INTRODUCTION
The term “hurricane” is a name given to violent storms that originate over the tropical or subtropical waters of the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, or North Pacific Ocean. Hurricanes need warm tropical oceans, moisture and light winds above them in order to maintain themselves active. Those storms other than the ones considered typhoons are known as tropical cyclones, which is the general name for all such storms including hurricanes and typhoons. Hurricanes are named based on certain aspects and location of where they first originate. With just the right conditions lasting long enough, a hurricane can cause violent winds, incredible waves crashing against shorelines, torrential rains and floods that produce great damage to properties and human life.
HOW HURRICANES FORM
Tropical cyclones form and grow in warm ocean water as a collection of storms in the tropic, receiving their energy from latent heat. Hurricanes and other tropical cyclones begin as clusters of showers and thunderstorms. When one of these showers becomes organized with its winds making a complete circle around the center, a tropical depression is formed. “The deepening low-pressure center takes in moist air and thermal energy from the ocean while simultaneously the high pressure higher in the atmosphere pushes it outward” ( Longshore 1). As the clouds turn into a tight curl, the depression becomes a tropical storm. Due to low central pressure air spiraling cyclonically, the diameter of what is known as the “eye” of the hurricane is anywhere from ten to twenty miles. Hurricanes and tropical cyclones form, maintain their strength, and grow only when they are over ocean water that is approximately 27°C (80°F). This type of warmth causes large amounts of water to evaporate, making the air very humid. Since water is slow to warm up and cool down, oceans do not become warm enough for tropical cyclones to occur in the spring. When hurricanes start to get weak and die out as they move over colder water or land, they can still remain dangerous as they slow down and weaken
CHARACTERISTICS OF HURRICANES
Hurricane-force winds coming from a large, strong storm may be felt over an area with a diameter of more than 60 miles. The diameter of the area affected by gale winds and torrential rain can extend another 120 miles outward from the eye of the storm. The diameter of...
... middle of paper ...
...agement officials.
CONCLUSION
Hurricanes unfortunately occur between June 1st and November 30th with no human control over them. Hurricanes tend to form in warm, humid, and moist water and travel from east to west. To track such storms, the Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale which determines the strength of a hurricanes’ winds and rain is used. It tends to be the most accurate. The National Hurricane Center is the main forecast center for storms that originate over the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico, and the northeastern Pacific Ocean. In addition, The World Meteorological Organization’s Western Hemisphere Hurricane Committee selects hurricane names, using alternating men’s and women’s names in English, Spanish, and French in alphabetical order. The National Hurricane Center determines a hurricane watch if the storm could hit within 36 hours or less and advises everyone to stay indoors and off the streets as much possible. All in all, hurricanes are not something to be proud off or be upset at because of the damages it causes, but just realize that it’s Mother Nature’s creation and nobody can control or stop a hurricane once it has created a path.
In this essay, the author
- Describes the term "hurricane" as a name given to violent storms that originate over tropical or subtropical waters of the atlantic ocean, caribbean sea, gulf of mexico, or north pacific ocean.
- Explains that tropical cyclones form and grow in warm ocean water as a collection of storms in the tropics, receiving their energy from latent heat.
- Explains that the national hurricane center began naming tropical storms and hurricanes in 1950. the wmo's western hemisphere hurricane committee selects hurricane names.
- Explains that hurricanes occur between june 1st and november 30th with no human control over them. the national hurricane center is the main forecast center for storms that originate over the atlantic ocean, caribbean sea, gulf of mexico, and northeastern pacific ocean.
- Explains that hurricane-force winds are felt over an area with a diameter of more than 60 miles. hurricanes originate in the tropics and move generally east to west, steered by global-scale winds.
- Explains that the national hurricane center is part of the u.s. national weather service and is the main forecast center for storms that originate over the atlantic ocean, caribbean sea, gulf of mexico, and northeastern pacific ocean.
- Recommends that residents of hurricane-prone areas, such as the entire u.s. atlantic and gulf of mexico coasts, begin preparing before the hurricane season starts.
