Don't Know Much About Hurricanes..... Well Now You Do!!!!

INFORMATION ABOUT HURRICANES

BIG WIND

The word "hurricane" comes from Huracan, the god of big winds and evil spirits once worshiped by the Maya people of Central America. A hurricane is a huge storm! It can be up to 600 miles across and have strong winds spiraling inward and upward at speeds of 75 to 200 mph. Each hurricane usually lasts for over a week, moving 10-20 miles per hour over the open ocean. Hurricanes gather heat and energy through contact with warm ocean waters. Evaporation from the seawater increases their power. Hurricanes rotate in a counter-clockwise direction around an "eye." The center of the storm or "eye" is the calmest part. It has only light winds and fair weather. When they come onto land, the heavy rain, strong winds and large waves can damage buildings, trees and cars.
STATS

The average life of a hurricane is nine days. The hurricane is most destructive during its first 12 hours onshore. A typical eye measures 20 miles (32 kilometers) across. Hurricanes only form over really warm ocean water of 80°F or warmer. The atmosphere (the air) must cool off very quickly the higher you go. Also, the wind must be blowing in the same direction and at the same speed to force air upward from the ocean surface. Winds flow outward above the storm allowing the air below to rise. Hurricanes typically form between 5 to 15 degrees latitude north and south of the equator. The Coriolis Force is needed to create the spin in the hurricane and it becomes too weak near the equator, so hurricanes can never form there.
IT'S HURRICANE SEASON

The record for the most hurricanes in a season is 12, set in 1969. Though hurricanes can occur at any time, the official hurricane season in the Atlantic from June 1 to November 30, but most hurricanes occur during the fall months (September&October). The Eastern Pacific hurricane season is from May 15 to November 30.

What is storm surge?

Storm surges are frequently the most devastating element of a hurricane. As a hurricane’s winds spiral around and around the storm, they push water into a mound at the storm’s center. This mound of water becomes dangerous when the storm reaches land because it causes flooding along the coast. The water piles up, unable to escape anywhere but on land as the storm carries it landward. A hurricane will cause more storm surge in areas where the ocean floor slopes gradually. This causes major flooding.As you watch the storm-surge animations, notice the effect that the physical geography of each coastline has on storm surge. Also, note the waves on top of the ocean's surface. Wind, waves, and sea-level rise all contribute to storm-surge damage

Who names hurricanes?

From 1950 to 1952, tropical cyclones of the North Atlantic Ocean were identified by the phonetic alphabet (Able-Baker-Charlie-etc.), but in 1953 the US Weather Bureau switched to women's names. The rest of the world eventually caught on, and naming rights now go by the World Meteorological Organization, which uses different sets of names depending on the part of the world the storm is in. Around the U.S., only women's names were used until 1979, when it was decided that they should alternate a list that included men's names too. There's 6 different name lists that alternate each year. If a hurricane does significant damage, its name is retired and replaced with another.

What is the difference between a hurricane and a typhoon?

Nothing except geography. Tropical storms occur in several of the world's oceans, and except for their names, they are essentially the same type of storm. In the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, and the Eastern Pacific Ocean, they are called hurricanes. In the Western Pacific Ocean, they are called typhoons. In the Indian Ocean, the Bay of Bengal, and Australia, these types of storms are called cyclones

Who are the "Hurricane Hunters"?

The brave "hurricane hunters" work for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Each mission lasts about ten hours, with the crews passing four to six times through the storm. The planes carry radar, sophisticated computers, and weather instruments that determine characteristics such as temperature, air pressure, wind speed, and wind direction inside the hurricane. The crews also release instruments that measure temperature, air pressure, and wind at different levels as the devices drop through the hurricane toward the ocean. By mission's end, NOAA can warn everyone in the hurricane's path.

Know the Lingo

TROPICAL STORM WATCH - Tropical Storm conditions with sustained winds from 39 -74 mph are possible in your area within the next 36 hours.
TROPICAL STORM WARNING - Tropical Storm conditions are expected in your area within the next 24 hours.
HURRICANE WATCH - Hurricane conditions with sustained winds of 74 mph or greater are possible in your area within the next 36 hours. This WATCH should trigger your family's disaster plan, and protective measures should be initiated. Especially, those actions that require extra time such as securing a boat and leaving a barrier island.
HURRICANE WARNING - Hurricane conditions are expected in your area within 24 hours. Once this WARNING has been issued, your family should be in the process of completing protective actions and deciding the safest location to be during the storm.

Hurricane Stages
Tropical Wave
A low pressure trough moving generally westward with the trade winds.
Tropical Disturbance
An organized area of thunderstorms that usually forms in the tropics. Typically, they maintain their identity for 24 hours and are accompanied by heavy rains and gusty winds.
Tropical Cyclone
A generic term for any organized low pressure that develops over tropical and sometimes sub-tropical waters. Tropical depressions, tropical storms, and hurricanes are all example of tropical cyclones.
Tropical Depression
An organized area of low pressure in which sustained winds are 38 mph or less.
Tropical Storm
A tropical cyclone with maximum sustained wind speeds that range from 39 to 73 mph.
Hurricane
A tropical cyclone with sustained winds of at least 74 mph.

Safir Simpson Scale:

Cat 1 74-95 mph winds/minimal damage

Cat 2 96-110 mph winds/moderate damage

Cat 3 111-130 mph winds/extensive damage

Cat 4 131-155 mph winds/extreme damage

Cat 5 156+ mph winds/catastrophic damage

NOTORIOUS

The deadliest hurricane in the United States struck Galveston, Texas, in 1900. A storm surge almost two stories high broke over the city, causing 20-foot (6.1-meter) floods and more than 8,000 deaths. The costliest hurricane was Andrew in 1992, which caused damages totaling more than U.S. $25 billion in parts of Florida, Louisiana, and Georgia.

TWO NOTORIOUS MISSISSIPPI HURRICANES:

Camille in the 1969 was a Cat 5 with 190 mph winds

Katrina in 2005 was a Cat 3 hurricane with winds in excess of 120 mph