Weather extremes2

There‟s a saying in Texas, „If you don‟t like

the weather, just wait a while it will change.‟

The weather in Texas is as diverse as the

land and it’s people. Texans can go from

intense drought one day to raging floods the

next. Everything is bigger in Texas, and that

includes the weather.

Climate

K

What do we know?

W

What do we want to learn?

H

How will we find out what we want to learn

L

What have we learned?

Texas Regions

Weather Extremes

Lowest Temperature ever recorded :

Tulia, Feb 12, 1899 -23 degrees

Seminole, Feb 8, 1933 -23 degrees

Highest Temperature ever recorded:

Seymour, Aug 12, 1936 120 degrees

Monahans, June 28, 1994 120 degrees

Weather Impacts People in Texas

How did weather affect these Native American

tribes?

Apache Caddo Jumano

Karankawa Tonkawa Wichita

Drought

How did farming techniques affect the land?

How did the condition of the topsoil affect the land?

How did cattle grazing affect the land?

Dust Bowl

Texas Dust

Storm

Explain the following expressions:

• Black Blizzard –

•Great Plow up –

•Grab a root and growl –

Floods in Texas

Causes of flooding

Effects of flooding

Ways to prevent/control flooding

Dams

Tornadoes in Texas

Texas is known as

the “tornado capital

of the United

States”, why do you

think this is so?

Hurricanes in Texas

Tornadoes Hurricanes

Forecasting Weather in

TexasDay 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5

Precipitation

Temperature

Wind speed

Barometer

Observe trends in the weather where you live. Record observations

on the table. What assumptions can you make about the weather

after these observations?

Resources

Crowe, K. , Wild Texas weather educator guide. Retrieved from

http://www.thestoryoftexas.com/education/pdfs/WTW%20education%20guide.pdf

Aivazian, A., (2003). What is climate? Retrieved from

http://classzone.com/books/earth_science/terc/content/investigations/es2101/es21

01page02.cfm?chapter_no=investigation

Texas Archeological Research Laboratory and the Department of Anthropology,

Texas State University, (2010, December). Texas beyond history. Retrieved

from http://www.texasbeyondhistory.net/prehistoric/index.html

Resources (cont.)

Texas State Historical Association. (n.d.). Texas almanac. Retrieved from

http://www.texasalmanac.com/topics/environment/extreme-weather-records

Fuchs, B., (2011, June 22). U.S. drought monitor. Retrieved from

http://www.drought.unl.edu/dm/DM_south.htm

Public Broadcasting System. (n.d.). American experience. Retrieved from

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/dustbowl/

National Weather Service., (n.d.). Flooding ahead turn around don‟t drown. Retrieved from

http://www.weather.gov/os/water/tadd/images/NSC_FinalVersion1-4.pdf

Public Broadcasting System., (2000). Building big dams. Retrieved from

http://www.weather.gov/os/water/tadd/images/NSC_FinalVersion1-4.pdf

Resources (cont.)

National Weather Service., (2010, May 17). Top ten deadliest tornadoes in TX (since 1900). Retrieved

from http://www.srh.noaa.gov/ama/?n=top10_tornadoes

USA Today., (n.d.). Texas hurricane history. Retrieved from

http://www.usatoday.com/weather/hurricane/history/whtexas.htm

The Weather Channel., (n.d.). The weather channel for kids. Retrieved from

http://www.theweatherchannelkids.com/form/form_build_forecast_action.cfm