Water the cycle of life
water cycle
The water cycle of life
Types of precipitation
what can happen
hail
Any thunderstorm which produces hail tHail is a form of solid precipitation. It consists of balls or irregular lumps of ice, each of which is referred to as a hailstone.[1] Unlike graupel, which is made of rime, and ice pellets, which are smaller and translucent, hailstones – on Earth – consist mostly of water ice and measure between 5 and 200 millimetres (0.20 and 7.9 in) in diameter.[citation needed] The METAR reporting code for hail 5 mm (0.20 in) or greater is GR, while hat reaches the ground is known as a hailstorm.[3] Hail has a diameter of 5 millimetres (0.20 in) or more.[2] Hailstones can grow to 15 centimetres (6 in) and weigh more than 0.5 kilograms (1.1 lb).[4] Unlike ice pellets, hailstones are layered and can be irregular and clumped together. Hail is composed of transparent ice or alternating layers of transparent and translucent ice at least 1 millimetre (0.039 in) thick, which are deposited upon the hailstone as it cycles through the cloud, suspended aloft by air with strong upward motion until its weight overcomes the updraft and falls to the ground. Although the diameter of hail is varied, in the United States, the average observation of damaging hail is between 2.5 cm (1 in) and golf ball-sized (1.75 in).
snow
Snow is precipitation in the form of flakes of crystalline water ice that fall from clouds. Since snow is composed of small ice particles, it is a granular material. It has an open and therefore soft structure, unless subjected to external pressure. Snowflakes come in a variety of sizes and shapes. Types that fall in the form of a ball due to melting and refreezing, rather than a flake, are known as hail, ice pellets or snow grains. The process of precipitating snow is called snowfall. Snowfall tends to form within regions of upward movement of air around a type of low-pressure system known as an extratropical cyclone. Snow can fall poleward of these systems' associated warm fronts and within their comma head precipitation patterns (called such due to the comma-like shape of the cloud and precipitation pattern around the poleward and west sides of extratropical cyclones). Where relatively warm water bodies are present, for example because of water evaporation from lakes, lake-effect snowfall becomes a concern downwind of the warm lakes within the cold cyclonic flow around the backside of extratropical cyclones. Lake-effect snowfall can be heavy locally. Thundersnow is possible within a cyclone's comma head and within lake effect precipitation bands.
water spout!
Irish Weddings Italian Weddings French Weddings Search For: Waterspout Information Waterspouts are in essence tornadoes that form over the ocean. The wind sucks the water up into the air, forming the classic water spout shape. Waterspouts can form in any tropical water area, but primarily form around the southern coast of Florida. They can reach up to 22,000 feet high, depending on the cloud cover. Most waterspouts are relatively small and short-lived, but they can reach large sizes of 90' in diameter or larger, with speeds up to 200mph. Where tornadoes usually cause the most damage by flinging debris around, there is luckily little debris picked up by a water spout. However, it's always wise to stay clear of one, between the fast speed of the winds and the occasional driftwood piece that may have gotten caught up in one. Tornados in general move about 30-40mph, and can move more quickly. This means that it is possible - although extremely unlikely - for a waterspout to catch up with and overtake a cruise ship. Even so, the ship's crew would most likely see the spout coming, and ask passengers to move inside, off the decks. It's unlikely that the ship itself would be seriously hurt by a brief encounter with the spout. Cruising Tips and Information Main Page