No matter what amazing humans create, nature will always astound and this is most definitely the case with the power of storms! Despite meteorological experts dedicating their careers to forecasting and explaining the weather, nature is unpredictable and mysterious. Here are some hair raising facts about storms that might make you want to tie your roof down!
- All Hail The Storm
A storm in Texas in 1995 made international news when it decided to unleash hailstones the size of softballs! With winds of up to 70mph, the deadly storm was responsible for 15 deaths and over 100 injuries! It knocked out the power to almost 17,000 homes, caused widespread flooding and did untold damage to properties and vehicles. If you’ve experienced storm damage to your roof, contact a Cheltenham Roofing company like stormroofingltd.co.uk/
- Snow Devastation
The worst blizzard in history occurred in 1972 in Iran. It lasted for a week and as much as 26 feet of snow fell in areas of the south. A staggering 4,000 were killed as whole villages were suffocated with snow leaving no survivors on the outskirts of the southern side of the country.
- Turning Grapes to Raisins
Imagine weather so hot that it can turn grapes into raisins. Well, that’s exactly what happened in the California heat wave of 2017. Wine vineyards in the north of the state had almost half of their crops wiped out as temperatures of nearly 43 degrees Celsius zapped the moisture from the grapes and left them as raisins.
- Blowing A Gale
The windiest place on Earth is Greenland where winds of up to 45mph are experienced as a matter of course. Flying over the region is definitely a choppy ride and it is believed that it was these winds that helped the Vikings to sail to America, making them the first Europeans to land there.
- Hot Lightning
A bolt of lightning is incredibly hot. A direct hit with a bolt of lightning is fatal although thankfully, very rare. The heat reaches 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit which is hotter than the surface of the Sun! There are 55,000 lightning strikes a day in the U.S. (not hitting people thankfully!)
It’s not just children that can suffer from astraphobia, which is a fear of storms and in particular, thunder and lightning. Pets quite often suffer from this fear and adults who do, will often check weather forecasts constantly and change their plans if a storm is forecast.
- Atomic Bombs
Would you believe that some storms are more powerful than the atomic bomb? A hurricane is immensely powerful and can contain the same amount of energy as five atomic bombs! A hurricane can last for several days when over the ocean, getting more powerful and building up energy before hitting land.
- Urban Attractor
The additional heat that cities produce makes storms stronger. The heat from vehicles and trapped in concrete means more heat and humidity rises into the atmosphere. As cities grow, their rainfall levels also increase.
Leave a Reply