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Facts about hurricanes
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I. What will this season bring and will you be prepared? II. Hurricanes can happen at any time of the year, but there is an official “Hurricane Season.” In the United States, this season is from June 1st – November 30 when the water temperature is relatively high. There are an average of 85 tropical storms and 45 hurricanes globally per year. About nine named storms form per year in the tropical Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico area, with around six of those becoming hurricanes and two of those becoming intense hurricanes. III. A hurricane is well defined as a severe tropical storm that exceeds winds of 64 knots (74mi/hr). Hurricanes are born in warm tropical oceans, where they gather heat and energy through contact with the water. Evaporation from the seawater increases their power. If the right conditions last long enough, a hurricane can produce violent winds, incredible waves, torrential rain and floods. When hurricanes move onto land, the heavy rain, strong wind and waves can damage buildings, trees and cars easily. This storm serge is very dangerous and a major reason why you MUST stay away from the ocean during a hurricane. Now, lets look at some of the truths and dynamics of a hurricane. Hurricane eye: A region typically 20-50 km in diameter found at the center of a hurricane where skies are often clear and winds are light. The storm's lowest pressure readings are found here. An Eye wall is a wall of clouds and intense thunderstorms that surround the eye. Spiral rain bands are bands of thunderstorms that wrap around the hurricane. IV. A hurricane develops when a cold air mass is located above an organized cluster of tropical thunderstorms. This results in an unstable atmosphere. This instability leads to the development of the convection theory. Fueled by convection, strong vertical updrafts (red arrows) lift air and moisture upwards, favoring the development of large masses of clouds. The air exits at the top of the cloud and begins to sink back downward (blue arrows). These spiraling masses require a complex combination of atmospheric processes to grow, mature, and then die. Hurricanes go through a set of developmental stages. 1.) Disturbance. Tropical disturbance is the beginning of a hurricane, and it has no strong winds around an area of low pressure containing cloudiness and some precipitation. 2.) Tropical depression is the next stage of a developing hurricane. It has at least one strong wind that accompanies a drop in pressure in the center of the storm. As the surface pressure begins to fall and the winds increase, tropical disturbances become tropical depressions. 3.) The third stage is a tropical storm. This is stronger than a depression because the central pressure drops and the circulation around the center of the storm intensifies.
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