Hurricanes
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How they're made
When condensation occurs it releases energy that makes those strong winds. Hurricanes have very low pressure in the center.
Hurricanes need warm tropical oceans, moisture, and light winds above them.
Hurricanes gather heat and energy through contact with warm ocean waters. They rotate counter-clockwise around an "eye". Most hurricanes form between the latitudes of 50 and 20 Tornadoes often form into hurricanes. A hurricane feeds on heat released when moist air rises and the water vapor condenses.
Damage/Danger/Wind
Hurricane winds are not nearly as strong as tornado winds.
They cause dangerous waves.
Hurricane's heavy rains can cause inland flooding.
Hurricane winds can get up to 74 miles per hour (mph). 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 a hurricane.
Other facts
There are on average six Atlantic hurricanes each year; over a three-year period, approximately five hurricanes strike the United States coastline from Texas to Maine.
In a normal season, the East Pacific would expect 15 or 16 tropical storms.
Nine of these would become hurricanes, of which four or five would be major hurricanes.
The eye of a hurricane is the calmest place in a hurricane.
A hurricane can last for weeks and can travel for more than thousands of miles.
A hurricane can have more than hundreds of thunderstorms and can be 600 miles in diameter.
All tropical hurricanes rotate around an area of low pressure near the earths surface.
Sources
- Changing Weather
- Weather Patterns
- FEMA for kids
- McGraw-Hill Science
