Name
Class
Date
I’m A Hurricane!
Have you ever wanted them to name a hurricane after you? If so, now is your chance to
grab a slice of Weather Channel fame and glory! You get to be a hurricane! How so? Well,
you need to know something about hurricanes first and then you get to make yourself into
one. Read on and find out all about it…
Look at the diagram to the right. This is
a drawing of a hurricane. The hurricane
has three main parts. The eye is the
center of the hurricane. Usually the
weather is very calm there. The eyewall
surrounds the eye and is where the
strongest winds and heaviest rains occur.
The hurricane is spinning. As it spins,
spiral rainbands swirl out from the eye.
The rainbands are strongest closest to the
eye and get weaker as they get farther
away.
Write a description of each of the three
parts next to each name in the diagram to
the right.
Hurricanes are basically really, really big storms. They form over the warm oceans, using
the heat energy to create big storms. This heat energy is called convection. Hurricanes
are huge – most are over 300 miles across! The biggest hurricanes could completely cover
North and South Carolina.
Hurricanes are given names. The names are usually alphabetical. A name starting with “G”
would be the 7th tropical storm of the season, for example. Hurricanes are classified by
how strong their winds are. Here’s the classifications:
 Category One -- Winds 74-95 miles per hour
 Category Two -- Winds 96-110 miles per hour
 Category Three -- Winds 111-130 miles per hour
 Category Four -- Winds 131-155 miles per hour
 Category Five -- Winds greater than 155 miles per hour
Let’s use some web resources to help you become a famous hurricane…
1. Visit this site: http://www.usatoday.com/weather/whur7.htm
Read about how hurricanes form. Answer these: Where do they like to form? What do they
need to grow?
2. Visit this site: http://www.usatoday.com/weather/tg/whurlife/whurlife.htm
Read about what makes hurricanes spin and die out. Answer these: What makes hurricanes
spin? How does a hurricane end?
3. Visit this site: http://www.usatoday.com/weather/hurricane/weddyhur.htm
Read about how hurricanes can start in the Gulf of Mexico instead of the Atlantic Ocean.
Answer these: What conditions can cause a hurricane to form in the Gulf of Mexico? How
could a hurricane gain strength in the Gulf of Mexico?
4. Visit this site: http://www.wunderground.com/hurricane/at2013.asp
Answer these: Where do hurricanes like to form? What pattern do they sort of follow as
they move?
These websites will help you to make your own hurricane. The answers to all of the
questions on the front side of this sheet will be checked in class before you begin your
own hurricane. The answers will count as one grade. Your hurricane creation is your
second grade. Since this counts as two assignments, do your work well!
Now, to track yourself: You can print off and draw on or use software to type on
then print off your hurricane tracking map, which is found here:
and
http://reservationsbvi.com/weather/tropical%20Storm%20Track%20Maps.html
Now what??!! Here’s
what’s next
To make yourself into a hurricane, you need to follow these steps… on your own paper.
1. Your hurricane will be named after you… mine is “Hurricane Schulmanator”.
2. You will need 4 pictures of yourself at different ages. If you don’t have any
pictures of yourself handy, let me know and I’ll tell you how to proceed.
3. Decide where you will form and what your storm track will be, including where you
will hit. To make your storm track realistic, look at some here and decide on
yours:
4. http://www.wunderground.com/hurricane/at2013.asp (You can pick any year available
from the list)
5. Draw your storm track on your map you saved/printed. Identify 4 spots on your storm
track (not the beginning) and mark them with a dot. Number them 1-4 in order from
earliest to latest. NOTE: earliest is closest to where you are from and latest is
where you end.
6. Make a chart with 5 boxes in it… You can make one like the one shown or make on
your computer.* **
http://www.studenthandouts.com/01-WebPages/New%20Folder%20(2)/5-Steps.bmp)
(
7. In the first box, explain how you were formed as a hurricane. Use facts you found
in your research to explain the process… don’t just magically appear. Use at least
4 facts in your explanation.
8. In the second box, include the youngest picture you have. Describe yourself as a
hurricane at point 1 on your map. Include your wind speed, pressure, category and
other facts.
9. In the third box, include the second youngest picture you have. Describe yourself
as a hurricane at point 2 on your map. Include your wind speed, pressure, category
and other facts. Describe how you changed as a storm from point 1 to point 2.
10.
In the fourth box, include the third youngest (second oldest) picture you
have. Describe yourself as a hurricane at point 3 on your map. Include your wind
speed, pressure, category and other facts. Describe how you changed as a storm from
point 2 to point 3.
11.
In the last box, include the oldest picture you have. Describe yourself as a
hurricane at point 4 on your map. Include your wind speed, pressure, category and
other facts. Describe how you changed as a storm from point 3 to point 4. If Point
4 is on land, describe your effect on land where you hit. Your effect should go
along with the wind speed and rainfall you described yourself having.
12.
Feel free to add other pictures of your effects as a hurricane or of your
hurricane powers in action if you wish.
*You can make a 1x5 table in your word processor to make the boxes if you wish or even do one box
per page if you want more room… don’t make it sloppy just to squeeze stuff in a space. You can take
as much space as you need. Aim for quality.
**So you don’t like boxes but you do like computers? You can make this into a powerpoint if you
wish. Use one slide per box. Or, like movies? Make it into a movie? You can. Follow the same
directions but upload it to youtube and give me a working link to it. DO NOT ATTEMPT to email me
powerpoints. The mail system will block it; use a flash drive or a google doc shared to me
CAUTION: There are specific expectations about this assignment. Follow them to get a good
grade and ignore them at your peril! Here’s some things you will need to do to get a good
grade:
Complete it on time... and
completed
Answer the questions on the
front side of this sheet
The boxes on your chart have
ALL of the facts required
Missing any of the required
facts will cost points… more
missing loses more points…
Include pictures as directed
Doing the least amount possible
to finish your assignment aims
for the least points possible…
Have your storm track on your
printed map (the correct map)
be realistic
Your work should reflect
quality effort
Anything worth doing is worth
doing well. Make your work
something you can be proud of.
There are no automatic 100’s
for just doing something.
Quality matters.