HURRICANES
Go to http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/climo
Using the information from the National Hurricane Centre website answer the
following questions: (headings correspond with tabs on the site)
Climatology
1. A tropical cyclone is a rotating, organized system of clouds and
______________________ that originates over ______________________
or subtropical waters.
2. In which direction do hurricanes rotate in the Northern Hemisphere?
______________________
3. Define:
a. Tropical Depression
b. Tropical Storm
c. Hurricane
d. Major Hurricane
4. Which months are included in the Atlantic Hurricane season?
5. A) According to the graph on the Number of Tropical Cyclones in 100 years,
when is the peak of the hurricane season?
B) Does this mean the deadly hurricanes only happen during the peak time?
Names (Click on the Names Tab)
6. How many years are in the recycled hurricane naming lists? _____________
7. What do you notice about the gender and order of names?
8. When is the only time a name might be removed from the list?
Click on the link “Tropical Cyclone Naming History” within the text.
9. Why were hurricanes originally named instead of being given numbers?
10. A) In what year did they begin to add men’s names to the list of
hurricanes? ___________
B) Why do you think (your own opinion) only women’s names were used to
initially label hurricanes?
11. Scroll down to the chart of Retired Names since 1954. List the 5 names
retired in the year 2005.
Wind Scale (Click on the Wind Scale tab)
12. A) What is the name of the Hurricane rating scale?
B) What are hurricane ratings based on?
13. Why are Category 3 or higher hurricanes considered “major”?
14.Complete the chart:
Category Sustained Winds
Types of Damage
Watch the conceptual animation that shows the degree of wind damage.
Breakpoints
15. What is a breakpoint?
ARCHIVES (Click on the tab near the top right of the page)
16. Click on the 2005 link and scroll down to Hurricane Rita. Click on the PDF
and scroll down to Casualty and Damage Statistics (pg. 8).
Comment on the following: evacuations, casualties, flood and wind damages
and associated costs.
Rita
Go back to the 2005 list of hurricanes and click on the PDF for hurricane Wilma.
Scroll down to Casualty and Damage Statistics (pg. 5).
Comment on the same criteria as above for Rita.
Wilma