A derecho is a large group of winds that come with storms or showers that move quickly. Derecho comes from a Spanish word that means straight or direct. People have used the word derecho to describe strong winds that move in a straight line.
This is different from tornadoes, which are made up of twisted currents. Most Derechos happen in the summer, especially in June and July, and can occur either during the day or at night.
Table of Contents
How Derecho Storms Form
Derechos begin with thunderstorms, which allow warm fronts to get ahead of cold fronts. Because of this, a mesoscale convective system (MCS) is formed in the upper divergence level of the wind pattern.
The winds come from the east and move toward the equator, where it is warm.
They move in the same way as the lines of low-level thickness. Squall lines happen when strong convections lead to a rise in pressure, which makes the pressure rise.
Derechos are lines of storms that can look like spearheads or bows. This is why they are also called spearhead radar echoes or bow echoes.
Different Derechos are used in the winter and summer. In the Northern Hemisphere, the cold seasons are marked by Derechos, winds that blow from the south to the west.
Also See: Ecological Regions Of Mauritania
They form in the middle levels of the troposphere when there is low or moderate instability in the air.
On the other hand, Derechos are caused by north-west winds in the intermediate levels of the troposphere during the warm season. Derecho storms start with small amounts of moisture and low to moderate instability.
Different Kinds of Derechos
There are four types of Derechos: the serial derecho, the progressive derecho, the hybrid derecho, and the low dewpoint derecho.
There are single-bow Derechos and Derechos with more than one bow. The National Weather Service defines a derecho as a windstorm with speeds up to 90 km/h lasting about six hours. The time between two winds is between two and three hours, and their forward speeds are getting faster and faster.
Where Derechos cause the most damage
Some places that get Derechos in the summer are the Ohio Valley and the Midwest of the United States. Derechos happen in the middle of summer in northwestern Ontario and Manitoba.
During this time, derecho storms also occur in Michigan, Minnesota, and North Dakota. Derecho winds also happen in other parts of the world, like Bangladesh and Brazil, especially in the Amazon Basin.
What Effects Do Derechos Have?
Derecho storms, unlike tornadoes, happen quickly because you can’t hear them coming. Because of this, they can have harmful effects.
Intense derecho storms could cut power lines. When the derecho storm hit Chicago in 2011, it cut power to tens of thousands of people. When derecho winds start, they are so strong that they make it hard to move and talk. People can die because of a derecho.