Sometimes, the weather outside is scary. Have you ever been outside when there is strong wind? Was there rain? Was there snow? Was there light and loud noises in the sky? That is a storm!
Storms happen all over the world, but some places get more than others. For example, at Lake Victoria in Uganda, Africa, storms are seen on 242 days of the year!
Some storms have lightning and thunder. In a cloud, the air is moving very quickly. The air moves so quickly that it makes electricity.
The electricity keeps building and building until the cloud cannot hold it anymore. The electricity eventually leaves the cloud, and we see a bright flash of light. That light is called lightning. The electricity escapes the cloud as lightning.
The lightning is hot. It is so hot that it makes the air in the cloud hot. The air gets so hot so quickly that it makes a big noise which sounds like a crash. That noise is called thunder.
Do you know why we see the lightning before we hear the thunder? Light moves faster than sound. The lightning and thunder happened at the same time, but the light travels faster than the sound.
There are many kinds of storms. Most storms have very strong winds. The winds can even be strong enough to break trees and homes!
Some storms have a lot of snow. People can get trapped in their homes because they can't open the doors. These storms are called snow storms or blizzards.
Some storms have a lot of sand. These storms are called sandstorms. In a sandstorm, it is important to hide. It is dangerous to get sand in your eyes.
Some storms happen in very hot weather. These are called tropical storms. Tropical storms bring heavy wind and lots of rain. They can destroy whole cities and islands. After the rain and wind comes floods. Many people need emergency shelter after tropical storms. Their homes are often destroyed.
Sadly, we see more and more storms now than in the past. Scientists think that it is because of global warming. What can we do to help people?