Related
- explanatory
- analytical
- argumentative
- comparative
- Hurricane Floydexplanatory essayA hurricane is easily the most powerful storm that mother-nature can throw at us. Every year people who live on the coasts fight hurricanes with no dismay. A hurricane is simply too strong. Their winds reach speeds of 75 mph. The winds around the eye wall can reach 130 to 150 mph. They are 200 to 300 miles in diameter. The number of casualties is endless, as well as the widespread destruction that takes millions of dollars to repair. Even if the hurricane doesn’t cause a lot of damage, the storm surge will. Storm surge is the great tidal waves that crash into our coasts and make huge floods that are caused by hurricanes.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that a hurricane is the most powerful storm that mother-nature can throw at us. the number of casualties is endless, and the widespread destruction that takes millions of dollars to repair.
- Explains that hurricanes are extremely large areas of low pressure that are over the ocean in either the north atlantic ocean, or the eastern north pacific ocean.
- Explains that hurricanes form over the ocean. easterly waves are long, narrow regions of low pressure which occur in ocean winds called trade winds.
- Explains that the national weather service is constantly trying to provide us with data and other information about when and where hurricanes are forming.
- Explains that meteorologists keep a close watch on the atlantic and the pacific oceans throughout the hurricane season. they track monster storms with airplanes, satellites and radar.
- Explains that warm ocean water fuels and powers a hurricane, which dies when it ends up over cool oceans.
- Explains that hurricane floyd became a tropical depression on september 7th. it was located in the atlantic ocean at 14.6 degrees north and 46.2 degrees west.
- Explains that hurricane floyd headed straight towards florida. warnings were in excess and over one million people were forced to leave their homes and travel away from the path of this monster storm.
- Compares how hurricane floyd and hurricane andrew had similar characteristics at the beginning of their lives.
- Explains that the world meteorological organization came up with a better, and more scientific way of naming hurricanes. the atlantic basin was assigned six lists, one for each year.
- Explains that no hurricane season has had more than 21 hurricanes since the naming system was started. the 1996 and 1997 lists are based on a 1,001 baby name book purchased by gil clark.
- Explains that each hurricane region has names that are the same flavor as the region that they are in.
- Explains that hurricanes were named after saints in the 19th century, and after wives and girlfriends of meteorologists during world war ii. they use people names rather than locations to keep track of storms.
1256 wordsRead More - Hurricaneexplanatory essayA hurricane is a tropical cyclone, with winds that reaches over 74 miles per hour. In the Southern Hemisphere a hurricane circulates clockwise, and in the Northern Hemisphere it circulates counterclockwise. Hurricanes usually occur during the summer and fall seasons because that is when the water temperature is at its warmest. There are various stages that a hurricane goes through to become one and there are also various ways to track down a hurricane too.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that hurricanes are tropical cyclones with winds that reach over 74 miles per hour. they usually occur during the summer and fall seasons because the water temperature is at its warmest.
- Explains that a tropical disturbance consists of clouds, showers, and thunderstorms that remain intact for twenty-four hours or more.
- Explains that the second stage of a hurricane is called the tropical depression, where the open circulation closes, and the winds speed pick up to thirty-eight miles per hour.
- Explains that a tropical storm form when the wind speed intensified to thirty-nine miles per hour to seventy-three miles an hour.
- Explains that hurricanes are the earth's strongest tropical cyclones, which can cause a significant amount of damage.
- Explains that satellites can track down hurricanes by taking photos, which help meteorologists gather information by predicting where the hurricane is heading.
- Explains that the doppler radar is another way that meteorologists can track down a hurricane. it is 200 to 250 mile distance radar coverage.
- Explains that the national oceanic and atmospheric administration (noaa) is a station that warns people about the hurricane and helps people keep track of what is going on.
- Explains that a hurricane has four stages to its development: tropical disturbance, tropical depression, and finally the hurricane. back then, tracking hurricanes was difficult due to lack of technology.
606 wordsRead More - What Is Hurricane Sandy Essayanalytical essayA hurricane is a low pressure area that forms over a warm ocean in the early summer and in the early fall and. the two biggest factors of causes of a hurricane is water and moist air because the water surface rises and then gets mixed with cooler air to condense and form storm clouds. When a hurricane starts in the Atlantic it starts when a thunderstorm off the west coast of Africa drifts up towards the Atlantic. A minimum distance of at least 500km, from the equator, is needed because it is too humid near the equator for a hurricane to start.so that’s why hurricanes form above the equator it where it’s cooler. Wherever the hurricane forms (on the water) it needs to be at least 80 degrees Fahrenheit (the water), that’s how you get water vapor which, because the water is warm, which powers the hurricane (the water vapor releases latent heat of condensation to power the hurricane).the water vapor acts like a fuel source. Strong winds also play a big role in causing a hurricane because it helps bring up more water vapor. These winds also spiral inwards so the hurricane canes get its spiraling motion. Th...
In this essay, the author
- Explains that hurricane sandy struck the heart of new york, demolished more than 300,000 homes, left them homeless, and confirmed 285 deaths.
- Explains the causes of a hurricane, which are water and moist air. strong winds and saltwater create stronger, destructible hurricanes.
- Explains how to prepare for a hurricane by watching the weather channel and buying extra food.
- Analyzes the long and short term effects of hurricane sandy on new york.
747 wordsRead More - Hurricane Alertness Essayexplanatory essayHurricanes are large storms that form over warm ocean water and moist air. These storms are usually pushed toward a landmass by winds blowing in a particular direction. For instance, the trade winds will blow hurricanes toward the United States coast. Over the past hundred and fifty years, the United States has made changes for how these storms are detected and tracked. These advances help protect human lives and property. This is how hurricane alertness has changed.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that hurricanes are large storms that form over warm ocean water and moist air. they are usually pushed toward a landmass by winds blowing toward the united states coast.
- Explains that the first advance in hurricane awareness occurred in 1898, and president mckinley ordered the weather bureau to establish hurricane warning networks in the west indies.
- Explains that galveston was struck by a hurricane on sept 8th 1900 and was considered the deadliest hurricane in american history.
- Explains that the united states began to see additional advances in hurricane awareness shortly after the galveston tragedy.
- Explains that communication by radio became more common as the united states advanced into the 1930’s and began seeing a regular weather forecast.
- Explains that radar was first studied and invented by robert watson watt and arnold wilkins (duda). it was originally developed for detecting aircraft during world war ii and not for weather monitoring.
- Explains that the first weather satellite launched into space was called tiros i. it was a success and sent images back during its 78-day cycle.
- Explains that the tragedy of galveston, tx was a perfect example of why advances in technology are important.
- Explains that hurricane alertness was due to the traffic issues caused by hurricane floyd's coastal intimidation. advance warning prevented longer traffic jams.
- Explains how to address traffic issues during mass evacuations, such as reverse traffic and head-on collisions if people don't pay attention to the alert.
- Explains that hurricane alertness was very important for preserving life during these massive storms. comparing the hurricane that struck galveston, tx to hurricane floyd strikes north carolina shows that the system does work.
1481 wordsRead More - The Natural Causes Of Hurricane Katrinaexplanatory essayHurricanes are born over the warm waters of tropical oceans and are formed by a low-pressure system caused by the heating of water. The heat causes the air to rise and form lower pressures in a feedback loop, making the hurricane stronger. Heavy rain results from a condensation of water and strong winds develop from warm air rushing to the eye of the hurricane. Essentially, greater storms and winds occur when the hurricane feeds of the rising temperature of the water. In addition, researchers studied disturbances and intense thunderstorms in the atmosphere over Western Africa and believe they are partly to blame for extreme hurricanes affecting the United States and Canada. While these are all the main ingredients of a perfectly natural process, they were not the primary causes of the damage done by Hurricane
In this essay, the author
- Explains that when certain states and cities are at risk of a natural disaster, government and state officials form proper evacuation plans and ensure structures are made to prevent potential damages.
- Describes how the damage left by hurricane katrina was a true sight of horror. thousands of residents in new orleans were evacuated and took shelter in the earlier mentioned superdome.
- Explains that hurricane katrina was one of the greatest and most destructive natural disasters recorded to make landfall in the united states.
- Explains that new orleans felt the biggest effect of hurricane katrina. communication failures were one of the major problems, and the final death toll was 1,836 people.
