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Weather Lab 6-8 / Week 09 / Wednesday
3/6
Week 09 · Storms and Staying Safe

Wednesday

Station Lab: Vortex and safe spot
// Thunderstorms, tornadoes, hurricanes and the family plan
⏱ about 20 min

Wednesday: Station Lab: Vortex and Safe Spot

Rocket holds a clear bottle of water upside down over the sink. The water glugs out in slow, noisy bursts.

"Now watch," he says, refilling it. This time he swirls the bottle before tipping it, and a smooth spinning funnel appears inside.

Raven leans in. "What do you notice about the shape?"

"It is a column," Rocket says. "Narrow at the bottom, wide at the top, and spinning."

Nova circles the bottle once. "A model of a rotating column," she says. "Water instead of air."

Then she dims her lights to a steady blue. "Second experiment. Where is this lab's safe spot, and how fast can we reach it calmly?"

Rocket sets the bottle down. "The storage room, no windows. Let's time it."

Your mission

Part one: make a spinning column of water and measure how spinning changes the way the bottle empties.

Part two: find your home's safe spot and time a calm walk to it from the room you use most.

  • A clear plastic bottle with a cap, about one liter, and water
  • A sink or a large bowl to empty into
  • A clock or timer that shows seconds
  • A small drop of dish soap (optional, it makes the funnel easier to see)
  • Your weather log and a pencil
Safety first
Fill and empty the bottle over a sink or bowl. Wipe up any spills so the floor is not slippery.
Walk, never run, during the safe spot drill. A calm walk is the whole point.
The safe spot drill is practice on a clear day. During a real warning, follow the grown-ups and the plan.
Nothing in this lab is tasted. Wash hands when you finish.
  1. Fill the bottle almost to the top. Hold it upside down over the sink without swirling and start the timer.
  2. Stop the timer when the bottle is empty. Write the time in the table as Trial 1, no swirl.
  3. Refill. This time swirl the bottle in a circle a few times, then hold it upside down and start the timer.
  4. Watch the spinning funnel form. Stop the timer when the bottle is empty. Write the time as Trial 2, swirl.
  5. Repeat each trial once more so you have two times for each method.
  6. Part two: with a grown-up, pick the safe spot. Good choices are a basement, a storm cellar, or an interior room on the lowest floor with no windows.
  7. Start in the room you use most. Walk calmly to the safe spot while a family member times you. Write the time down.
TrialMethodSeconds to emptyWhat the water looked like
1No swirl
2Swirl
3No swirl
4Swirl
PREDICT AND CHECK
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
Before you start: which method do you predict will empty the bottle faster?
The spinning funnel in the bottle is a model of what?
Which room makes the best safe spot?

What the lab shows

The bottle shows that a spinning fluid forms a column with a hollow center. Real tornadoes are columns of spinning air, far larger and driven by a thunderstorm.

The model leaves out almost everything about a real storm. It keeps the one idea you can see: rotation makes a column.

The drill shows something just as useful: how many seconds your family needs to reach safety without rushing.

What the lab showsTrue or false?
Swirling the water made a spinning column with a hollow center.?
A bottle of water is a complete model of a tornado.?
The safe spot is an interior room on the lowest floor, away from windows.?
The drill should be run as fast as possible, even running.?
WHY THIS EXERCISEA model shows one idea clearly. A drill shows one number clearly: your family's time.
Draw the bottle with the spinning funnel inside. Then draw a floor plan of your home with the safe spot marked.

Great lab work. Tomorrow you read real storm data: when tornadoes peak and how a hurricane season unfolds.

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