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Hurricanes
Hurricanes | What is a hurricane? |
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| Tuesday, 18 September 2007 | |
     A hurricane is the common name for a tropical cyclone that originates in the Atlantic Basin. Hurricanes are tropical weather phenomena that can produce devastating winds and increase erosion in coastal and low-lying regions. Past hurricanes have  wreaked havoc across the Caribbean and throughout the Atlantic and Gulf coast regions of the United States and Mexico. Hurricanes have been a focal point in media especially since the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans and Gulf Coast states. Hurricane Katrina is estimated to have cost over $80 billion in damages and killed over 1,800 people.What causes hurricanes to form?A hurricane can start as a collection of simple summer storms in the tropics. With the right environmental conditions and factors summer storms can gather energy from the environment, combine with each other and strengthen into a tropical depression. A deepening low-pressure will absorb the moist air and thermal energy from the warm ocean surface. The storm will begin to circulate and the convection pushes the warm air higher into atmosphere. More thermal energy and moist air at the ocean surface, the more fuel exists for a storm to increase in magnitude. Further intensification can create a tropical storm with winds up to 74 miles an hour. As the central low pressure drops significantly the stronger the tropical storm becomes. Hurricanes can have atmospheric pressure around 960 millibars and have been recorded as low as 870 millibars. Hurricane Katrina had a low point of 902 millibars. What is used to measure hurricanes?Today's hurricanes are measured using an array of tools ranging from the infamous hurricane hunter airplanes to satellite and Doppler radar. Computers modeling as aided in the study of hurricanes and hurricane prediction. A tropical weather phenomenon that reaches wind speeds greater than 74 miles an hour on the Beaufort scale is classified as a hurricane or tropical cyclone. The Saffir-Simpson scale classifies hurricanes according to wind speed. A Category One hurricane obtains winds of 74 mph to 95 mph (62-82 kt / 119-153 km/hr). Category Two Hurricanes produce wind speeds between 96 and 110 mph.  Hurricanes that have maximum sustained winds over 110 mph are classified as major hurricanes. Category Three through Five hurricanes are major hurricanes. In the Pacific Basin, these tropical cyclones are called super-typhoons. Category Three hurricanes obtain wind speeds between 111 and 130 miles per hour. Category Four hurricanes produce devastating sustained winds of 131 and 155 mph around the eye wall of the hurricane. Hurricane Katrina in 2005 was classified as a Category Four hurricane upon landfall. While it was just off the Gulf coast, Hurricane Katrina was a Category Five hurricane. A Category Five hurricane has maximum sustained winds of at least 155 mph. Hurricane Andrew in 1992 was classified as a Category Five hurricane when it struck the southern tip of the Florida peninsula centering in Homestead, just south of Miami.Measuring hurricanes is the beginning step in the process of predicting the path and life of a hurricane. Understanding the complex factors involved in the formation and path of a hurricane can help better prepare individuals, businesses, cities, and governments at all levels. Hurricane preparedness can save lives as well as protect personal and business assets. Related links: National Hurricane Center Red Cross - Hurricane Preparedness |
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| Last Updated ( Thursday, 04 October 2007 ) |
Current Activity - Hurricane Season 2007
| Tropical Advisories from Weather Underground |
| Weather Underground Current North Atlantic Tropical Advisories |
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| Hurricane Headquarters / South Florida Sun-Sentinel |
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