Hurricanes Geography Worksheets

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Name:
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Date: _________________
Period:
LAB #39: Hurricanes
Introduction: The development of hurricanes involves many processes that we have already learned about in
meteorology. Hurricanes are “fueled” by warm water. The moisture released by the warm water creates an
extreme low pressure center. Some of the lowest pressures ever recorded in a hurricane's eye were 899 millibars in
Rita and 902 millibars in Katrina (both in 2005), 910 millibars in Mitch (2004), and 905 millibars in Camille
(1969). This low pressure creates strongly rising air. As the humid, rising air cools off, it creates massive amounts
of clouds by condensation. Condensation releases heat which further lowers air pressure. Winds start to swirl in a
counterclockwise direction and a hurricane is born.
Hurricanes are a type of cyclonic storm that start in the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics (the same type of storm is
called a typhoon in the Pacific). They are pushed toward the west by the trade winds near the equator. Due the
counterclockwise spinning motion, hurricanes follow a curving path northward. When they move across 30°N
latitude, they enter the prevailing westerly wind belt, which pushes them toward the east. The weather service
tracks hurricanes and uses models to predict the path in order to issue warnings which may be used to issue
evacuation orders. Classification of a storm as a hurricane depends on the speed of the winds within the hurricane:
Wind speeds have to be greater than 74 mph (64 knots/119 km/h) for a Category 1 Hurricane.
1. What is a hurricane?
Wind Speed
(mph)
Air Pressure (range)
[check data chart on p.2]
Circulation Pattern
(Northern Hemisphere)
2. What is the source of energy (“fuel”) for a hurricane?
Objective: Students will plot 2 hurricane tracks on the Hurricane Tracking Chart (p.3)--Katrina and Sandy--using
the Lat./Long Data on p.2. Use a pencil for plotting and use two different symbols to indicate the location of each
hurricane on a given date. Connect the locations with a smooth line to indicate the path of the hurricane. Landfall
is the location where the path of the hurricane crosses the coastline. Once plotted, the paths will be compared and
some conclusion drawn from the plotted data.

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