Download Hurricanes

Hurricanes
Questions
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
What is a hurricane?
How are hurricanes named?
What is the eye of the storm?
How are hurricanes ranked?
What are the different names we call
hurricanes?
6. What’s the largest hurricane we’ve had in
NC?
7. How do you stay safe in a hurricane?
Definitions
• Hurricane: A large,
rotating tropical weather
system with wind speeds
of at least 70mph
– Can be seen from space
– Creates the most powerful
storms on Earth
– They form in the oceans,
and gain speed in warm
waters
• Over land, they lose energy
and fall apart
Naming
• Hurricanes are named
alphabetically every
year
– Alternate between
male and female
names
– Rotate names on a 7
year basis
– Names for very
destructive
hurricanes are retired
and never used again
• Examples: Hurricanes
Andrew, Hugo,
Katrina
• More names...
Retired Hurricane Names
Formation
• How hurricanes form:
– Warm air above the water
provides energy and
makes clouds
– Wind forces the air
upwards
– Clouds and wind start to
swirl around, creating a
hurricane
Features
• The eye of the
storm: The very
middle of the
hurricane that is
extremely calm
– The sun may come
out, birds may start
singing
– However, the storm
is only ½ over
Something to think about
• Because of wind patterns
due to the turning of the
Earth (the Coriolis Effect),
hurricanes spin in opposite
directions in the different
hemispheres
– In the Northern Hemisphere,
hurricanes (and tornadoes!)
spin counterclockwise
– In the Southern Hemisphere,
hurricanes spin clockwise
Scale
• Ranked from:
– Tropical depression
– Tropical storm
– Category 1
– Category 2
– Category 3
– Category 4
– Category 5
Weakest
Strongest
Scale
Locations
• Hurricane season in the
Atlantic Ocean runs from
June 1-November 30th
• In the Atlantic Ocean,
they’re called hurricanes
• In the Pacific Ocean, they
are called typhoons
• In the Indian Ocean,
they’re called cyclones
Hurricanes in North Carolina
• North Carolina has a hurricane make landfall
along the coastline about once every four
years.
– An estimated 17.5% of all North Atlantic
hurricanes have affected our state
– The largest hurricane to ever hit was Hurricane
Hazel in 1954
• Category 4
North Carolina Hurricanes
How to stay safe during a hurricane
How to stay safe:
• Have an emergency plan figured out
BEFORE the hurricane strikes
• Stay away from low lands that could flood
• Always stay indoors during a hurricane, as
strong winds may blow things around.
• Leave mobile homes and go to a shelter.
• Stay away from downed power lines
• If you get an order to evacuate, then do so
immediately.