--- title: "Extreme Weather Events" description: "Know about extreme weather events — hurricanes (spinning storms over warm ocean), tornadoes (violent rotating columns of air), floods, droughts, and blizzards — how they form, where they typically occ" canonical: https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/extreme-weather-events-mt_6EfevRyeFW source: https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/extreme-weather-events-mt_6EfevRyeFW.md retrieved: 2026-10-19 --- > **Agent view.** This is the Markdown twin of the page, for tools and assistants. > When to use this site, and the call that answers each job: https://lightmysky.com/agent-instructions.md > API description (OpenAPI 3.1): https://lightmysky.com/openapi.json · Authentication: https://lightmysky.com/auth.md > Pricing: https://lightmysky.com/pricing.md · Catalog: https://lightmysky.com/llms.txt · Full catalog: https://lightmysky.com/llms-full.txt > Every machine-readable file on this domain: https://lightmysky.com/.well-known/ai-catalog.json > Ask for Markdown with `Accept: text/markdown`, a `.md` address, or `?mode=agent`. # Extreme Weather Events Know about extreme weather events — hurricanes (spinning storms over warm ocean), tornadoes (violent rotating columns of air), floods, droughts, and blizzards — how they form, where they typically occur, and their effects on people and the environment Subject: Science · Area: Weather & Climate · Ages 9 to 11 Page: https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/extreme-weather-events-mt_6EfevRyeFW ## Ready when they can - Describe how at least two types of extreme weather form - Explain where hurricanes and tornadoes typically occur and why - Describe the effects of extreme weather on communities and landscapes ## Lesson: When Weather Turns Wild You know puddle water rises into the air and clouds are tiny drops or bits of ice together. Moving air is called wind. Extreme weather uses those same ideas on a much bigger scale. Hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, droughts, and blizzards are called extreme weather because they are far stronger than an ordinary day, and they can change a place fast. A hurricane is a giant spinning storm that forms over warm tropical ocean water. The warm water evaporates quickly, and that moist, heated air rises fast and starts to spin as Earth turns beneath it. The storm grows a calm center called the eye, ringed by strong wind and rain. Hurricanes only form where the ocean is warm enough, so they stay over tropical water until they drift toward a coastline. A tornado is a violent, spinning column of air that drops down from a powerful thunderstorm. It forms over land when warm, humid air crashes into cool, dry air and starts to twist upward. In the United States, this collision happens often in a region nicknamed Tornado Alley, where warm air from the Gulf of Mexico meets cool air from the Rocky Mountains. Unlike hurricanes that need warm ocean water, tornadoes form over land. *(drawing: A tornado's wind can spin faster than a hurricane's, but a hurricane stays powerful over a much wider area for many more hours.)* **Example.** In 2005, Hurricane Katrina formed over warm Atlantic water, grew stronger for days, and then struck the Gulf Coast of the United States. Storm surge and heavy rain flooded whole neighborhoods, and some communities took years to rebuild. Other extreme weather leaves its own mark: a flood can coat streets in mud, a drought can dry up crops and rivers, and a blizzard can bury roads in snow and cut off power for days. **Recap.** Hurricanes spin up over warm ocean water, tornadoes spin down from thunderstorms over land, and every kind of extreme weather reshapes the place it hits. ## Practice 8 questions on this page, each with its working shown. ## Needs first - [What Causes Wind](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/what-causes-wind-mt_-UAxilUtUt) - [Thunder & Lightning](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/thunder-and-lightning-mt_BO_AHGLCk0) - [The Water Cycle](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/the-water-cycle-mt_fhqVdj4BYr) ## Opens up - [Hurricanes, Tornadoes & Monsoons](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/hurricanes-tornadoes-and-monsoons-mt__wWHVvqMWb) - [Weather-Resistant Engineering](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/weather-resistant-engineering-mt_iiUdDUEEGY)