the mysteries of weather: Week 1

My experiment: Going until August. Trying to figure out lots of things about weather. First, some facts:

1. About a week ago, we had a tornado watch, and I saw a black wall cloud with weak rotation. Luckily, there wasn't a funnel cloud or tornado.

2. In late April, we got a severe thunderstorm. Mammatus clouds outside, with winds in excess of 65 mph, knocked out the power of 75,000 homes in Michigan. Ours was out for seven hours.

3. Last year, on Olivia's birthday, the sirens went off. A tornado touched down 10 minutes away.


Some things I know about weather:

Tornadoes

#1. They usually touch down on the rainless end of the Anvil, but this doesn't always happen.
#2. Signs to look for: Sudden temperature drop, a wall cloud(usually black, long, and has a flat bottom), and clouds of debris
#3. Tornadoes are often accompanied my hail, usually shortly before.

Myths:

Myth: You will always see a green sky before a tornado.

False. It is more likely that you will see a green sky during a regular rain shower. Usually, there is no need to worry, but you should turn the weather on just in case.

Myth: You will always see the funnel cloud.

False and true. Tornadoes usually happen on the rainless side of the Anvil, but this does not always happen, so it is pretty much both.
P.S. When the tornado is NOT on the rainless side of the Anvil, it is sometimes in heavy rain, which surrounds it and makes it hard to see.

Myth: The sky will always be completely cloudy.

False. Sometimes, the sky just has a big wall cloud, with blue sky surrounding it. This is uncommon, but it happens once in a while.
As for the cloudiness, that is mostly true, since the wall cloud being surrounded by blue sky is very rare.
P.S. When you have a tornado warning and the sky is blue, look out every window quickly. You will probably see the wall cloud. As soon as you see it, go to a basement or room with no windows, and bring a battery-powered radio with you. Stay in the basement/room with no windows until you hear the all clear message.


WEATHER MYSTERIES

Why do some severe thunderstorms produce tornadoes while others don't?

This question is pretty much unanswerable right now, though I will be working on it, and other meteorologists will be too.
I will post information about this as soon as I find some.
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I have discovered a NEW kind of weather! It's a Thunderquake.

What is a thunderquake?

Answer: It's like an earthquake, except thunder is the one that creates it.
During bad thunderstorms, the thunder gets really LOUD, right? Sometimes, It'll get so loud that it shakes your house!
They are not really that bad though. They might make a few things fall (like a vase or a small lamp), but they wouldn't hurt you unless something fell on you.

Here's a tip: Don't sit/stand under hanging shelves during a thunderquake!


THUNDERQUAKE SAFETY:

#1. After a thunderquake, watch for glass. Wear thick gloves, sneakers, and long sleeve shirts and jeans when you are cleaning up broken glass.
#2. Stay inside. If you are getting a thunderquake, it's likely that you'll gets a whole bunch of lightening after it!
#3. The thunder is not really that bad, it's the lightening during and after it. Stay away from wiring and electrical appliances such as televisions, telephones (cordless phones are fine), and fans.


MY THUNDERQUAKE EXPERIENCE

On Thursday night I got a thunderquake, but everything was OK. There was plenty lightening of after it, though.
The only really "bad" thing that happened was a few books fell of my wardrobe.

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