Download Hurricane Formation Facts-Summarize

Student Attachment: Hurricane Formation Facts Directions: In your own
words, summarize each of the following steps of hurricane formation onto the first
template page (rain drop).
1. Most hurricanes that affect North America begin as storm systems off the coast of
Africa, near the equator, where it is warm. Warm water from the sea surface evaporates
quickly, rising into the air.
2. When the warm air rises off the sea surface, cooler air swirls into its place. This cool
air absorbs more moisture which warms the air, causing it to rise.
3. A cycle of warm air rising and cool air swirling into take its place, get warmed and rise
continues.
4. As warm air rises higher, it begins to cool, which condenses the moisture into clouds
of water droplets. These clouds spin as air cycles between warming and cooling.
5. The warm ocean waters along the equator add fuel to the storms as they move,
growing larger and stronger. As the storms spin faster, a low-pressure “eye” forms in
the storm center.
6. The more warm ocean water available, the stronger the storm grows. When winds
reach 35 miles per hour, it is considered a tropical storm. When winds reach 74 miles
per hour or more, the storm is called a hurricane.