Course Info: Storm Hazards Generator

Storm Hazards Generator

Course Description

Can you make a thunderstorm? How about with hail? With strong winds?

Give it a try using a new interactive model, the “Storm Hazards Generator,” from the COMET Program. Learners are challenged to set just the right combinations of humidity, surface temperature, and upper-tropospheric temperature ingredients needed for a severe storm to develop.

Intended Audience 

This 15-minute interactive allows introductory undergraduate students — or any science enthusiast with little or no background in meteorology — to discover how changing surface temperatures and humidity can affect overall storm intensity and lead to lightning and other significant hazards, including hail, particularly intense rain, or strong winds. Learners may also take a pre-assessment and quiz to test their proficiency with this topic.  

Publication Date

May 27, 2025

Comments or Questions? 

We welcome any comments or questions you may have regarding the content, instructional approach, or use of this interactive model, pre-assessment, and quiz. Please email your comments or questions to Amy Stevermer (asteverm@ucar.edu). For technical support, please visit our Registration and Support FAQs.