Cyclonic Storm Vocabulary Category—in weather, a term that describes the strength of a hurricane: Category 1 (lowest strength) to Category 5 (greatest strength). Track—the path of a storm. Hurricane—a tropical cyclone with winds of 74 mph (119 km/h) or greater that occurs especially in the Western Atlantic, that is usually accompanied by rain, thunder, and lightning. Tropical Depression—a tropical storm with maximum sustained winds of less than 39 mph. Tropical depressions are listed by number and not by name. Tropical Storm—a tropical cyclone with less than hurricane force winds; a storm in which the surface wind speeds range from 39-73 mph Storm Surge —a massive wave of water that sweeps onto land because of hurricane winds. The storm surge is often 50 miles wide. It is one of the most dangerous hazards for people living along the coast.

Cyclonic Storms

Tropical Storms Tropical storms are large, rotating, low pressure storms The strongest of these storms are known as hurricanes

Tropical Storms Tropical storms form in a low pressure system when water evaporates off of warm, tropical waters This creates a region of low pressure which attracts surrounding air The rotation of the Earth (Coriolis Effect) causes the storm to begin spinning

Eye The eye of a hurricane is the center that is relatively calm The eyewall is the band surrounding the eye that has the strongest winds

Classifying Hurricanes The Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale classifies hurricanes based on: Wind speed Air pressure Potential for property damage

Hurricanes Hurricanes will last until it can no longer produce enough energy to sustain itself Usually happens when a hurricane moves over land

Hazards Storm Surge-Occurs when hurricane force winds drive a mound of ocean water toward coastal areas Can reach 6 meters above normal sea level

Hurricane Preparation Hurricanes can be observed from weather satellites orbiting the Earth Can improve hurricane warnings which can give people time to leave During hurricanes you should: Board up the house Stay indoors Have plenty of food and water Stay away from windows

Galveston Hurricane September 8, 1900- Galveston, Texas Category 4 Greatest loss of life- 6,000-12,000 Deaths 3rd highest number of casualties out of any Atlantic Hurricane Great Hurricane of 1780 Hurricane Mitch 1998

Hurricane Katrina New Orleans, Louisiana. Category 3 Hurricane 1,836 Deaths, mostly resulted from the levee breaking Deadliest US Hurricane since 1928