2. It’s a day late in the summer. You hear the sounds of pounding hammers and buzzing saws. Some people are fixing roofs, others are cutting up trees. A hurricane struck last night. Wind ripped at the town for hours, objects were sent flying, and rain poured down. Fortunately people paid attention to the weather forecasts and left town. What causes such powerful storms?

3. A hurricane is a type of storm with lots of energy. These storms usually form in the tropics, the part of the Earth near the equator. It gets the energy from air moving upward over warm ocean water. A hurricane is a dangerous storm with wind speeds of at least 119 kilometers per hour. Many bands of thunderstorms and rain wrap around the center. What are Hurricanes?

4. In august 1992, an area of low pressure formed over the Atlantic ocean. It gained strength and became a tropical storm. People gave it a name – Andrew Hurricane Andrew moved West across the ocean.

5. It smashed into the Bahama Islands in the Caribbean Sea.

6. The United Stated was next.

7. On August 24 th, the hurricane slammed into Florida. Winds may have reached 250 kilometers per hour.

8. In about 4 hours, Andrew swept across southern Florida.

9. It weakened over land but it regained strength as it moved over the warm water of the Gulf of Mexico.

10. The hurricane then crashed into Louisiana

11. Then Andrew moved northward over land. It’s winds quickly weakened, but it’s rains still flooded many areas.

12. Hurricane Andrew approaching the Bahamas and Florida as a category 5 hurricane.

13. An entire Miami Neighborhood flattened

14. Storm surge Storm surge measured 16.5 feet above sea level.

15. Satellite image of Andrew approaching Louisiana

16. A tropical storm needs special conditions before it can form. It needs a large area of warm ocean water It needs an area of low pressure It needs wind blowing towards the low pressure

17. Tropical Depression Thunderstorms grow out of a tropical depression as the wind increases and begins to swirl. The wind speeds can reach 61 kilometers per hour.

18. Tropical Storm Air pressure at the ocean’s surface drops. Surface winds blow faster and begin to swirl. A tropical storm develops.

19. Hurricane Thunderstorms begin to move in spiral bands. Air pressure drops lower, and surface winds blow faster. The tropical storm is now a hurricane.

20. To tell listeners about several different storm systems, the National Hurricane Center uses a list to name the storms. Female and male names follow one another in alphabetical order. A tropical storm gets a name when its winds reach 63 kilometers per hour. If the storm becomes a hurricane, it keeps that name. The name may be used again unless the storm causes severe damage. Then another name that starts with the same letter is used.

21. All hurricanes have strong thunderstorms and fast, swirling winds. As you can see in the table, hurricanes are classified by their wind speed.

22. The strong winds of hurricanes cause incredible damage and can be compared to other types of storms.

23. HurricanesBothTornadoes  Strong storms.  Both spin around a center of low air pressure.  has high winds and can cause great damage.  affect all of Earth’s systems.  A hurricane can be hundreds of kilometers across.  It has many thunderstorms.  A hurricane forms over the ocean.  It can last for many days.  A tornado is usually hundreds of meters across.  It forms within a single thunderstorm.  Almost all form over land.  Most last only a few minutes.  winds can be much faster

24. Let’s see how much you remember! Try the quiz. Let’s see how much you remember! Try the quiz.

25. Hurricane Storm surge Tropical storm Vortex Tropical depression Tornado The ocean water that a hurricane can push onto land is a ______.

26. Hurricane Storm surge Tropical storm Vortex Tropical depression Tornado A ______ has wind speeds of at least 119 kilometers per hour.

27. Hurricane Storm surge Tropical storm Vortex Tropical depression Tornado A hurricane keeps the name it was given when it became a ______.

28. Hurricane Storm surge Tropical storm Vortex Tropical depression Tornado A low pressure air mass with storms that have winds that begin to spin over warm ocean water is a ______.

29. Hurricane Storm surge Tropical storm Vortex Tropical depression Tornado A rapidly spinning column of air that comes out of a thunderstorm and touches the ground is a ______.