Hurricanes
Patrick McGinty
What is a Hurricane?
• A hurricane is a tropical storm with winds
exceeding 74 mph, originating near high
humidity and light winds. One well known
characteristic of a hurricane is it's eye, which is
generally about 5 to 25 miles in diameter and in
which are present calm conditions, with clear
skies and light winds.
How are Hurricanes formed?
• Hurricanes begin as tropical storms over the warm moist waters of
the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans near the equator. As the moisture
evaporates it rises until enormous amounts of heated moist air are
twisted high in the atmosphere. The winds begin to circle
counterclockwise north of the equator or clockwise south of the
equator. The relatively peaceful center of the hurricane is called the
eye. Around this center, winds move at speeds between 74 and 200
miles per hour. As long as the hurricane remains over waters of 79F
or warmer, it continues to pull moisture from the surface and grow
in size and force. When a hurricane crosses land or cooler waters, it
loses its source of power, and its wind gradually slow until they are
no longer of hurricane force, which means winds are less than 74
miles per hour.
Well known Hurricanes
• Camille in 1969
• Carla in 1961
• Floyd in 1999
• Hugo in 1989
• Andrew in 1992
• Katrina in 2005
Hurricane Katrina
• Formed in August 2005
• Winds up to 175mph
• Damages up to 75 billion dollars (most costly hurricane)
• 1,605 deaths
• Affected the Bahamas, South Florida, Cuba, Louisiana
(especially Greater New Orleans), Mississippi, Alabama
and parts of Florida. However, there are also millions
affected by the loss of loved ones and the entire US has
lost, possibly, an irreplaceable city.
• 6th strongest Atlantic Hurricane ever recorded
Credits
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Katri
na
• http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/
• http://www.firstgov.gov/Citizen/Topics/Publ
icSafety/Hurricane_Katrina_Recovery.shtml
• rsd.gsfc.nasa.gov/
goes/text/hotstuff.html
Questions
• How fast can Hurricanes move?
• -74 to 200 miles an hour
• What is the relatively peaceful center of the hurricane called?
• -The eye
• Name 3 famous Hurricanes
• -ex… Hugo, Floyd, Katrina, Camille
• What are 2 characteristics of a hurricane?
• -Winds above 74mph, the eye…
• True or False: Most Hurricanes begin over land and move out to sea…
• -False, they are created over bodies of water