Top 10 Natural Disasters for Kids

laughs natural disasters for kids 10 of the most common natural disasters are blizzard drought earthquake flood Heat Wave hurricane thunderstorm tornado tsunami and wildfire blizzards are long snowstorms with high winds for three or more hours they are caused by cold air colliding with warm air droughts are another type of natural disaster caused by lack of rain over long period of time human activity like deforestation can lead to droughts next are earthquakes just like the name suggests earthquakes happen when the earth is literally quaking which means shaking they are caused by sudden violent movement of the Earth's crust the magnitude or strength of an earthquake can be minor with the few Tremors or major toppling buildings Bridges and other structures floods happen when there are heavy rains or melting ice and snow that overflow rivers and other bodies of water which then fills or floods an area of dry land with lots of water here is an interesting fact according to the Federal Emergency Management Administration or FEMA for short floods are the most common type of natural disaster in the United States nearly 90 percent of all disasters in the U.S involve flooding have you ever experienced heat wave heat wave isn't your average hot summer day instead it means that there are higher than normal temperatures in region which happens when high pressure in the Earth's atmosphere builds up and holds hot air on the Earth's surface this decreases the chance of rain which can lead to another natural disaster we have already discussed drought hurricanes are giant swirling storms accompanied by severe thunderstorms and high winds up to 160 miles per hour that's over double the speed of car driving down freeway here's an interesting fact hurricanes are also known as typhoons and they only occur during specific times of the year speaking of thunderstorms they are also considered one of the most common natural disasters thunderstorms include lightning high winds and usually heavy rain but not always sometimes thunderstorm might have hail sleet or snow instead these storms happen when there is surge of warm humid air bet you know what this is tornadoes are destructive column of air with wind speeds from 100 to 300 miles per hour there are many shapes and sizes but most appear as funnel when they rotate here's another interesting fact tornadoes can occur over land or the sea ever seen super huge ocean wave tsunamis make those waves look tiny these giant water waves surge onto land and reach Heights of up to hundred feet tsunamis mostly occur in the ocean but can sometimes occur in lakes this is because they are caused by underwater earthquakes the vibrations Cause disruption in the water which causes the huge wave whoa last but not least are wildfires they are dangerous and super unpredictable wildfires include Forest Bush or brush fires wildfires are most often started by man and dry weather and strong winds can cause spreading other natural disasters include landslides and avalanches which can be caused by earthquakes heavy rain or snow or other disasters active volcanoes are also another cause of natural disasters when they erupt and send ash clouds into the air and lava onto the ground hope you had fun learning with us visit us at learnbrite.org for thousands of free resources and TurnKey solutions for teachers and homeschoolers