Hurricanes Essay -- Natural Disasters Storms essays papers

INTRODUCTION The term â€Å"hurricane† is a name given to violent storms that originate over the tropical or subtropical waters of the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, or North Pacific Ocean. Hurricanes need warm tropical oceans, moisture and light winds above them in order to maintain themselves active. Those storms other than the ones considered typhoons are known as tropical cyclones, which is the general name for all such storms including hurricanes and typhoons. Hurricanes are named based on certain aspects and location of where they first originate. With just the right conditions lasting long enough, a hurricane can cause violent winds, incredible waves crashing against shorelines, torrential rains and floods that produce great damage to properties and human life. HOW HURRICANES FORM Tropical cyclones form and grow in warm ocean water as a collection of storms in the tropic, receiving their energy from latent heat. Hurricanes and other tropical cyclones begin as clusters of showers and thunderstorms. When one of these showers becomes organized with its winds making a complete circle around the center, a tropical depression is formed. â€Å"The deepening low-pressure center takes in moist air and thermal energy from the ocean while simultaneously the high pressure higher in the atmosphere pushes it outward† ( Longshore 1). As the clouds turn into a tight curl, the depression becomes a tropical storm. Due to low central pressure air spiraling cyclonically, the diameter of what is known as the â€Å"eye† of the hurricane is anywhere from ten to twenty miles. Hurricanes and tropical cyclones form, maintain their strength, and grow only when they are over ocean water that is approximately 27 °C (80 °F). This type of warmth causes large amounts of wat er to evaporate, making the air very humid. Since water is slow to warm up and cool down, oceans do not become warm enough for tropical cyclones to occur in the spring. When hurricanes start to get weak and die out as they move over colder water or land, they can still remain dangerous as they slow down and weaken CHARACTERISTICS OF HURRICANES Hurricane-force winds coming from a large, strong storm may be felt over an area with a diameter of more than 60 miles. The diameter of the area affected by gale winds and torrential rain can extend another 120 miles outward from the eye of the storm. The diameter of... ...agement officials. CONCLUSION   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hurricanes unfortunately occur between June 1st and November 30th with no human control over them. Hurricanes tend to form in warm, humid, and moist water and travel from east to west. To track such storms, the Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale which determines the strength of a hurricanes’ winds and rain is used. It tends to be the most accurate. The National Hurricane Center is the main forecast center for storms that originate over the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico, and the northeastern Pacific Ocean. In addition, The World Meteorological Organization’s Western Hemisphere Hurricane Committee selects hurricane names, using alternating men’s and women’s names in English, Spanish, and French in alphabetical order. The National Hurricane Center determines a hurricane watch if the storm could hit within 36 hours or less and advises everyone to stay indoors and off the streets as much possible. All in all, hurricanes a re not something to be proud off or be upset at because of the damages it causes, but just realize that it’s Mother Nature’s creation and nobody can control or stop a hurricane once it has created a path.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