Extreme Weather for Kids: Lessons and Activities All About Hurricanes, Tornadoes, Blizzards, and More!

Extreme Weather for Kids is a whirlwind ride through the wild world of weather, written in accessible language and complemented by vivid descriptions and imagery.

Designed to harness children’s natural curiosity, this action-packed introduction to meteorology incorporates firsthand accounts from inside Mother Nature’s most dramatic moments. For each phenomenon introduced, explanatory text, informative illustrations, sidebars, and asides allow readers to explore at their own pace. Along with storm-chasing reports and photos from in the field, each chapter includes a step-by-step hands-on activity for engaging with the science.

What is the polar vortex? And why does a disrupted “polar vortex” lead to extreme cold air outbreaks across Europe, Asia, and North America? Among the many “in case you were wondering” questions addressed:
 

• How strong can a hurricane get?
• What’s the biggest tornado to have ever happened?
• How large can hail get?
• Is “thundersnow” real? How does it form?
• How thick is lightning? And how powerful is it?
• Where can I find “fossilized lightning?” 
• Can it snow in the dessert?
• What are “solar storms?”
• What makes the northern (and southern) lights?

Weather is one of the most accessible sciences there is. Everyone experiences it in some way or another, and learning the basics behind it naturally sparks interest in other sciences. That’s why Extreme Weather for Kids also teaches the basic principles of scientific observation, while placing a key emphasis on safety.

Extreme Weather for Kids is sure to awaken the joy of learning—rain or shine.

Matthew Cappucci is an American meteorologist based in Washington, DC. He graduated from Harvard in 2019 with a degree in atmospheric sciences, and works on all platforms creating and delivering forecasts for an audience locally and internationally. He can be found on TV at FOX5 in Washington, DC, writes daily articles for The Washington Post, provides the forecast on WAMU radio, the capital’s NPR affiliate, and produces daily video forecasts in the MyRadar app. He also works as an educational consultant. Outside of work, Matthew is an avid storm chaser and photographer, and drives a custom armored truck into severe thunderstorms in search of tornadoes. (He has lost three windshields in hail the size of baseballs or larger). Matthew can frequently be found hopping on airplanes to travel the world in search of extreme weather, and is excited to share his adventures in Extreme Weather for Kids!

Stephanie Hathaway is a Kansas City–area artist who specializes in creating educational content inspired by our natural world. She believes in using beautiful, dynamic illustrations to make learning about science and nature exciting and accessible to children of all ages. She is guided by the notion that many of life’s valuable lessons can be learned from nature. She hopes that her work will inspire families to explore and learn from the natural world right outside their own door. You can see more of Stephanie’s educational nature-based studies and original artwork at stephaniehathawaydesigns.com.