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Severe weather can happen at any time in any part of the country. One way you can prepare is to pay close attention to watches and warnings in your area.

A weather advisory lets people know that a severe storm is on its way.
A weather watch means a storm is developing and will hit at any moment. You should listen to weather forecasts for an update.
A weather warning means the weather is happening right now and you should take action.

Environmental Connection

The world of weather can be very wild! Many of us live in the same part of the world our whole lives, so there are many types of weather we do not experience. In fact, some parts of the world get weather that is so weird and wild that believing it is true is difficult!

You will explore the wild world of weather with some questions. Are these examples of wild weather true or false?

Wild Weather: True or False?

Q: In Mongolia, rain can freeze on the ground so thick that grazing animals cannot feed. True or False?

A: True! Sadly, Mongolia sometimes gets very bad freezing rain. Sometimes freezing rain covers the grass so thick that animals such as goats and cattle starve. The locals call it an "Iron Zud". Between 1999 and 2002, Mongolia had three Iron Zuds that killed more than 11 million animals.

Freezing rain can form thick layers plants and the ground.

Q: Wind can make snowballs big enough to make a snowman. True or false?

A: True! On rare occasions in parts of the world that are flat and windy, such as southern Alberta, strong winds blow chunks of snow across the ground. If the snow conditions are just right, the snow chunks roll and form large snowballs.

A large snow roller

Q: A "Haboob" is large sandstorm that forms without warning, travels at 100 km/h, and can make seeing impossible and breathing difficult.

A: True! Haboobs occur in desert areas of the world, such as North Africa and Saudi Arabia. Haboobs form when fast downward winds pick up dry, loose sand. This results in a wall of fast-moving dusty air. If you are caught in a haboob, you might not be able to see, and breathing can be difficult because of the sand and dirt in the air.

Pixabay

Q: "Fire rainbows" occur on the very rare occasions when clouds burn.

A: False! Clouds cannot burn because they are made of water. However, "fire rainbows" are a rare weather occurrence. They can be seen anywhere in the world but only when the Sun is very high in the sky and only when the Sun shines through thin clouds that contain flat ice crystals. Fire rainbows look like a regular rainbow, except they are much more wispy and feathery.

Pixabay

Lesson 5 Page 1

Preparing for Wild Weather

Environmental Connection

Wild Weather: True or False?

A: True! Sadly, Mongolia sometimes gets very bad freezing rain. Sometimes freezing rain covers the grass so thick that animals such as goats and cattle starve. The locals call it an "Iron Zud". Between 1999 and 2002, Mongolia had three Iron Zuds that killed more than 11 million animals.

A: True! On rare occasions in parts of the world that are flat and windy, such as southern Alberta, strong winds blow chunks of snow across the ground. If the snow conditions are just right, the snow chunks roll and form large snowballs.