Hurricanes: Forces of Nature By Stacy Bodin

Introduction to hurricanes Hurricanes are the planet’s most ferocious storms. They are known as cyclones in Australia and typhoons in southeast Asia. They bring massive waves and wind speeds that can gust up to 186 mph. Hurricanes are not the normal storms created when cold and warm fronts collide.

A hurricane can last for weeks and travel many thousands of miles. Birth of a Hurricane A hurricane is made up of bands of thunderclouds that spin around a clear, still center called the eye. Winds blowing across the warm seas close to the equator suck up heat and water vapor to form the storms that produce hurricanes. The swirling mass of thunderclouds is set spinning by the rotation of the earth and by winds from the poles A hurricane can last for weeks and travel many thousands of miles.

What is a hurricane? A hurricane is a very destructive and dangerous storm. It forms in stages. The hurricanes are filled with rain, strong winds, lightning, thunder, hail and tornadoes. In these storms, when the winds range from 35 to 54 miles an hour, it is called a tropical depression. When the winds are from 55 to 74 miles an hour then it is called a tropical storm. When it reaches 75 miles an hour, it is called a hurricane. Hurricanes rotate counterclockwise in the northern hemisphere and clockwise in the southern hemisphere.

What is a hurricane? A hurricane is a very destructive and dangerous storm. Hurricanes start out as Thunderstorms When the wind increases to from 35 to 54 miles an hour, it is called a tropical depression. When the winds are from 55 to 74 miles an hour then it is called a tropical storm. When it reaches 75 miles an hour, it is called a hurricane. Hurricanes rotate counterclockwise in the northern hemisphere and clockwise in the southern hemisphere.

What is eye of a hurricane? While some hurricanes, are small, others can be quite large. Hurricanes are mighty storms. In the center of a hurricane is an eye. Ironically, the eye is actually a calm area in a hurricane.

What is eye of a hurricane? The eye of a hurricane is actually a calm area.

How do hurricanes travel? Hurricanes have “paths” in which they travel and move at different speeds over water and land. Once they hit land, they do slow down and weaken. Warm water “feeds” the hurricane and helps them grow larger and stronger. When hurricanes make “landfall” they have entered land a certain area. Due to the fact that they are huge storms, the areas surrounding landfall are also affected.

How do hurricanes travel? Warm water “feeds” the hurricane and helps them grow larger and stronger. Once they hit land, they do slow down and weaken.

What’s in a name? Hurricanes are named now, In the West Indies for hundreds of years they were often named after the particular saint’s day on which the hurricane occurred. During World War II, they practiced using women’s names for the storms. In 1951 the United States adopted a plan to name storms by a phonetic alphabet (Able, Baker, Charlie), but found it confusing. From 1953 until 1978, the nation’s weather services used female names. In 1979, both male and female names were included in lists for the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico. You can read more about this here!

How do they measure hurricanes? Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale Category Wind speed (mph) Storm surge (feet) 5 156 More than18 4 131–155 13–18 3 111–130 9–12 2 96–110 6–8 1 74–95 4–5 Additional classifications Tropical storm 39–73 0–3 Tropical depression 0–38

Hurricanes in the United States

Where have hurricanes made landfall in the United States? In the next few slides, you will see the hurricanes which have made “landfall” in the US. Hurricanes have made landfall in other countries as well. These slides however show only US Hurricanes. Note: These maps do not include Tropical Storms or Tropical Depressions, just Hurricanes.) Can you find the hurricanes which may have hit your state?

1901-1920 US Hurricanes NOAA Map

1921-1940 US Hurricanes NOAA Map

1941-1960 US Hurricanes NOAA Map

NOAA Map

Hurricane Trivia: Deadliest Storm The Galveston Hurricane of 1900 made landfall on the city of Galveston, Texas on September 8, 1900. It had estimated winds of 135 mph (215 km/h) at landfall, making it a Category 4 storm on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. Picture and information Source: Galveston Hurricane of 1900 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia During he 1900 Storm: Galveston, Texas, 6,000 people died and it destroyed the city. See Galveston Photos.

Hurricane Trivia: Costliest Storm Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was the costliest hurricane. The total damage from Katrina is estimated at $81.2 billion Information from Wikipedia Animated photo from CIMSS

Has technology changed hurricane situations? Think about this. How do you think technology has changed Hurricane awareness and safety? The map on the left is a map from Hurricane Hilda in 1964. The map on the right is a map of Hurricane Rita in 2005. If the technology now available had existed for the 1900 Galveston Hurricane, could the outcome have been different? How? Why? Explain your answer to the class or write a paragraph about it.

The End Photos from the NOAA and CIMSS Sites. Sources sited include Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia