Storm Watcher (23 page)

The rising, moist air forms clouds and rain bands. Dry, cooler air sinks between these bands. It drops down through the center of the storm.

Tropical cyclones south of the equator spin clockwise. Those north of the equator spin counterclockwise. As the storm grows, an eye forms at its center. Inside the eye, the weather is clear and calm.

Hurricanes usually move at 10 to 15 mph toward the west. Later, they turn northwest. This gives people who live on the coast time to get ready.

If the winds are 38 mph or less, the storm is called a
tropical depression
. If the winds reach 39 mph, it is a
tropical storm
. Then it is named. (
See “Why Hurricanes Have Names.”
) When winds are 74 mph or more, it is called a
tropical cyclone
or a
Category 1 hurricane
.

(See endnotes. From sources 11-14)

Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale
26

The Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale measures how destructive the hurricane is. The categories are as follows:

• Category 1
  - winds from 74 to 95 mph, causes little damage on land, and has a 4 to 5 foot storm surge
  
• Category 2
  – winds from 96 to 110 mph, some damage, and 6 to 8 foot storm surge
  
• Category 3
  – winds from 111 to 130 mph, extensive damage, and 9 to 12 foot storm surge
  
• Category 4
  – winds from 131 to 155 mph, extreme damage, and 13 to 18 foot storm surge
  
• Category 5
  – winds greater than 155 mph, catastrophic damage, and 19+ foot storm surge
  

Winds and rain are heavy during a hurricane. But the storm surge is the deadliest part of the storm. The low pressure inside a hurricane can suck the ocean water up several feet. As the storm nears, the high winds also push on the water. The water can rise 15 or more feet higher than the normal tides. When a hurricane reaches land, this swell of water, plus the wind-driven waves, floods low-level areas on the coast.

Most tropical cyclones weaken when they reach land. They no longer have the warm ocean water that fuels the storm. But, before the storm weakens, it can still carry high winds and heavy rainfall, and cause plenty of damage.

The Atlantic Ocean hurricane season begins on June 1 and ends on November 30. The peak season is from mid-August until late September. Most years, eleven storms are named during the season. Six usually become hurricanes. Of those, two or threes are major hurricanes (Category 3 or higher).

In 2005, there were twenty-eight named storms. Fifteen of them became hurricanes. Four were Category 5 hurricanes, setting a record. The 2005 season also caused more than 2000 deaths.

The year with the least number of tropical cyclones was 1914. Only one was recorded all season.

(See endnotes. From sources 11-14)

HURRICANE SAFETY
16

Hurricanes cause many dangers. They bring high winds, flooding, heavy rain, storm surges, and tornadoes. It’s good to be prepared well ahead of the storm. Listen to the news on the storm’s status.

Some websites post storm data and landfall predictions. Check the National Weather Service (
www.weather.gov
), the National Hurricane Center (
www.nhc.noaa.gov
), and Weather Channel (
www.weather.com
). If you are outside or lose power, listen for weather alerts on the NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards (NWR).

Always get ready before hurricane season starts
. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) says to do the following:

• Find safe routes for evacuating
  
• Know where the official shelters are
  
• Check emergency equipment, such as flashlights, generators, cell phones, and your NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards receiver
  
• Buy food that will keep
  
• Store plenty of drinking water
  
• Buy wood to protect your home if you don’t already have it
  
• Trim trees and bushes so branches don’t fly into your home
  
• Clear clogged rain gutters and downspouts
  
• Decide where to move your boat
  
• Review your insurance policy
  
• Find pet-friendly hotels for when you evacuate
  

The NHC suggests you do the following if your home is in a Hurricane Watch area
:

• Listen to radio, TV, or NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards to hear about the storm’s progress
  
• Be sure your vehicles have gas and are drivable
  
• Check mobile home tie downs
  
• Make sure you have extra cash on hand
  
• Get ready to cover all windows and doors
  
• Check batteries in radios, phones, and flashlights
  
• Buy canned food, first aid supplies, drinking water, and medicine
  
• Bring in lightweight objects, such as garbage cans, garden tools, toys, and lawn furniture
  

The NHC suggests you do the following if your home is in a Hurricane Warning area
:

• Listen closely to radio, TV, or NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards to find out about the storm
  
• Close storm shutters.
  
• Obey the local officials. Leave immediately if ordered!
  
• Find a safe place to stay or go to a shelter outside the flood zone
  
• DO NOT stay in a mobile or manufactured home
  
• Tell neighbors and a family member who lives outside the area about your plans
  
• Take pets with you if possible. But remember, most shelters do not allow pets unless they are needed by people with disabilities.
  
