
redunicorn
 |
Hurricanes are severe tropical storms that form in the southern Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and in the eastern Pacific 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." Hurricanes have winds at least 74 miles per hour. When they come onto land, the heavy rain, strong winds and heavy waves can damage buildings, trees and cars. The heavy waves are called a storm surge. Storm surges are very dangerous and a major reason why you MUST stay away from the ocean during a hurricane warning or hurricane. In the U.S., the official hurricane season is from June 1 to November 30, but hurricanes can happen any time of the year. Hurricanes are named by the National Weather Service. [Information obtained from The Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA for Kids]
Hurricanes are part of a family of weather systems known as "tropical cyclones." The word hurricane is from the West Indian word hurricane, meaning "big wind." A hurricane begins its life as a disorganized storm system which forms over warm, tropical waters in the Atlantic. When the storm system become more organized, it is classified as a "tropical depression," and given a number by the National Hurricane Center. If the winds in a tropical depression grow in intensity to 40mph, it is re- classified as a "tropical storm," and it receives a name. When the winds in the storm reach 75mph (120kph), the storm is upgraded to a hurricane. The winds of a hurricane are structured around a central "eye", which is an area that is free of clouds and relatively calm. Around this "eye" area, storm clouds wrap in a counter-clockwise motion. This "eyewall" of clouds, wind and rain, is the most destructive part of the storm. In fact, it is the eyewall that creates the eye, since the rapid spinning clouds in the wall reduce the pressure in the eye and suck out any clouds that may be there. Hurricanes are usually compact storms, with maximum wind velocities extending out 10 to 100km from the eye. Of course, one can still experience gale-force winds as much as 300 miles out from the eye, which is why everyone in the Gulf Coast area is concerned when a hurricane comes a-calling. [Information obtained from Yatcom Communications, Inc.] |

Smarty-Marti
 |
This is a cool site that you can track all the storms from the past several years and the really large historical storms - shows date, track, and intensity. You can put them all on the same map or clear after each one and see one at a time.
http://html.nbc5i.com/sh/idi/weather/hurricanes/hurricanetracker.html |