Name __________________________________________________ Date _________ Block __________
Hurricane Tracking
Hurricanes are maritime tropical air masses that develop over warm waters near the tropics as
low pressure systems. These storms have winds in excess of 119 km/hr and cover distances of
about 600 km. As a tropical disturbance moves over warm water it continues to grow in size
and spirals inward on itself in a counterclockwise rotation, a cyclone. Hurricanes are classified
by their wind speeds and the storm surge. A storm surge is the dome of water, 50 miles wide,
that is pushed on land when a hurricane makes landfall. Storm surges are responsible for the
majority of the damage and deaths associated with a hurricane.
Procedure:
 Label the Y-axis – Latitude
 Label the X-axis - Longitude
 Use the data table to plot the six (6) different hurricanes listed below, by latitude and
longitude:
o Alberto – red
o Beatrice – blue
o Chris – black
o Debby – green
o Edgar – brown
o Florence – purple
 Use a plastic disc to circle the storm surge of 50mi around the point where the
hurricane makes landfall.
 Write the name of the hurricane next to the circle you draw for each hurricane.
Data Table:
Hurricane
Alberto
Longitude
56.0
57.5
60.0
64.0
67.0
68.5
70.5
71.5
72.5
73.0
Latitude
34.5
36.5
39.5
38.0
38.5
39.5
39.5
40.0
40.5
41.0
Hurricane
Beatrice
Longitude
84.0
85.5
86.5
87.5
89.0
91.0
93.0
95.0
96.0
97.0
Latitude
21.0
21.5
21.5
21.5
22.0
22.5
22.0
22.0
21.5
21.0
Hurricane
Chris
Longitude
82.0
84.5
86.0
87.5
88.0
88.5
88.5
Latitude
24.0
24.5
26.0
27.5
28.5
29.5
30.5
Hurricane
Debby
Longitude
73.0
74.0
75.0
76.5
77.5
78.5
79.5
79.5
80.5
Latitude
25.5
26.0
26.5
27.5
28.0
27.5
27.0
26.0
25.5
Hurricane
Edgar
Longitude
65.5
67.0
Latitude
22.5
22.0
68.5
69.5
70.0
21.5
20.5
20.0
Hurricane
Florence
Longitude
84.0
85.0
86.5
89.0
91.0
92.5
93.5
94.0
95.0
96.0
Latitude
20.0
21.0
22.5
24.0
24.5
25.5
26.5
27.5
28.5
29.0
Analysis:
1. What type of air mass is a hurricane? _______________________________________
2. What direction do hurricane winds spiral? ___________________________________
a. What is this an example of? _________________________________________
3. How are hurricanes classified? _____________________________________________
4. What is a storm surge? ___________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
a. What are they responsible for? _______________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
5. Which hemisphere do all of these hurricanes occur in? __________________________
6. Which hurricane made landfall on the Dominican Republic? ______________________
7. Where did Alberto make landfall? ___________________________________________
8. How many hurricanes came through the Gulf of Mexico? _________________________
a. Name them: _______________________________________________________