NATURE RISKS

General Information

The USA especially the dry regions are known for its mass of nature catastrophes as it is the country with the most tornados and hurricanes. Not only the nature catastrophes but also the heath and fires that are side effects of the climate change can be harmful and risky.

Snow blizzards

In winter one of the most dangerous nature catastrophes is the snow blizzard. This nature catastrophe is rare and mainly occurs in the Northern part of the USA and if your road trip leads you through the North you also have to inform yourself about the weather conditions especially in the coldest winter months Snow blizzards can be as big as a few US states and also come up when it is not snowing. The so called ground blizzards are caused by wind blowing through the powder snow and creates the massive snowstorm that can have a duration of 3 hours. Snow Blizzards move with approximately 35 miles per hour and hinder your sight since a mass of snow is swirled around by the fast wind. ´

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Hurricanes

If you visit the USA you have to take into consideration that especially the south is in danger of coming across Hurricanes. Hurricanes are big storms that occur over warm water( at least 27 degrees) and spin around themselves. The hurricane gets smaller if it hits land but it is still dangers as it spins around itself with a speed of approximately 370 miles per hour. You can avoid an encounter with a hurricane by visiting the Us not at the so called Hurricane season (The time from 1 of June till 30 of November where the Hurricanes occur as the water is warmer)

Wildefires

If you visit the State California in the hottest summer months you might come across wildfires that are increasing with the climate change. The fires are caused by lack of rain that leads to a dried-out vegetation that lits itself on fire. The wildfires spread with a speed of 14.29 miles per hour and are really hard to extinguish. Since they spread very fast they not only cause a lot of damage but also are really dangerous and life-threatening. So we would recommend not doing a hike in the woods of California in the summer months or at least inform yourself about the weather conditions so you can prevent yourself from these dangerous wildfires.

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Tornados

These winds have the highest speeds ever measured on earth. They not only occur over land but also over water and are called water spirals. Tornados are winds that have a short duration but can destroy a lot in a short time. These winds destroy everything in their way with a speed of 300 miles. They mostly occur during thunderstorms or superscellstroms (really strong Thunderstorms). Tornados can happen in every US state but if your roadtrip leads you through the middle of the US that has the nickname ``Tornado Ally ‘since a big amount of the tornados occurs in that area you should inform yourself if there are any tornado warnings. If you find yourself coming across a tornado whilst traveling make sure you are indoors, that you are at the lowest floor of the building and that windows and doors are closed. Also follow the safety instructions from the staff of your accommodation in case of any occurring nature catastrophe.

Dust devil

The dessert winds can have an altitude of a few meters to over a 1000 and are a form of tornados that mainly occur in dry areas and dessert of the USA like Nevada or Arizona. If you roadtrip leads through these states you might experience a dust devil a settle tornado that swirls around the sand in a dessert. Dust devils are not as dangerous as Tornadoes and they normally they will not cause a lot of damage but they are still a nature catastrophe which is worth looking out for.

http/wiki/Dust_devil