1. Tracking a Hurricane Hurricane season spans from June – November. Maximum activity in the Atlantic Ocean is early to mid September. Hurricanes are huge storms that can be very destructive to anything in their path. They have no mercy!

2. Your Job Imagine you are a meteorologist. You have arrived at work today to find that last night a hurricane formed in the Atlantic Ocean. You must track the hurricane and issue watches, warnings and evacuations for areas that may be in the hurricane’s path.

3. A Hurricane Watch Meteorologists can issue a “hurricane watch” which means that hurricane conditions threatening land are a serious possibility.

4. Hurricane Warning Meteorologists can issue a “hurricane warning” which means that hurricane force winds have actually been observed and are expected to hit land.

5. Hurricane Evacuation If meteorologists feel the hurricane is serious enough to threatening lives, they will encourage governmental officials to issue an “evacuation” in hopes of saving lives.

6. Let’s Begin! As you can see, a meteorologist has a very important job during a hurricane! They are important in saving lives. Let’s begin tracking the hurricane that has formed overnight.

7. Let’s Begin Each slide will give you information about the hurricane and the exact location of its eye. Your job is to plot the hurricane on your map and decide what action to take, if any. Let’s do one tracking together.

8. It is September 3 rd at 6:00 a.m. and information about a hurricane with winds around 80 mph at the eye wall in the Atlantic Ocean near the Bahamas has just been received. The hurricane has been named Sam. *go on… Hurricane Sam

9. The coordinates for Hurricane Sam are 20° N 64° W. Let’s record information about Sam and locate Sam on our map together… *Stop before you go on.

10. Hurricane Sam Now that we know about Sam and its location, let’s decide what action we should issue… *Stop before you go on.

11. Hurricane Sam Now you are on your own. New data about Hurricane Sam will be updated to your hurricane center every 12 hours. For each update, record the data, plot the hurricane and issue an action. Before you move on, have your data, map and action approved by the hurricane center leader to make it official. *go on…

12. Hurricane Sam 6:00 p.m. September 3 rd Hurricane Sam is picking up speed and power (90 mph winds). It appears to be headed straight for the Bahamas. The eye is 22° N and 70° W. *Stop before you go on.

13. Hurricane Sam 6:00 a.m. September 4 th Hurricane Sam is advancing rapidly northward. Speeds near the eye have been reported to be close to 150 mph. The eye is now located at 24° N and 75° W. *Stop before you go on.

14. Hurricane Sam 6:00 p.m. September 4 th The eye of the hurricane sits just off the coast of Florida (27° N and 79° W). Winds have reached 160 mph. Mass destruction is occurring along the coastal areas. Forecasters are not sure the direction the hurricane will take from here since hurricanes become unstable when they approach land. *Stop before you go on.

15. Hurricane Sam 6:00 a.m. September 5 th Hurricane Sam has taken an abrupt turn northward and has avoided central Florida. It is still over the ocean and its eye is centered near the border between Florida and Georgia (31° N and 81° W). *go on…

16. Hurricane Sam Forecasters are fairly certain the hurricane will continue in its northerly path, as it is beginning to die down. Winds have calmed to 100 mph. *Stop before you go on.

17. Hurricane Sam 6:00 p.m. September 5 th North Carolina is feeling Hurricane Sam. The eye of the hurricane is at 34° N and 77° W. It looks as though the forecasters were right; the hurricane is continuing up the coast, but the land is slowing it down rapidly. Winds still beat against the coastline at 90 mph. *Stop before you go on.

18. Hurricane Sam 6:00 a.m. September 6 th Hurricane Sam is dying down off the coast of Virginia this morning. Winds have been recorded and do not exceed 70 mph. The exact location of the eye is 37° N and 75° W. Rains are striking the coastline, but the fierce winds which struck the Bahamas and Florida are now gone. *go on…

19. Hurricane Sam Forecasters have downgraded the hurricane to a tropical depression. Congratulations on a job well done. The worst is over!!!