Types of Storms
This spinning tropical storm forms over warm ocean water and can have an eye at its center.
Hurricane
This shaky natural event happens when the ground suddenly moves back and forth.
Earthquake
These white, fluffy clouds look like cotton balls floating in the sky.
A. Cumulus
B. Cotton Cloud
C. Cumulonimbus
A. Cumulus
This happens when too much water covers land that is usually dry.
Flood
This U.S. state is famous for having the hottest temperature ever recorded in the country—134°F in 1913.
A. Texas
B. Florida
C. California
C. California (Death Valley)
This storm features loud booms and bright flashes caused by electrical charges in the sky.
Thunderstorm
This icy event drops balls of frozen ice from the sky during strong storms.
Hail
This color the sky appears on a clear day is caused by sunlight scattering in the atmosphere.
Blue
This type of flooding often happens when a river rises above its banks.
River Flood
This place on Earth holds the record for being the coldest, dropping to –128.6°F in 1983.
A. Russia
B. Antarctica
C. Alaska
B. Antarctica
A funnel-shaped cloud that touches the ground is known as this destructive type of storm.
Tornado
This heat-related event is when temperatures stay extremely high for several days.
Heat Wave
These thin, wispy clouds form high in the sky and often mean a change in the weather is coming.
A. Wispies
B. Cirrus
C. Cumulus
B. Cirrus
This long-lasting event occurs when an area gets far too little rain.
Drought
This type of storm produced the strongest wind gust ever recorded on Earth at 253 mph in Australia.
A. Cyclone
B. Tornado
C. Hurricane
A. Cyclone
This winter storm brings heavy snowfall and strong winds, making it hard to see.
Blizzard
This type of storm forms over the ocean but is smaller than a hurricane and has strong, rotating winds.
A. Mini Hurricane
B. Tropical Storm
C. Citrus Strom
B. Tropical Storm
This glowing object rises in the east and sets in the west each day.
Sun
Heavy rains from storms can cause this sudden, dangerous type of flooding that happens very quickly.
A. Fast Flooding
B. Quick Flooding
C. Flash Flooding
C. Flash Flooding
This continent holds the record for the most rainfall in a single day—over 71 inches in 24 hours.
A. Norway
B. Indian Ocean
C. Columbia
B. Indian Ocean region (Réunion Island)
This large dust-filled storm often happens in dry areas and can turn the sky brown or orange.
Dust Storm
This sudden winter event drops so much ice or snow that roads and power lines can shut down.
Ice Storm
These dark, thick clouds usually bring rain or thunderstorms.
A. Cumulonimbus
B. Wispies
C. Thunder Clouds
A. Cumulonimbus
This man-made structure is built across rivers to help control flooding and store water.
Dam
This kind of weather event caused the largest snowfall in a single year in the U.S.—over 1,100 inches.
Snowstorm