993 wordsRead More - Causes And Impacts Of Hurricane Katrinaexplanatory essayHurricanes are one of the most powerful and vastly devastating forces of nature mankind has come to seen. These storms can pack sustain winds in excess of 75 miles per hour and in rare cases can exceed 175 miles per hour sustain winds. While these storms typically lose strength as they move over land the devastation left by them typically cripple many of the critical infrastructures we take for granted every day. One of the most devastating storms to ever hit the United States of America in recent decades was Hurricane Katrina.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that hurricanes are one of the most powerful and devastating forces of nature mankind has come to see. they can pack sustain winds in excess of 75 miles per hour.
- States that hurricane katrina made landfalls on many of the gulf coast states, however many associate it with the city of new orleans.
- Explains that hurricane katrina originated over the bahamas on august 23 and made first landfall on florida august 25.
- Explains that the louisiana emergency operation plan calls for the use of school and other public busses in evacuations.
- Explains that katrina caused severe destruction along the gulf coast from central florida to texas.
- Explains how the army corps of engineers spent over 14 billion dollars on new and improved pumping systems, levees, and barriers to protect the city.
1273 wordsRead More - Comparisons between Hurricane Sandy and Hurricane Katrinaexplanatory essayHurricanes are formed over tropical waters. These intense storms consist of winds over 74 miles per hour (Ahrens & Sampson, 2011). The storms addressed here are Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Sandy. This paper will explore the contrasts and comparisons between these two horrific storms.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that hurricanes are formed over tropical waters and consist of winds over 74 miles per hour. this paper will explore the contrasts and comparisons between these two horrific storms.
- Explains that hurricane katrina made landfall on the morning of august 29th. the origins of this storm began as early as august 24, 2005.
- Explains that hurricane sandy occurred in the year 2012. it traveled through different areas of the southwestern caribbean, and created devastation to the eastern coast of america on october 29, 2012.
- Explains that hurricane sandy made a devastating landfall along the coast of new jersey. the core instigation of the hurricane originated off the west coast of africa in the southwestern caribbean sea.
- Explains that hurricane katrina resulted in over 1,400 deaths in new orleans alone, 500 additional deaths from both hurricane effects and flooding, and 700 people who are unaccounted for.
- Explains that hurricane sandy resulted in the greatest number of u.s. direct fatalities related to a tropical cyclone outside of the southern states since hurricane agnes in 1972.
- Explains that hurricane katrina caused over $200 billion worth of property damages total, making it the most costly hurricane to ever hit the united states.
- Estimates $50 billion worth of property damage in the united states alone resulting from hurricane sandy.
- Explains that hurricane katrina was a category three storm on the saffir-simpson scale; the central pressure in the eye of the storm was somewhat deficient. however, the winds advanced its intensity.
- Explains that the collision of two hurricanes and the full-moon high tide in the area caused intense winds and a notable storm tide.
- Explains that katrina and sandy were both catastrophic national events, but each storm had a unique impact on the united states and the world.
- Explains how hurricane katrina developed because of the availability of water vapor over tropical oceans.
- Explains that the mississippi river delta was plagued with man-caused erosions and saltwater intrusion, and the local economic system was greatly damaged by the storm.
- Explains that the loss of electrical power that followed hurricane sandy was crippling in many ways. it posed a threat to the morale and physical comfort of those in the affected area.
- Explains how the national oceanic and atmospheric administration (noaa) monitors storm tide and flooding from hurricane sandy along the atlantic coast of the united states.
- Cites the u.s. senate, committee on banking, housing, and urban affairs, commerce, science and transportation and government printing office.
1844 wordsRead More - The Galveston Hurricaneargumentative essayGalveston Hurricane of 1900 Imagine the horrors that accompany a great hurricane. Visualize the wind, rain, and waves. Hear the piercing screams through crashing waves, crushing buildings, and trees falling. Picture the great devastation. The Galveston Hurricane of 1900 was caused by abdominal weather conditions, and led to great destruction.
In this essay, the author
- Describes the galveston hurricane of 1900, which was caused by abdominal weather conditions, and led to great destruction.
- Explains that the ocean waters must be warm enough at the surface to put enough heat and moisture into the overlying atmosphere to provide the potential fuel for a hurricane.
