Science Page
Meteorological Articles/Papers
- Heatburst in Pierre
- Precipitation Verification of the LAPS Storm Total Precip Estimates (.pdf file - Download Adobe Reader)
Severe Weather/Damage Surveys
- Brown/McPherson County Tornado - June 23rd, 2002
- Radar Loop of June 7th-8th, 2005 Squall Line
- Review of August 24th, 2006 Severe Weather Event
- June 17th, 2007 Storm Damage Survey
- June 26th, 2008 Storm Summary and Damage Survey
- July 31st, 2008 Derecho Summary and Damage Survey
Classroom Demonstrations
- Make A Rain Gauge
- Make A Barometer
- Tornado In A Jar!
- Tornado In A Bottle!
- Make A Thermometer
- Humidity and Dew Point
- Make A Cloud In A Jar
- DOPPLER Weather Radar
- What Is Wind Chill?
- How Strong Is The Wind?
- Inflating Balloons
- Suck An Egg Into A Bottle!
- What Is The Heat Index?
- Facts About Weather Balloons
- Why Is The Sky Blue?
Other Teacher Resources
- AMS DataStreme Project
- Nebraska Earth Science Education Network
- University Corporation for Atmospheric Research
- Thematic unit for weather for grades 2-4
- Weather Here and There for grades 4-6
- FAQ - Tornadoes
- The American Geophysical Union's "Science for Everyone"
- EPA Ozone Depletion Web Site
- FAQ - Meteorology
- FAQ - Hurricanes, Typhoons, and Tropical Storms
- FAQ - Lightning
- NOAA's Climate Diagnostics Center El Nino/La Nina
- Online Guide to Meteorology
- Career Options for Meteorologists
- NOAA Education Resources
- List Of Colleges Offering Degrees in Meteorology
- Weather Hotlist
- Be A Severe Weather Spotter
Fulgurites
Fulgurites are glassy, root-like tubes formed when a lightning stroke terminates in a dry sandy soil. The intense heating of the electrical current passing down into the soil along an irregular path fuses (melts) the sands. Concurrently, vaporization of soil moisture and possibly even vaporization of the sandy materials, causes the molten material to be expanded into a tube whose diameter may be well over an inch, but whose wall is very thin. Fulgurites have been recovered in lengths of over five feet.
The fulgurites pictured below were discovered just north of Aberdeen, South Dakota by rural firefighters who noticed a "glowing hole in the ground" after a round of severe thunderstorms. Thanks to former Brown County Emergency Manager Jesse Luce for bringing these amazing samples to our attention.
If lightning is hot enough to melt sand, what do you think it can do to you? ALWAYS take cover when lightning is in the area!
