Hurricane

WHAT IS A HURRICANE? 

A hurricane is an intense, rotating oceanic weathersystem that possesses maximum sustained winds exceeding 119 km/hr (74 mph). It forms and intensifies over tropical oceanic regions.

SIGNS OF A HURRICANE

            Increased Ocean Swell

       Around 72 hours before a hurricane makes landfall, ocean swell increases to about 6 feet in height. Waves hit the shore about every nine seconds. This is one of the earliest signs of an approaching hurricane. As the hurricane gets closer to land, waves will hit the shore with greater rapidity and increase to as much as 16 feet in height.

Barometric Pressure Drop

       The barometer begins to drop roughly 36 hours before a hurricane makes landfall, slightly when the hurricane is still 30hours away and steadily plunging as the storm nears. While some believe a drop in barometric pressure can aggravate arthritis or lead to headaches, the most reliable way to detect a drop in barometric pressure is by checking a barometer.

Wind Speed

        Wind speed increases as a hurricane gets closer to land, from around 11 m.p.h. 36 hours before landfall increasing to as high as 104 m.p.h. one hour before landfall. It's gusty and grows steadily stronger,blowing unsecured items about and removing tree branches.

Rain

      Rain moves in around 18 hours before the hurricane. It's a driving rain that moves through intermittently, worsening the closer the hurricane gets to land until it becomes a continual downpour around six hours before a hurricane hits. This may lead to flooding in low-lying areas.

HURRICANE FORMATION AND DECAY 

      Hurricanes form over tropical waters(between 8 and 20 degrees latitude) in areas of high humidity, light winds, and warm sea surface temperatures [typically 26.5 degrees Celsius (80 Fahrenheit)or greater]. These conditions usually prevail in the summer and early fall months of the tropical North Atlantic and North Pacific Oceans, and for this reason, hurricane “season” in the northern hemisphere runs from June through November.

PARTS OF A HURRICANE

• The EYE is located directly in the center of the hurricane.
• The EYE WALL surrounds the eye. It can be anywhere from 5-30 miles wide.
• RAIN BANDS are a series of dense clouds that form a spiral around the eye wall.

HURRICANE PREPARATION METHODS

This is a serious business especially if you live in a "hurricane zone" like we do. Hurricane season for  us is June 1 through November 30. Before hurricane season begins, these are some things that you need to do in case a hurricane heads your way.

• always have plenty of water
• Have canned goods to last you for two weeks.
• A battery-operated radio
• batteries of all sizes
• flashlights
• first-aid kit

If you know for sure that a hurricane is heading your way, try to board up your windows. Stay indoors until it is completely over. Also, put sandbags outside your home to help prevent flooding. Stay tuned to your local stations.

EFFECTS OF A HURRICANE 

Hurricanes are very fascinating to track and to view on satellite, but beyond the fascination there is some harsh reality to these storms. Hurricanes are among the most powerful and deadliest forces in nature,which bring various kinds of effects to the area it makes landfall over. Some of these effects such as copious amounts of rain can be beneficial during a drought, but most of the time these effects are unwanted. Below, are some of the common effects from a hurricane.

• Storm surge and tidal flooding--This is the most devastating and notable effect from a hurricane. Storm surge is the rising wall of water that comes ashore with a land falling hurricane, and is responsible for 90 percent of all hurricane related deaths.
• High Winds--This is the most important effect of a hurricane since it determines how powerful the storm is, and how much storm surge and damage it can cause. Winds in a hurricane can reach up to 200 mph.
• Tornadoes--This is probably the least thought of effect of a hurricane, but they do occur. Tornadoes occur in a hurricane as a result of the tremendous energy and instability created when a hurricane makes landfall. Most tornadoes that occur in hurricanes are only minimal in strength.
• Heavy rain and flooding--This is the effect of a hurricane that is completely taken for granted. After hurricanes make landfall, and their winds abate, the tremendous amounts of rainfall become a major factor, and can cause significant flooding as with Hurricane Sandy recently (Oct. 2012)