I find hurricanes one of the most interesting weather topics, personally (Can you guess why?), so today's encyclopedia passage is on hurricanes. Hurricanes Pounding water. Intense wind. Trees fly around you. Cars nearly nail you. Meet hurricane, one extreme storm. Hurricanes form over an ocean, as a cluster of thunderstorms in the tropics. Warm water heats the air, making it rise because of its less density. Cool air fills the space, then it all repeats, creating a low pressure system. Warm air continues to rise, condensing into clouds. As the storm grows, the low-pressure center becomes what is known as the eye. The storm spins clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere, and counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere. This storm is just a tropical storm right now (patience, storm, patience). You see, a tropical storm, which can be formed by a group of thunderstorms over an ocean, isn't a hurricane until it reaches 74 mile per hour winds, which is when it becomes a Category 1. If it reaches that, watch out! |
Hurricanes all have an eye- a center of complete calm, not the human kind. The center is completely different from the rest of the storm- warm, sunny, calm. When the eye passes over, it might seem like the storm has ended, but it becomes all violent again.
What's the enemy of a hurricane, you ask? Land or cold waters. This weakens the hurricane because there is nothing to fuel it, and when it is "defeated", there is a big downpour. Despite this, hurricanes cause quite a lot of damage before they are finished off. Hurricanes can be 2,000 times as wide as tornadoes, reaching 500 miles. Along with their winds wrecking building and such, tornadoes can be created. Double trouble. The wind also pushes enormous waves of water onto the shore called storm surges. Coastal waters can rise as much as 20 feet above normal, meaning one story buildings would be completely underwater. Flooding is a very common result of hurricanes.
Don't panic, coastal people. There are ways to prepare. June - November is the hurricane season for the Atlantic, so meteorologist monitor tropical storms, predicting the path they might take. Watches and warnings will be give over a day in advance, allowing you to act on your storm plan. Your storm plan should included disaster kits of essentials, evacuation plans, and meeting spots.
Nicknames:
- "Typhoon" is what you call hurricanes in the Western pacific
- "Cyclonic storm" is another name for a hurricane
- "Willy-willies" are what hurricanes are called in Australia.
The Name Game
All hurricanes are given names when they begin as a tropical storm; it used to be only girl names until 1979, and now it's both. Names are given to keep track of the hurricane. The first storm of the season is given an A name, and so on. Only when the tropical storm becomes a hurricane does it keep its name. Q, U, X, Y, Z aren't used, and if they run out of letters, meteorologists use Greek letters.
The Hurricane Hall of Fame
Step right up and see the Hurricane Hall of Fame! It's free. First up, see Hurricane Andrew. This fellow was one of the costliest natural disasters in the history of the U.S. At the dawn of August 24, 1992, Andrew hit Florida, staying there for two days before going into Louisiana. Yes siree, this fellow caused an awful lot of damage- more than $30 billion, though not many lives were lost. Andrew (or at least his name) has been retired.
Oh! Here is our star attraction: Hurricane Katrina. Yes, yes, the infamous Katrina. She landed on August 29, 2005, around the Mississippi and Louisiana border. And wasn't she destructive! Katrina destroyed places worth billions of dollars with her 8 foot storm surges and 200 kilometer an hour winds. New Orleans suffered the most; the levees didn't work, and soon 80% of the city was underwater. Thousands were stranded for days in the city. By the summer of 2007, there was only half the population there had been before the hurricane. Katrina has also retired (her name, to be exact.)
What's the enemy of a hurricane, you ask? Land or cold waters. This weakens the hurricane because there is nothing to fuel it, and when it is "defeated", there is a big downpour. Despite this, hurricanes cause quite a lot of damage before they are finished off. Hurricanes can be 2,000 times as wide as tornadoes, reaching 500 miles. Along with their winds wrecking building and such, tornadoes can be created. Double trouble. The wind also pushes enormous waves of water onto the shore called storm surges. Coastal waters can rise as much as 20 feet above normal, meaning one story buildings would be completely underwater. Flooding is a very common result of hurricanes.
Don't panic, coastal people. There are ways to prepare. June - November is the hurricane season for the Atlantic, so meteorologist monitor tropical storms, predicting the path they might take. Watches and warnings will be give over a day in advance, allowing you to act on your storm plan. Your storm plan should included disaster kits of essentials, evacuation plans, and meeting spots.
Nicknames:
- "Typhoon" is what you call hurricanes in the Western pacific
- "Cyclonic storm" is another name for a hurricane
- "Willy-willies" are what hurricanes are called in Australia.
The Name Game
All hurricanes are given names when they begin as a tropical storm; it used to be only girl names until 1979, and now it's both. Names are given to keep track of the hurricane. The first storm of the season is given an A name, and so on. Only when the tropical storm becomes a hurricane does it keep its name. Q, U, X, Y, Z aren't used, and if they run out of letters, meteorologists use Greek letters.
The Hurricane Hall of Fame
Step right up and see the Hurricane Hall of Fame! It's free. First up, see Hurricane Andrew. This fellow was one of the costliest natural disasters in the history of the U.S. At the dawn of August 24, 1992, Andrew hit Florida, staying there for two days before going into Louisiana. Yes siree, this fellow caused an awful lot of damage- more than $30 billion, though not many lives were lost. Andrew (or at least his name) has been retired.
Oh! Here is our star attraction: Hurricane Katrina. Yes, yes, the infamous Katrina. She landed on August 29, 2005, around the Mississippi and Louisiana border. And wasn't she destructive! Katrina destroyed places worth billions of dollars with her 8 foot storm surges and 200 kilometer an hour winds. New Orleans suffered the most; the levees didn't work, and soon 80% of the city was underwater. Thousands were stranded for days in the city. By the summer of 2007, there was only half the population there had been before the hurricane. Katrina has also retired (her name, to be exact.)
Pictured left is Hurricane Katrina, who wins the Most Damage Award (going by costs) with her 81.2 billion beating Andrew.
Continuing with the Hall of Fame:
- Bhola cycle in Bangladesh is the deadliest hurricane with 300,000 killed
- Typhoon Tip in 1979 is the strongest with 192 mph winds'
- Hurricane John in 1994 is longest-lasting hurricane with the record of 31 days
I hope you enjoyed that encyclopedia passage (though it is early). More will be posted on hurricanes tomorrow!
Continuing with the Hall of Fame:
- Bhola cycle in Bangladesh is the deadliest hurricane with 300,000 killed
- Typhoon Tip in 1979 is the strongest with 192 mph winds'
- Hurricane John in 1994 is longest-lasting hurricane with the record of 31 days
I hope you enjoyed that encyclopedia passage (though it is early). More will be posted on hurricanes tomorrow!
Sources:
"Weather" by Dan Green, Basher Basics
"Twisters and Other Terrible Storms" by Will and Mary Pope Osborne, Magic Tree House Research Guide
"Hurricanes" BrainPOP
"Weather" by Dan Green, Basher Basics
"Twisters and Other Terrible Storms" by Will and Mary Pope Osborne, Magic Tree House Research Guide
"Hurricanes" BrainPOP