Hurricane and Tropical Storm Season Steadily Approaches Our US Coastline

Hurricanes are huge tropical storms or cyclones. They are often called typhoons or tropical cyclones in different parts of the world but they are basically the same kind of storm.

These storms originate over the ocean usually near the equator and are capable of mass destruction, including damaging winds, flooding and causing catastrophic damage to our coastlines and even several hundred miles inland. They definitely are one of North America's most expensive disasters both monetarily and in the tragic loss of lives but are not just limited to Florida.

Hurricanes

Usually more frequent in August and September hurricane season runs from the 1^st of June through the 30^th of September. Needing warm moist air to sustain their energy, hurricanes form or originate over warm ocean water, around 26 degrees Celsius or warmer. Their strength is so amazing and that they have been known to stir up nutrients from the ocean floor.

Ocean

Hurricanes form by starting out as tropical storms near the equator and then gather heat over the warm moist water of the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.

The difference in temperature from the ocean's surface and that of the upper atmosphere makes this the key ingredient for the formation of a hurricane. The heat is drawn up from the surface of the ocean through the vortex in the center of the hurricane and as it is released into the atmosphere, the water vapor condenses and transforms into rain around the edge of the vortex. This in turn causes high humidity in the atmosphere. This high humidity can then generate thunderstorms.

Tornadoes

Occurring most often in the right-front quadrant of a hurricane, tornadoes occur when the warm and cool air streams collide resulting in a low pressure storm cloud formation. Where hurricanes form only at sea tornadoes develop over land. Hurricanes and tropical storms can both generate tornadoes and micro-burst, and this in turn can create storm surges along the coast and cause extensive damage due to wind and heavy rainfall.

Even though these tornadoes are not the most violent form of whirlwinds their winds still add to the damage a hurricane can cause. There were a total of 18 hurricanes in September of 2004 as a result of Hurricane Ivan alone though most of them were in the Panhandle.

State

Areas in the Southwestern United States and along the Pacific Coast experience heavy rains and floods each year during hurricane season with most of these hurricanes coming off Mexico. On average there are 6 Atlantic hurricanes each year and nearly 5 of these hurricanes slam the US coastline from Maine to Texas. Hurricane Katrina remains one of the most disastrous hurricanes in US history.

Scale

There are five categories these storms are classified in based on their wind speed, damage potential, pressure and intensity, with 1 being the weakest and 5 the strongest. The Beaufort Scale and the Saffir-Simpson Scale are two ways that the wind and speed of a storm are measured.

Meteorologists classify the 5 different categories of hurricanes using the Beaufort Scale. This systematic scale is used by Sailors as well to get an approximation of wind speeds. They do this by observing the force of the wind on their sails.

When measuring hurricanes The National Weather Service has used the Saffir-Simpson Scale since the 1970's, this scale classifies hurricanes from category 1-5.

Conclusion

Hurricanes usually have companions like tidal surges and flash floods and these regularly cause more damage and destruction than the hurricane's wind alone. Nearly 90 percent of all hurricane related deaths worldwide are due to drowning in storm surge or rainfall flooding.

Even though hurricanes are mind-boggling in their size and strength we can still see how massive hurricanes are and track them using satellite imagery and modern technology. The NOAA's Aircraft Operation Center in Miami uses storm-penetrating aircraft to probe and measure the strength of a hurricane. These "flying laboratories" measure in terms of wind speed and atmospheric pressure.

It's fascinating that like a tiny snowflake there are no two hurricanes alike.

Sher E Hart

www.winwinreviews.com