Areas of severe thunderstorms and excessive rainfall are something to be aware of this week. Dallas's climate is humid with hot summers and mild winters, and the area receives most of its rainfall in the form of thunderstorms, with occasional heavy but brief rains. Thunderstorms occur year-round, but are most common in spring. Unfortunately, catastrophic weather events such as hurricanes, tornados, blizzards and droughts have become more frequent, and scientific evidence points to climate change as a major cause.
These events can be devastating, leading to loss of life and property with an emotional and economic impact on the affected community. It is important to educate students about catastrophic weather events and how they affect all parts of the world. Extreme weather events are defined as those that are in the most unusual ten percent of a location's recorded weather history. The main types of extreme weather include heat waves, cold waves, and tropical cyclones.
The effects of extreme weather events are far-reaching and can be catastrophic. This is reflected in the increase in economic costs, the loss of human life, droughts, floods, landslides and changes in ecosystems.
