Jeremy+Jacob

=**Hurricanes**=

**What is a hurricane?**
A hurricane is a tropical storm that originates from the equatorial regions of the Atlantic Ocean or Caribbean Sea or eastern regions of the Pacific that have winds greater than 74 miles per hour. They also travel north, northwest, and northeast from their point of origin. Usually, heavy rains are involved.

**How do hurricanes form?**
For a hurricane to form, it must be over warm water that is at least 81 degrees Fahrenheit. The warm air must be in a cycle, so it can start to evaporate. From there, clouds and rain form. High-pressured air then must be sucked in the storm at the center, and a hurricane will form. There are some exceptions. If the winds are at about 39 mph, it's only a tropical storm and can't do as much damage a real hurricane can. When the wind speed is about at 74 mph, it's classified as a hurricane. What causes the spinning of the hurricane is the circular motion of the Earth. It doesn't matter if hurricanes are small or large because they can still do a lot of damage. A hurricane's width can reach as much as 700 miles across. Even the eye itself can be 5 to 100 miles in diameter.

**How severe are hurricanes?**
When at sea, wind and waves created by hurricanes and are a hazard to boats at sea. Shipwrecks and missing boats are such things that can happen. At land, hurricanes can cause tremendous damage to buildings, power lines, roads, and cars with its combination of winds, storm surge, and rain that can flood a whole city. For coastal areas, sand is eroded and deposited in others. The waves and storm surge also can carry large rocks and boulders and throw them around. Strong winds and floods can thin or even destroy forests. A hurricane weakens when it gets to inland, but torrential rains can still cause flooding and mudslides. It is estimated that 10,000 deaths happen worldwide each year because of hurricanes, and the majority of those deaths happen because of flooding.

**What are some of the world's past hurricanes?**
Some of the world's past hurricanes were Katrina, Andrew, and Irene. Hurricane Katrina hit the city of New Orleans, Louisiana on the morning of August 29, 2009. It was a category 5 hurricane with 160 mph winds. A few thousand residents of New Orleans were hiding out in the Louisiana Superdome, but some residents were still unfortunate. Over 3,000 died because of Katrina. Andrew was also a traumatic hurricane. South Florida was an unfortunate victim on August 24, 1992. The category 4 hurricane, with 175 mph winds, killed a total of 65 people. Another hurricane was Irene. Irene formed on October 13, 1999. Cape Verde, Bermuda, and Newfoundland are some of the hurricane's victims. Thankfully the category 2 hurricane, with 105 mph winds, had no report of damage or casualties.

**What are the different kinds of hurricanes?**
There are various kinds of hurricanes. First, there is Category 1 hurricane, which is the least dangerous hurricane, and it can snap off tree branches, knock down power lines, and winds are under 74-95 mph. Next, there's a Category 2 hurricane, and it blows down big signs and tree branches and winds can reach 96-110 mph. A Category 3 hurricane is the next hurricane, but it only causes small damage to buildings, trees, and houses. Winds can reach 111-130 mph. Then, there's a Category 4 hurricane (this is where more expensive damage occurs), and it can destroy thousands of houses and kill tons of people. Last, but not least, there's a Category 5 hurricane, and it is the most dangerous hurricane that can happen. It wipes out buildings and entire towns at damaging winds of 155 mph or more. If someone can't determine which hurricane they're experiencing, then they should use the Saffir-Simpson scale.

**How can people prepare for hurricanes?**
Before someone can prepare for a hurricane, they must look on their local weather station to see if there's a hurricane coming. First, a hurricane watch is issued, and that means a hurricane may effect an area in 24-36 hours. People then listen to the next advisories and see if the watch turns into a warning. Acts such as moving to a safer shelter, taping or boarding windows, checking on supplies(batteries, flashlights, battery-operated radios, canned food, first aid supplies, drinking water, and medications), bringing in lawn furniture, and having an extra supply of cash are what people can do if there's a watch. If there's a warning, people can expect a hurricane in a coastal area in 36 hours or less. From this point. people can constantly listen to the radio for updates, putting up storm shutters, storing loose objects, moving valuables to upper floors, store clean water in containers because the water system could be contaminated, check battery-operated equipment, do what the local authorities' commands, get to high ground, leave at daylight to avoid any last-minute rush (Stay out of flood zones!), stay out of mobile homes, let neighbors or relatives know about the hurricane if it's going to hit their area, and food and water should be left for a pet that is left at home.

**When is hurricane season?**
Typical hurricane season for the Atlantic is June 1st to November 30th. The probability of landfall for a major hurricane for the entire U.S. coastline is about 69%. A chance for hurricanes hitting the east coast is about 45%. Hurricanes' chance of hitting the Gulf coast is about 44%. It's most surely that these numbers are true, but they're scary as well.

**How are hurricanes named?**
The art of naming hurricanes was started in 1953. At that time, hurricanes were named after women until 1979 when hurricanes started to be named after men too. Six lists have been created. These lists are alternated every six years. In a hurricane season, the first storm is named an A-name of a girl or boy. Then, the next storm is given a B-name of a girl or boy and so on. Once, though, a hurricane does serious damage, the name of that storm is retired and a new name replaces it.

Links
[|Create a Hurricane]

[|Saffir-Simpson Scale]

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