• Find pet-friendly hotels where you can stay
  

Emergency Supplies

It’s helpful to have emergency supplies. Pack them in a sturdy, easy-to-carry container. And put all important documents in a waterproof container.

The emergency supplies kit should have the following items
:

• At least a 3-day supply of water (one gallon per person, per day)
  
• At least a 3-day supply of non-perishable food
  
• At least one change of clothing and shoes per person
  
• One blanket or sleeping bag per person
  
• First-aid kit
  
• Battery-powered NWR and a portable radio
  
• Emergency tools
  
• Flashlight and extra batteries
  
• Extra set of car keys
  
• Credit card and cash
  
• Special items for infant, elderly, or disabled family members
  
• Prescription and non-prescription medicines
  

12 CURIOUS HURRICANE FACTS

• The word
  hurricane
  comes from
  hurucane
  . This is a Taino Native American word for
  evil spirit of the wind
  .
  
• A hurricane can generate up to 20 billion tons of rain per day.
  
• The strongest winds of a hurricane are in the eye wall. This is the ring of thunderstorms and clouds around the hurricane’s eye.
  
• The costliest hurricane to hit the United States was Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The storm caused $125 billion dollars in damage and killed more than 2,000 people. Hurricane Sandy in 2012 was the second costliest hurricane in the Untied States. Superstorm Sandy caused $68 billion dollars worth of damage and killed 354 people.
  
• The deadliest hurricane in the Atlantic Ocean was the Great Hurricane of 1780. On October 10 it hit the Caribbean, killing 25,000 people. The deadliest hurricane in the United States hit Galveston, Texas, on September 8, 1900. It had 145 mph winds. Its storm surge killed more than 8,000 people.
  
• Hurricanes can also produce tornadoes. But these tornadoes last only a few minutes. They are weaker than tornadoes caused by supercell thunderstorms.
  
• In 1967, a hurricane that hit Texas caused 140 tornadoes.
  

• A major hurricane gives off as much energy every second as 10 atomic bombs.
  
• Hurricanes move about 250 miles per day. The giant waves they create move 900 miles per day. Before weather satellites, these big waves alerted people that a hurricane was coming.
  
• The red spot on Jupiter is really a ginormous hurricane. It has been raging on the planet’s surface for more 300 years. The size of that hurricane is larger than Earth.
  
• Slow-moving hurricanes can cause more damage than faster-moving storms. The slower pace allows more rain to fall, causing heavy flooding.
  
• Most hurricanes die before they reach land. This can happen if the storm passes over cooler water.
  

  FAMOUS ATLANTIC HURRICANES
20

(See endnotes. From sources 11, 17-19)

Galveston       1900

Atlantic-Gulf       1919

Miami         1926

San Felipe-Okeechobee   1928

Florida Keys Labor Day   1935

New England       1938

Great Atlantic       1944

Carol and Edna     1954

Hazel         1954

Connie and Diane     1955

Audrey       1957

Donna       1960

Camille       1969

Agnes         1972

Tropical Storm Claudette   1979

Alicia         1983

Gilbert       1988

Hugo         1989

Andrew       1992

Tropical Storm Alberto   1994

Opal         1995

Mitch         1998

Floyd         1999

Keith         2000

Tropical Storm Allison   2001

Iris         2001

Isabel         2003

Charley       2004

Frances       2004

Ivan         2004

Jeanne         2004

Dennis       2005

Katrina       2005

Rita         2005

Wilma         2005

Ike         2008

Gustav       2008

Paloma       2008

Igor         2010

Tomas         2010

Irene         2011

Sandy         2012

*This list does not include every notable storm in history.

WHY HURRICANES HAVE NAMES

By Jenna Snyder

The first person to name hurricanes was Clement Wragge, from Australia, in the late 1800s. At first he used the Greek alphabet and characters. Later he turned to naming the storms after politicians he didn’t like. He could make fun of the politicians by talking about the storm using their names. Wragge’s idea did not catch on, however, and not until World War II did people started naming hurricanes again.

The military and navy needed an easy way to identify hurricanes during the war. So meteorologists named them after their wives or girlfriends. In 1945, the National Weather Service used the military phonetic alphabet to label hurricanes. But they ran out of names by 1953. Once again they used women’s names.

In the early 1970s, Roxcy Bolton fought for women’s rights. She complained that naming hurricanes after women implied that women were disasters who destroyed everything in their paths. She suggested a similar system to Wragge’s. But she wanted to use senator’s names instead. Her idea was rejected. In 1979, the National Weather Service chose to alternate between men’s and women’s names. And it has been
that way ever since.