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HURRICANES: The Eye of The Storm
Chapter 7
What is a Hurricane?
Name given to violent windstorms of the Atlantic Ocean, The Carribben Sea, and the Gulf of Mexico
Different name in other regions Baguio (Philippines) Cyclone (Indian Ocean) Typhoon (Pacific Ocean)
Characteristics
Forms over large bodies of water Approximately 8 – 15 degrees North or
South of the Equator Can reach 800 km in diameter and height
of about 3 km Winds move in a circular motion around
the centre Centre is called the eye (calm sunny
region about 50 km)
Characteristics (cont.)
Move across land or water Wind rotate
Counter clockwise in Northern Hemisphere Clockwise in Southern Hemisphere
In Northern Hemisphere they travel northwest and than travel eastward
In Southern Hemisphere, they travel southwest and than travel eastward
Causes
Huge amounts of moist air above the ocean are heated by the sun
This causes the air to rise The warmer the ocean water, the greater
the amount of rising air Air is replaced by cooler, heavier air Blows inward in a spiral Starts as a tropical disturbance As wind speed picks up changes from
tropical disturbance to a hurricane
Types of Damages
Storm surges – sudden rises in sea level created by high
winds pushing water towards the land Along coastal areas
Hurricanes are fill of moisture so they cause a large amount of rain to fall Creating mudslides, flooding in low lying
areas, swollen rivers
Measuring Hurricanes
Saffir Simpson Scale Measures the intensity of the hurricane Gives the height above normal tides (storm
surges) Uses wind speed from 75 km/h – abvoe 248
km/h to identify the severity Beaufort Scale
Measures wind speed Velocity above 120 km/h are classified as
hurricane Scale ranges from 0 - 12
Hurricane Georges
September of 1988 Category 4 on the Saffir-Simpson Scale Over $2 billion property damage on
Puerto Rico Dominican Republic was hit by floods,
leaving 200 000 people homeless Blew itself out along the Gulf of Mexico
Hurricane Mitch
October of 1998 Strongest hurricane at 290 km/h through
the Atlantic basin Category 5 Began as a tropical disturbance in the SW
Carribean Sea Tremendous amount of rain over Centa
America Caused mud slides and floods Broke over Mexico