Heavy Weather - FULL SET

HEAVY WEATHER SEEKS TO DESCRIBE TWO POWERFUL METEOROLOGICAL PHENOMENON THAT CAN CAUSE MUCH DAMAGE AND DISCOMFORT TO HUMANS - A HEAT WAVE AND A SUPERCELL. RATHER THAN SIMPLY DESRIBING HOW ONE MAY BE AFFECTED BY A FIRST HAND EXPERIENCE WITH ONE OF THESE WEATHER EVENTS, HEAVY WEATHER ATTEMPTS TO DEPICT THE ACTUAL NATURAL PROCESSES INVOLVED.
 
THE FIRST MOVEMENT, "HEAT WAVE," DESRIBES A HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEM THAT SLOWLY BUILDS OVER A LARGE AREA OF THE COUNTRYSIDE. AS THE HIGH PRESSURE STRENGTHENS, WARM AIR (WHICH NATURALLY HAS THE TENDENCY TO RISE) IS TRAPPED CLOSE TO GROUND LEVEL. AS THE HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEM STALLS, THE MASS OF WARM AIR BUILDS, AND THE TEMPERATURE ON THE GROUND SOARS TO UNBEARABLE EXTREMES.
WHEREAS A HEAT WAVE IS A RESULT OF AN OVERLY STABLE ATMOSPHERE, A SUPERCELL IS A PRODUCT OF A HIGHLY UNSTABLE ATMOSPHERE. WHEN A COLD DRY AIR MASS COLLIDES WITH A WARM MOIST AIR MASS, SUPERCELLS CAN FORM. COMPARED TO A NORMAL THUNDERSTORM, A SUPERCELL IS MUCH MORE SEVERE AND LONGER-LIVED. AS THE THUNDERHEADS BUILD DARKER AND HIGHER, AN UPWARDLY ROTATING COLUMN OF AIR (CALLED THE "UPDRAFT") FORMS. THE UPDRAFT IS RESOPNSIBLE FOR THE FORMATION OF HAIL, AND ULTIMATELY IS INSTRUMENTAL IN THE FORMATION OF ONE OF THE MOST TERRIFYING FORCES OF NATURE, THE TORNADO. AS THE STORM GROWS MORE AND MORE POWERFUL AND DESTRUCTIVE, IT BECOMES CLEAR THAT, WHILE MAN CAN CONTROL MANY THINGS IN THIS WORLD, THE WEATHER REMAINS OUT OF OUR GRASP. THE PIECE ENDS AS IT BEGAN AS THE STORM SLOWLY DISSIPATES. TENUOUS STABILITY RETURNS TO THE ATMOSPHERE . . .