what causes hurricanes, what type of damage does it make & how should i protect myself?

Question

PLZ ANSWEAR IT"S MY HOMEWORK!

Answer 1

Where do you reside?? In the United States, unless you live in a state located along the Gulf of Mexico or the Atlantic Ocean, you do not need to worry! Here is how hurricanes are conceived: They begin as cloud formations or tropical waves over the Atlantic, Caribbean, or Gulf of Mexico. (During the "Cape Verde Season" which occurs late in August through early September when the Atlantic Ocean has become quite warm, the beginnings of the storms come off the coast of Africa in the region of Cape Verde.) Eventually, if conditions are favorable (the waters are very warm, the prevailing winds are from the East, and there is a high barometric system aloft), counterclockwise rotation will commence within the clouds, first forming a tropical depression. The progression from there, assuming that conditions remain ideal, is to a tropical storm when the winds at the center of the depression reach 35 miles per hour; from tropical storm strength, the system will continue to increase in wind speed at its center, eventually becoming a minimal or Category I Hurricane at about 69 mph. Hurricanes, then, can continue to strengthen as they become somewhat self-sustaining while the atmospheric situation remains stable. They may progress through Category II (central winds being about 120 mph or so); at that stage, an eye will begin to form at the center with the strongest winds being in the eye wall). From there, a hurricane can increas through Categories III, IV, and V, with the latter's winds reaching the range of 150 to 200 mph. As the hurricane reaches the higher stages, its eye will decrease in size, becoming more and more compact as the winds increase, and the wind field also will widen with hurricane force winds existing at a distant radius from the eye. Damage caused by a hurricane is consistent with its wind speed, obviously, with the damage from a Category IV or V storm being catastrophic nearest to the eye!! I experienced Category IV Hurricane Charley, Friday, August 13th, 2004, and I can assure you that it was a frightening and horrific event that I would not care to have repeated. My best advice to you, if you do live in a hurricane-prone area, is to evacuate when that is mandated and if at all possible. With Hurricane Charley, we did not learn until only a short while before it struck that it was going to make landfall in Charlotte Harbor, thus very few of the residents of Charlotte County were able to flee, the result being that we just sat there hoping for the best, and we were rewarded as the death toll was very low though the damage was extensive and severe. I do hope that my information will be helpful to you...

Answer 2

Dear "Metus Ocultus....". You have asked a very good question, because the energy from water vapor is an essential element in the genesis and sustenance of a tropical storm. What we first see in the development of such storms are large unorganized areas of convective clouds which I have termed Convective Cloud Clusters. These are the incipient areas of storm development. The first thing we need to see for a storm to become organized is surface temperatures of at least 28C. As clouds then begin to grow, water vapor is condensed due to the lower pressure aloft and this releases a considerable amount of heat energy into the atmosphere and as long as there is no mechanism aloft such as strong shear which can remove this heat the surface pressure will begin to drop. At this point another very important ingredient is necessary and that is southwesterly winds to the south of the cloud cluster which is embedded in the trade winds (easterlies). This wind structure leads to a counterclockwise or cyclonic circulation which brings surface air filled with water vapor toward a developing center of low pressure and circulation. This air then rises in the convective clouds and further supports the development of low pressure. Soon the cluster becomes a tropical depression, the first real stage in tropical storm life cycle. It is numbered at this point and aircraft flights are made into the depression for close up measurements by dropsonde instruments to record temperature and pressure down to the surface. The initial discovery of the storm is generally done by satellite data interpretation, but satellite data will be closely monitored throughout the life cycle of this storm. As the storm develops it next becomes a tropical cyclone and is now given a name. It may also develop an eye (about 25% do at this point in their history). The final stage of the storm is the hurricane. Throughout the life of this storm water vapor is "the" source of energy that is crucial to its life cycle so that when the storm finally moves over land and that energy source is cut off, the storm immediately begins to dissipate. The major damage from hurricanes is the surge or wall of water which precedes the arrival of the storm. This causes flooding especially if it coincides with high tides. Secondly there are high winds of course which generate flying objects. There are also severe thunderstorms with lightning and quite possibly a tornado. You should always listen to the authorities and evacuate if requested or ordered to. It is a good policy to be as far away from an arriving hurricane as possible. Hope this helps and if not then let me know.

Answer 3

I don't know exactly what causes them... I survived Hurricane Ivan back in Sept. of 2004 that made landfall in Orange Beach, AL. I would suggest looking at the NOAA website or looking up specific hurricanes and looking at articles.

The best way to protect yourself from a storm is just get out of it's path. Email me if you want pictures of my backyard after the storm, or story of personal experience. I'd be happy to give you more info, but not do your homework for you. [e-mail]

Answer 4

no worries is the solution

howdy partner