1. HURRICANES
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2. What is a hurricane?
Violent cyclonic storm that develops in the tropical region
Wind speeds are > 74 mph
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3. What conditions must be present for a hurricane to develop?
Warm ocean temperatures (>80˚ F) up to 60m deep
Low pressure system at least 5˚ North or South of Equator
Rotation caused by winds
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gov/oa/reports/fran/fran.html

5. What is the Scale Used to Categorize Hurricanes?
Saffir-Simpson Scale
Category
Max Wind Speed
(mph)
Min. Surface Pressure (mb)
Storm Surge m (ft) 1
74-96
> 980
1-1.7 (3-5) 2
97-111
(6-8) 3
(9-12) 4
(13-18) 5
> 155
< 920
> 5.7 (>19)
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6. What causes the damage in a hurricane?
Winds
Flooding
Storm Surge

7. What is a storm surge?
Large wall or dome of water that rushes into the coastline as a result of a hurricane making landfall
To the right are the areas affected by high storm surges
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8. What destroys a hurricane?
Strong vertical winds
Cold water
Movement over land
Friction
Lack of moisture

9. What are the five deadliest hurricanes in the United States?
Galveston – 1900
Southeast Florida – 1928
New Orleans – 2005
Louisiana – 1893
Georgia/South Carolina– 1891

10. Explain why the deadliest storms were longer ago.
Lack of instrumentation to predict and track storms
People were not warned of the incoming danger
Results of the Galveston Hurricane
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11. How are hurricanes named?
Names are chosen from an alphabetical list of alternating male and female names
Amy, Bill, Caitlyn, David . . .