- Explains that galveston was first visited by french and spanish explorers in the 16th and 17th centuries. it was named for the spanish governor of louisiana, bernardo de galvez.
- Describes how a category 4 hurricane ripped through galveston, texas on september 8th. the sophisticated weather forecasting technology didn't exist at the time, but the us weather bureau issued warnings telling people to move to higher ground.
- Describes the devastation caused by the hurricane. the city of galveston was completely submerged and cut off from communication at the time.
- Analyzes how the criminal element and cold-blooded commercial element looted the dead, and the mercenary commercial pirates extorted money.
- Describes how the city raised its buildings by pumping sand beneath their foundations to protect them from the immense flooding suffered by the hurricane.
- Describes how the seawall was constructed to break the force of the waves of incoming hurricanes.
- Explains that houston rose up on the back of its oil boom, and the ruined city of galveston never regained its prominence. since the hurricane, houston has become the main city in southeastern texas.
- Concludes that the galveston hurricane was one of the biggest disasters to strike texas. the sea wall, which now protects the giant city, was a big achievement from the hurricane.
1260 wordsRead More - Rainfall Due to Hurricanes in the Northern Hemispherecomparative essayWhen passing through the northeastern United States tropical cyclones are restructured by the course of extratropical transition. This is caused by the contact with strong westerlies that are associated with a mid latitude trough and causes an enhance in storm forward motion, vertical wind shear, and vorticity. An increase in storm forward motion also plays a role in the wind speed that is produced by the hurricane. Where the circulating winds and the entire storm is moving in a matching direction, the wind speed is amplified by the forward movement of the storm. In the Northern Hemisphere, the right part of a hurricane, looking in the way of the path in which it is moving forward, has the greater wind speeds and thus is the more dangerous part of the storm. Strong vertical wind shear within the troposphere also reduces tropical cyclone development. This makes the e...
In this essay, the author
- Explains that hurricane irene affected the caribbean and much of the united states' east coast, and was ranked the seventh costliest hurricane with damages that cost around $15.6 billion.
- Explains that tropical cyclones are restructured by the course of extratropical transition when passing through the northeastern united states.
- Describes how the study used a geographic information system to characterize the spatial patterns of rainfall produced by irene and to classify other tropical cyclones that took the same track over the united states.
- Explains that spearman's rank correlations explored the relationships between the locations of high rainfall totals, distance to the track, longitude, and latitude of the storms.
- Explains that the daily rainfall for hurricane irene was summed over august 26 - august 30 for this study. the largest value of storm total rainfall was 12.8 inches, located in washington nc.
- Compares irene to the other eleven tropical cyclones in the study. hurricane floyd ranked first in terms of median, maximum, and range of high rainfall values.
- Explains that not all tropical storms undergoing extratropical transition produce the same spatial patterns of rainfall. irene had a high negative correlation with latitude, which meant that the highest rainfall totals occurred in the southern region of the study.
- Concludes that hurricane irene produced at least 11 inches of rainfall in north carolina and had moderately high rainfall amounts in several other states across the study region.
1293 wordsRead More - Hurricane Sandycomparative essayThe SEEALL Academy Joel Rakhamimov Class 601 May 30, 2014 A hurricane is a tropical storm exceeding 74 mph in wind speeds. It is a low-pressure system which forms when there is a warm & moist environment over the ocean. Hurricanes are named to easily identify them. The first hurricane of the year starts with the letter 'A', the second 'B', and continuing.
In this essay, the author
- Explains hurricanes are low-pressure systems that form when there is a warm & moist environment over the ocean. they are named to easily identify them.
- Explains that hurricane sandy turned from tropical depression 18 to tropical storm sandy on october 22, 2012. it formed near panama, until it turned into a category 1 hurricane of the coast of jamaica.
- Explains that hurricane ike formed as a tropical depression on september 1, 2008, and quickly gained speed.
- Explains that the government of the united states has methods in place for its citizens to follow during a possible hurricane.
- Advises that after the hurricane has dissipated or moved away from your area, listen to the local news for updates and use flashlights if your power went out.
637 wordsRead More