01 Oct METEOROLOGICAL PHENOMENA
The study of meteorology includes an array of phenomena with which most of us are unfamiliar, even though many of these weather components and processes affect our daily lives. For this week’s essay, select one of the terms from the list below (or, if you have an idea for a term not listed here, please run it by the instructor first). Your essay should cover a thorough description of what the term means, how it works, and what effect it has upon humans and the environment. Include one or more visuals (diagrams, photos, etc.) that make your term clearer to the reader; be sure to refer to the visual(s) in your paper. The length requirement does not include a title page, references page, or any of the visual elements present.
List of terms to choose from:
backing and veering winds
ball lightning
blizzard
bombogenesis
capped inversion
chinook wind
clipper
cold front
contrails
derecho
dust devil
flash freeze
fog
graupel
haboob
hail
heat burst
heat lightning
heat wave
hoarfrost
ice storm
inflow bands (also called feeder bands)
jet stream
lake effect snowfall
mesocyclone
microburst
nor’easter
polar vortex
St. Elmo’s fire
sleet
squall line
supercell thunderstorm
virga
wall cloud
warm front
volcanic lightning
waterspout
OPTION #2: WEATHER DISASTERS
Hurricanes and tornadoes together represent two of the most dramatic and destructive meteorological processes on Earth. For this week’s essay, select one historic hurricane or tornado that significantly impacted humans to discuss. Begin with a narrative of the event—how the hurricane or tornado developed, the path it took, and the damage it inflicted. Be sure to cover its destruction and death tolls, its environmental and economic impacts, and any permanent consequences it caused. Include at least one or more visuals (diagrams, maps, photos, etc.) that make your account clearer to the reader; be sure to refer to the visual(s) in your paper. The length requirement does not include a title page, references page, or any of the visual elements present.
