Hurricane tracking (1)

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Fortis Institute, Port Saint Lucie *

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GMAS125

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Geography

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Feb 20, 2024

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docx

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Name: ___ Date: _________________ Period: LAB #39: Hurricanes Introduction: The development of hurricanes involves many processes that we have already learned about in meteorology. Hurricanes are “fueled” by warm water. The moisture released by the warm water creates an extreme low pressure center. Some of the lowest pressures ever recorded in a hurricane's eye were 899 millibars in Rita and 902 millibars in Katrina (both in 2005), 910 millibars in Mitch (2004), and 905 millibars in Camille (1969). This low pressure creates strongly rising air. As the humid, rising air cools off, it creates massive amounts of clouds by condensation. Condensation releases heat which further lowers air pressure. Winds start to swirl in a counterclockwise direction and a hurricane is born. Hurricanes are a type of cyclonic storm that start in the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics (the same type of storm is called a typhoon in the Pacific). They are pushed toward the west by the trade winds near the equator. Due the counterclockwise spinning motion, hurricanes follow a curving path northward. When they move across 30°N latitude, they enter the prevailing westerly wind belt, which pushes them toward the east. The weather service tracks hurricanes and uses models to predict the path in order to issue warnings which may be used to issue evacuation orders. Classification of a storm as a hurricane depends on the speed of the winds within the hurricane: Wind speeds have to be greater than 74 mph (64 knots/119 km/h) for a Category 1 Hurricane. 1. What is a hurricane? A tropical storm that develops over warm ocean waters creating strong winds that spiral toward the shore with very low pressure centers. Wind Speed (mph) Air Pressure (range) [check data chart on p.2] Circulation Pattern (Northern Hemisphere) 2. What is the source of energy (“fuel”) for a hurricane? Warm waters. Objective: Students will plot 2 hurricane tracks on the Hurricane Tracking Chart (p.3)--Katrina and Sandy--using the Lat./Long Data on p.2. Use a pencil for plotting and use two different symbols to indicate the location of each hurricane on a given date. Connect the locations with a smooth line to indicate the path of the hurricane. Landfall is the location where the path of the hurricane crosses the coastline. Once plotted, the paths will be compared and some conclusion drawn from the plotted data. Hurricane Katrina Data Chart (2005) Date Latitude (°N) Longitude (°W) Pressure (mb) Wind Speed (knots) Stage 8/24 23 76 1007 30 Tropical

Depression 8/25 26 78 1000 45 Tropical Storm 8/26 26 80 983 70 Hurricane 8/27 25 83 959 90 Hurricane 8/28 25 86 941 100 Hurricane 8/29 27 89 905 140 Hurricane 8/30 33 89 961 50 Tropical Storm 8/31 39 85 994 30 Extratropical Hurricane Sandy Data Chart (2012) Date Latitude (°N) Longitude (°W) Pressure (mb) Wind Speed (knots) Stage 11/24 15 77 990 55 Tropical Storm 11/25 19 76 964 85 Hurricane 11/26 25 76 965 75 Hurricane 11/27 28 77 969 60 Tropical Storm 11/28 31 75 960 65 Hurricane 11/29 38 73 940 80 Hurricane 11/30 40 75 946 70 Hurricane 11/31 41 80 992 35 Extratropical

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