disturbance of the ordinary conditions of the atmosphere attended by wind, rain, snow, sleet, hail, or thunder and lightning. Types of storms include the extratropical cyclone , the common, large-scale storm of temperate latitudes; the tropical cyclone, or hurricane , which is somewhat smaller in area than the former and accompanied by high winds and heavy rains; the tornado , or “twister,” a small but intense storm with very high winds, usually of limited duration; and the thunderstorm , local in nature and accompanied by brief but heavy rain showers and often by hail. The term storm is also applied to blizzards , sandstorms , and dust storms, in which high wind is the dominant meteorological element. A storm surge , sometimes called a tidal wave, is a flood of ocean or lake water that occurs in areas subject to tropical storms and bordering on shallow waters, but any strong low-pressure system in a coastal area, such as a northeaster along the Atlantic coast of North America, may…