Extreme Weather for Kids

Matthew Cappucci is an American meteorologist based in Washington, DC. He graduated from Harvard in 2019 with a degree in atmospheric sciences, and works on all platforms creating and delivering forecasts for an audience locally and internationally. He can be found on TV at FOX5 in Washington, DC, writes daily articles for The Washington Post, provides the forecast on WAMU radio, the capital’s NPR affiliate, and produces daily video forecasts in the MyRadar app. He also works as an educational consultant. Outside of work, Matthew is an avid storm chaser and photographer, and drives a custom armored truck into severe thunderstorms in search of tornadoes. (He has lost three windshields in hail the size of baseballs or larger). Matthew can frequently be found hopping on airplanes to travel the world in search of extreme weather, and is excited to share his adventures in Extreme Weather for Kids! Stephanie Hathaway is a Kansas City–area artist who specializes in creating educational content inspired by our natural world. She believes in using beautiful, dynamic illustrations to make learning about science and nature exciting and accessible to children of all ages. She is guided by the notion that many of life’s valuable lessons can be learned from nature. It is her hope that her work will inspire families to explore and learn from the natural world right outside their own door. You can see more of Stephanie’s educational nature-based studies and original artwork at stephaniehathawaydesigns.com.

Extreme Weather for Kids is a tour of the world’s wildest weather and natural disasters—what they are, what makes them, how to prepare, and how humans are affecting them.

PrefaceIntroduction Chapter 1: Predicting the WeatherWhat makes the weather? What are seasons? Making observations Making predictions What do we know and when?Activity: Make your own weather map  Chapter 2: Storm systemsWhat is the Coriolis Force? Why weather systems rotateLow pressure systemsHigh pressure systemsThe General CirculationStorm SystemsWhat’s the jet stream?Activity Chapter 3: Thunderstorms and TornadoesWhat makes severe weather? Ordinary thunderstorms Squall linesSupercells: The King of ThunderstormsHailTornadoesActivity: Make your own tornado  Chapter 4: Precipitation and droughtWhat is humidity? How much air can the water hold?FloodsMonsoonsAtmospheric riversDroughtActivity: Make a cloud in a bottle Chapter 5: Hurricanes and Tropical CyclonesWhat makes a hurricane?Where do hurricanes form? Storms around the worldHurricane HazardsAnatomy of a hurricaneHurricane evacuationsActivity: make a hurricane kit Chapter 6: Winter storms and blizzardsWhat makes snow?Different precipitation typesDifferent types of snowstormsNor’easters“Classic” snowstorms Mountain snowstormsLake-effect snows Ocean-effect snowsSqualls Activity: Finding the water content of snow Chapter 7: Rainbows, fogbows and sights in the skyWhat color is sunlight?What makes a rainbow?Double rainbows Supernumerary and reflected light bows Fogbows, moon bows, pollen bows, etcHaloesLight pillars Activity: Make a rainbow Chapter 8: Sights and Storms in SpaceWhat is a solar storm? When do they occur?How does “space weather” affect earth? Where can I see the northern (southern) lights?How do scientists predict space weather?EclipsesActivity: Make a pinhole projector Chapter 9: Climate change Weather versus climateHow climate change worksDifferent “stable states” of EarthHow the climate changes naturally (Milankovich cycles)How climate change affects the weather Activity: NASA Citizen Science projects Chapter 10: Other natural disastersEarthquakesTsunamisVolcanic eruptionsLandslidesWildfiresActivity: Make an Oreo earthquake  GlossaryAcknowledgmentsAbout the AuthorIndex