HurricaneNature’s Weather Monster

Where do these monster storms get the power to do this?

In the slides to follow we will find out:*the formation of these monsters*the places these monsters can strike*historic examples of these strikes*the most dangerous aspects of these freaks

FORMATION

• Strong, hot winds blow off of the Sahara into the Mid-Atlantic

• These winds interact with the warm waters developing into off shore low pressure systems

• Fed by the warm waters these tropical depressions develop into giant weather machines

• These machines are highly organized, drawing water and energy from the ocean and heading for land

LOCATIONS OF STRIKES

• Generally hurricanes continue to head west• They are often drawn into the warm waters of the

Caribbean sea • They are also drawn into the southeast portion of United

States where they lose energy and spawn more localized systems (tornados and severe thunderstorms)

• They are occasionally drawn up into the North Atlantic where they most often dissipate completely in the cold waters

• Even more occasionally they strike the northeastern United States as we just found out this week with Sandy

HISTORIC EXAMPLES: Gavelston (Prior to naming)

• Landfall date: September 8, 1900• Landfall location: Galveston, TX• Category: 4• Death toll: 8, 000• Damages: 30 million dollars

HISTORIC EXAMPLES: “Long Island Express” (also prior to naming)

• Landfall date: September 21, 1938• Landfall location: Long Island, NY• Category: 5• Death toll: 600• Damages: 308 million dollars

HISTORIC EXAMPLES: Camille

• Landfall date: August 17, 1969• Landfall location: Mississippi Coast • Category: 5• Death toll: 256• Damages: 1.42 billion dollars

HISTORIC EXAMPLES: Hugo

• Landfall date: September 22, 1989• Landfall location: Charleston, SC• Category: 4• Death toll: 21• Damages: 7 billion dollars

HISTORIC EXAMPLES: Andrew

• Landfall dates: August 24 & 26, 1992• Landfall locations: Homestead, FL & Central LA• Category: 4• Death toll: 23• Damages: 26.5 billion dollars

HISTORIC EXAMPLES: Katrina

• Landfall date: August 29, 2005• Landfall location: Buras, LA• Category: 4• Death toll: 1200• Damages: 200 billion (the cost of a four year

war)

HISTORIC EXAMPLES: Sandy (aka, Frankenstorm)

• Landfall date: October 29, 2012• Landfall location: New York, New Jersey• Death toll: 149• Damages: Not know yet but considering the

populated areas and infrastructure that were hit it is going to be high

MOST DAMAGING PARTS

• Hurricanes contain three very damaging factors– Winds

– Storm surges

– Flooding

WINDS

• Winds can get as high as 200 miles an hour and can cause this to happen:

WINDS

Or this:

FLOODING

• Rains can often become a huge part of the hurricane as it releases energy and moisture at landfall

• This can be the result• Note the water lines on

this sign

STORM SURGE

The storm surge is a giant wall of water that thrusts itself inland along coastal areas during a hurricane

• Depending on the size extreme damage can occur

• Like this:

STORM SURGE

• Or this: • Or this:

Citations

• All photographs are copyright Christopher Schobert, 2006

• Hurricane stats from the National Hurricane Center’s Website: Hurricanes in History.2012. National Hurricane Center. November 3, 2012 <http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/outreach/history/>