from the list of blue words. Click on "Every State in the U.S.A.". On the next page, scroll down past the U.S. map and click on the state you would like to see. Click on the first letter of the county that you want to research, and scroll down to the county name.

Hurricane Scale - Safir-Simpson Hurricane Damage-Potential Scale

Degrees of Severity Scales -  The Fujita-Pearson Scale of  Tornado Severity.

Florida's Worst Hurricanes - Includes the names and damage (in $).

SAFETY COORDINATOR:  You will be responsible for establishing safety procedures to be followed in the case of severe weather, specifically tornadoes and hurricanes.

     1.  Consult with the Storm Tracker and Damage Assessor about the destructive capabilities of tornadoes and hurricanes.
     2.  Explain the different severe weather alerts (i.e. watch, warning).
     3.  Describe the precautions that should be taken in the event of a tornado.
     4.  Describe the precautions that should be taken in the event of a hurricane.

Fema's Tornado Safety Page  -Safety procedures for before, during and after a tornado.

CNN Weather Storm Center - Hurricane Tip Center (at top), scroll down for tornado safety tips.

Nature's Most Violent Storms - Saftey information and safety alert definitions (scroll down).
 

DAMAGE ASSESSOR: You will research the damage (loss of property and loss of life) caused by storms in each of the counties.
     1.  Research the probable damage caused by tornadoes and hurricanes of different severity. 
     2.  Find out how much damage was caused by the most severe tornado in U.S. history.
     3.  Find out how much damage was caused by the most severe hurricane in U.S. history.

Online Meteorology Guide - Degrees of  severity scale.

Worst Hurricane 

Worst Tornado

METEOROLOGIST:  You are responsible for determining the conditions which are favorable for producing a tornado or hurricane.

     1.  Determine the physical characteristics of tornadoes and hurricanes.
     2.  Find out what time of year conditions are most favorable for tornadoes and hurricanes in each county.
     3.   Find out what atmospheric conditions are most likely to produce tornadoes and hurricanes.

Hurricane Formation - Diagrams showing how a tropical storm becomes a hurricane.

CNN Weather Center - Maps showing the tornado season and hurricane probability.

Nature's Most Violent Storms - Description of how tornadoes are formed (scroll down).

Hurricane Structure -  Diagram of the structure of hurricanes.
 

All About Hurricanes -  Scroll down to find out the months for the hurricane season.

Evaluation

Rubric
 

Conclusion

Congratulations!  You have successfully completed this WebQuest!  Not only have you gained a greater understanding of the destructive capabilities of tornadoes and hurricanes, but you also know what to do in the event of severe weather. 

Thinking further:

Why do you think people choose to live in an area where severe weather is a common occurrence?
Are there any weather conditions in the area where you live that may cause a person to choose not to live there?
Do you think that scientists will ever develop an effective means of predicting tornadoes?
Do you think that scientists/engineers could build a tornado proof and/or hurricane proof home?
Do you think that scientists could develop a way to stop severe weather?

If you are interested in other forms of severe weather, try these:

Red Cross Disaster Page 

FEMA for Kids

Last updated April 22, 2002.

Compiled by Julia Leffelman and Jill Schmidt from work done by Dr. Bernie Dodge, - Tom Marsh, Ozline.com and Education Service Center, Region 20, San Antonio, TX.  Reprinted with permission.