STORMS Hurricane –A low-pressure tropical storm that develops in the North Atlantic and Eastern North Pacific Tornado –One of the smallest, yet most violent, storm types Thunderstorm –Disturbance caused by cold front, thunder and lightning occur

HURRICANE Form over ocean between 5 & 15º N & S of the equator Counter- clockwise spin Winds must be over 74 mph; storm surgestorm surge Named alphabetically with alternating male and female names Move 3-25 mph; 600 miles wide

Origin of the word hurricane The word hurricane is derived from the name of a native Caribbean Amerindian storm god, Huracan, via Spanish huracán. Huracan: Mayan god of wind, storm, and fire

The Names of Hurricanes 1953, Atlantic tropical storms have been named from lists originated by the National Hurricane Center. Now maintained & updated by an international committee of the World Meteorological Organization Original name lists featured only women's names. In 1979, men's names were introduced Six lists are used in rotation. Thus, the 2005 list will be used again in 2011.

Hurricane Names for 2007 & Andrea Barry Chantal Dean Erin Felix Gabrielle Humberto Ingrid Jerry Karen Lorenzo Melissa Noel Olga Pablo Rebekah Sebastien Tanya Van Wendy Arthur Bertha Cristobal Dolly Edouard Fay Gustav Hanna Ike Josephine Kyle Laura Marco Nana Omar Paloma Rene Sally Teddy Vicky Wilfred

Hurricane Formation

Hurricane Symbol

Satellite Images of Hurricanes: Andrew

Hurricane Hugo

Hurricane Ivan

Hurricane Katrina

The Saffir-Simpson Scale Tropical Storm Winds mph Category 1 Hurricane — winds mph No real damage to buildings. Damage to unanchored mobile homes. Some damage to poorly constructed signs. Also, some coastal flooding and minor pier damage. - Examples: Irene 1999 and Allison 1995

Category 2 Hurricane — winds mph Some damage to building roofs, doors and windows. Considerable damage to mobile homes. Flooding damages piers and small craft in unprotected moorings may break their moorings. Some trees blown down. - Examples: Bonnie 1998, Georges (FL & LA) 1998 and Gloria 1985

Category 3 Hurricane — winds mph –Some structural damage to small residences and utility buildings. Large trees blown down. Mobile homes and poorly built signs destroyed. Flooding near the coast destroys smaller structures with larger structures damaged by floating debris. Terrain may be flooded well inland. - Examples: Keith 2000, Fran 1996, Opal 1995, Alicia 1983 and Betsy 1965

Category 4 Hurricane — winds mph More extensive curtain wall failures with some complete roof structure failure on small residences. Major erosion of beach areas. Terrain may beflooded well inland. - Examples: Hugo 1989 and Donna 1960

Category 5 Hurricane — winds 156 mph and up Complete roof failure on many residences and industrial buildings. Some complete building failures with small utility buildings blown over or away. Flooding causes major damage to lower floors of all structures near the shoreline. Massive evacuation of residential areas may be required. - Examples: Katrina, 2005; Andrew(FL) 1992, Camille 1969 & Labor Day 1935

Rate that hurricane: It has wind speeds of 76 mph. What category is it? This storm has wind speeds of 105 mph. What category is it? A hurricane with winds of 125 mph. What category is it?

It has wind speeds of 134 mph. What category is it? This storm has wind speeds of 154 mph. What category is it? A hurricane with winds of 175mph. What category is it?

TORNADO Spiraling funnel cloud Form along cold fronts Very unpredictable Winds can exceed 500 mph inside tornado Mostly occur in spring

Rating Tornados The Fujita Scale is used to rate the intensity of a tornado by examining the damage caused by the tornado after it has passed over a man-made structure. Named for the Japanese scientist Dr. Ted Fujita that established the scale in 1971 at the University of Chicago.

Fujita Tornado Damage Scale SCALEWIND ESTIMATE *** (MPH)TYPICAL DAMAGE F0: mph: Light damage. Some damage to chimneys; branches broken off trees; shallow-rooted trees pushed over; sign boards damaged. F1: mph: Moderate damage. Peels surface off roofs; mobile homes pushed off foundations or overturned; moving autos blown off roads. F2: mph: Considerable damage. Roofs torn off frame houses; mobile homes demolished; boxcars overturned; large trees snapped or uprooted; light-object missiles generated; cars lifted off ground.

Fujita Tornado Damage Scale F3: mph: Severe damage. Roofs and some walls torn off well-constructed houses; trains overturned; most trees in forest uprooted; heavy cars lifted off the ground and thrown. F4: mph: Devastating damage. Well-constructed houses leveled; structures with weak foundations blown away some distance; cars thrown and large missiles generated. F5: mph: Incredible damage. Strong frame houses leveled off foundations and swept away; automobile-sized missiles fly through the air in excess of 100 meters (109 yds); trees debarked; incredible phenomena will occur.

Fujita Tornado Damage Scale *** IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT F- SCALE WINDS: Do not use F-scale winds literally. These precise wind speed numbers are actually guesses and have never been scientifically verified. Different wind speeds may cause similar-looking damage from place to place -- even from building to building.

Rate that tornado It has winds of 65 mph, what does it rate on the Fujita Scale? It has winds of 98 mph, what does it rate on the Fujita Scale? It has winds of 135 mph, what does it rate on the Fujita Scale? It has winds of 175 mph, what does it rate on the Fujita Scale?

Rate that tornado It has winds of 199 mph, what does it rate on the Fujita Scale? It has winds of 212 mph, what does it rate on the Fujita Scale? It has winds of 245 mph, what does it rate on the Fujita Scale? It has winds of 315 mph, what does it rate on the Fujita Scale?

THUNDERSTORM Caused by a cold front Strong winds, hail, lightning, heavy rain, possible tornadic activity & flooding Are usually over quickly

Lightning Lightning is a large electrical discharge that occurs between two oppositely charged surfaces.

Lightning Facts Lightning can heat the air to 33,000ºC, more than 5 times the temperature of the sun’s surface. It has an average of 50,000 volts of electricity.

What Can Lightning Tell You About the Weather? The color of lightning can indicate atmospheric conditions. Blue = hail Red = rain Yellow or orange = dust White = low humidity

When Lightning Hits a Tree Trees sometimes explode when struck by lightning. Why? Lightning causes the sap in tree to vaporize (turn from a liquid to gas). The steam expands rapidly as it is heated, causing the tree to explode.

Bibliography: Many thanks to these great resources

Storm surgesurge Deep water Shallow water Coastlinecoastline