In the Northern Hemisphere in 2017 and 2018 brought several destructive hurricanes to the shores of North America, the Caribbean, and throughout the Pacific rim. Such extreme weather events are predicted to get more common and more severe with increasing climate change.
Several participating classes in the ISCFC were or are in the path of these storms and we hope for the best for them, their families and communities.
We would love to hear from students affected directly and indirectly by extreme weather events, and also any students who have been following the news this summer.
What are your thoughts about the connection between climate change and extreme weather events? Has this hurricane season increased your concern about climate change or not? Do you think that US citizens and residents (and others in the region) will take climate change more seriously now?
Extreme Weather >
Extreme Weather
Extreme weather has been increasing rapidly recently. As we know, there are a few big examples of extreme weather that are somewhat consistent. One are tornadoes, which are vertical tunnels of rapidly spinning air. The components of a tornado are clouds, strong wind, rain, and occasionally, some hail. They can move speeds 16-32 kilometers per hour which is roughly 10-20 miles per hour. But their winds can top up to 402 kilometers per hour. (Around 250 miles per hour) Another common example of extreme weather is hurricanes. These beasts are also known as cyclones, and are essentially giant, spiraling tropical storms. They include strong kinds of 257 kilometers per hour or 160 miles per hour. They also can come with heavy rains and can drop around 9 trillions liters or (2.4 trillion gallons) of water.