RainRed


 * Severe Rain** Dash A. & Richard G.Red Class

Introduction A form of severe weather is severe rain. Severe rain is a form of very heavy rain in a short period of time with lots of high winds. Another issue that severe rain brings is flash flooding. Thunder and lighting is also commonly part of severe rain storms. Dangers Severe rain itself can hurt land and buildings. Wind speeds can reach up to 90 miles per hour and higher. Severe rain comes down fast enough that it can trigger flash floods. A flash flood is when in a small period of time so much rain falls that it floods in low altitude or bowl areas. Other forms of severe rain are long periods of intense heavy rain which cause severe flooding. Flooding can take out the banks of rivers and overflow. Often, when the river overflows the water over the banks tend to inherit a current. This current, not contained by the river, causes erosion. Houses on the banks of rivers will be dug up. Water will often flow into the roads and clog the sewers. Severe rain does not post any direct threats to families however their homes and foundations will often be destroyed for long periods of time. (1)

Conditions of Formation Some ways severe rain can form are from warm air being pushed up by cold air on the ground this forces is to reach its dew point and rain. When clouds are forming there has to be something happening that is making the water in the air rise. Usually the air rising is from mountains, low pressure areas and sometimes cold fronts. To read more about how clouds are formed visit [](5) The main form of heavy severe rain is convective rain. Convective rain is formed by warm air moving in a vertical motion up towards the sky. the higher the warm and goes the colder the atmosphere becomes. When the atmosphere is cold enough the air reach's its dew point and rains. The higher the warm air goes the colder it gets thus raising its dew point. The more dew produced the more rain. The cloud then lets all of the rain fall and depending on how high the cloud went and how cold the atmosphere was deciphers how much and how heavy the rain will fall.(2) Historical Examples On May 5, 1995 a storm brewed upon Fort Worth, Texas. Nearby was an event called "Mayfest" hosting 100,000 residents. Soon after rain hail formed. Chunks of ice the size of softballs were falling from the sky. Along the highway a GM factory was damaged and the roof caved in and a wall fell down. This alone caused $20 million worth of damage. People in the area has no source of cover because of the outdoor event. In Dallas a power plant collapsed killing two people and injured 21 others. Severe amounts of rain caused 16 people to drown. Rainfall rates were as high as 3 inches every half hour. 2 emergency rooms and hospitals were shut down due to water hazard. Driving was inevitable because of the high water levels. Estimation of just the hails damage in Fort Worth was 2 billion dollars. Below is a picture of the clouds from the Fort Worth storm in 1995. For more information on this particular storm visit [] (4)



Safety When you are preparing for a severe rain storm you should do a number of different things. The first thing you should do is check out local media for developing storms. Next you should find a safe place to stay and a have a planned way to contact each other. After that you should come up with an alternate plan of communication in case something goes wrong with the first plan. Then you should come up with a plan for transportation if needed and also a back up plan for transportation if something goes wrong with the first plan. The last thing to do to get prepared for a storm is have a 3 day supply of food, water and medical requirements. During a storm somethings you should do consist of: 1. **Stay calm** 2. **Avoid travel and stay in a safe place** 3. If travel is **needed have enough fuel and a vehicle emergency kit** and make sure the you have a **reliable vehicle** 4. Check media for storm and other weather updates. (3) To read this article go to [] Flash floods which can be a product of severe rain storms is number one on the list of weather related deaths in the U.S. Most of these flood deaths deal with some sort of vehicle such as a car. (5) For more information visit []



Sources List all the sources used in proper format (1) Chelsea House Publishers, Weather and Climate. New york NY 10001: Chelsea House Publishers (2) Associated press, Severe Rainstorms Head East as Death Toll From Midwest Floods Hits 22, Fox News, Wednesday, August 22 2007, Tuesday, November 23 2010,[| http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,294027,00.html] (3) "Preparing for a severe rain storm" Wednesday, June 16, 2010. [] (4)The Weather Channel inc.__The Costliest Severe Thunderstorm In U.S. History__ [] 1995. 5 May 1995-2010 (5) "Rain & Floods" []