Transcript Hurricanes
15 Questions on Fronts and Weather Eric Angat Teacher Cold region because of its nearness to the North pole. Polar Vortex Cold & dry Cold & dry hurricane snow hurricane hurricane hurricane hurricane hurricane hurricane Warm & humid hurricane Warm or hot region because of its nearness to the equator. Warm & humid Comparing Storms and Tornadoes Tornadoes Storms Starts above warm water. Weakens when it reach land. Both form where air masses meet Starts on land Weakens when air dissipates. 1. What is the direction of spin of low pressure area or cyclone in the northern hemisphere? Counterclockwise circulation around low pressure areas in the Northern Hemisphere. 2. In the northern hemisphere, what are the directions of air in cyclone and anti-cyclone? Low pressure system High pressure system Air rises in low pressure, making a counterclockwise spiral ( cyclone). Descending in high pressure flows in a clockwise spiral ( counter cyclone). Sometimes a cold front follows right behind a warm front. A warm air mass pushes into a colder air mass (the warm front) and then another cold air mass pushes into the warm air mass (the cold front). Because cold fronts move faster, the cold front is likely to overtake the warm front. This is known as an occluded front. L means low pressure or bad weather. cyclonic flow cyclonic flow H means high pressure or good weather. What Causes Hurricanes? Pre-Conditions for Hurricanes There are perhaps seven atmospheric conditions which, if met, could cause a hurricane to form. A pre-existing disturbance, warm ocean water, low atmospheric stability, sufficient Coriolis force, moist mid-atmosphere, and upper atmosphere divergence are all important factors for hurricane formation. These conditions are discussed in greater detail in Tropicalweather.net's "How do hurricanes form?" page. These factors are important in that tremendous amounts of heat energy is transported from the tropics northward to the higher latitudes. The hurricane is a large heat engine, where great amounts of heat are being produced from the process of latent heat of condensation. This occurs as water vapor is being evaporated from the ocean surface and condensed into cloud droplets GOES-13 Imagery of an intense extratropical cyclone near the NE United States. Wind gusts of 101mph+ were reported. A clockwise spinning extratropical cyclone off southern Australia, in the southern hemisphere. 3. What are the three types of tropical cyclones? Tropical cyclone can be hurricanes, typhoons, and cyclones. 4. Where do hurricanes form? East Pacific Ocean Atlantic Ocean Hurricanes form in the Atlantic, Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, Central and Northeast Pacific. 5. Where do typhoons form? West East Pacific Ocean Pacific Ocean Atlantic Ocean Southern Atlantic Typhoons form in the Northwest Pacific ocean. HURRICANE? CYCLONE? TYPHOON?: They're all the same, officially tropical cyclones. But they just use distinctive terms for a storm in different parts of the world. 6. The Pacific Ocean Gyre brings all the trash in center of the currents. Where are the two garbage patches located in the Pacific? Near California, Near Kuroshi, USA Japan North America Western Garbage patch Eastern Garbage patch A gyre in oceanography is any large system of rotating ocean currents, particularly those involved with large wind movements. Gyres are caused by the Coriolis Effect. 7. What are weather fronts? Draw the symbol for cold front, warm front, occluded front, and stationary front. Weather fronts are where air masses meet. 8. What kind of weather is caused by a cold front? Cold air moves towards warm air Causes abrupt weather changes. Strong winds and severe thunderstorms. http://www.phschool.com/atschool/phsciexp/active_art/weather_fronts/ 9. How does a cold front form? A. Cold air advances, forcing warm air to rise. B. Warm and cold air masses meet and mix. C. Warm and cold air masses have no relative advancement. 10. What kind of weather is caused by a stationary front? Stationary front results to rain or snow that continues over a long period of time. This commonly results to flooding. http://www.phschool.com/atschool/phsciexp/active_art/weather_fronts/ 11. What kind of weather is caused by a warm front? Warm air moves towards cold air If the warm air is dry, scattered clouds form. If the warm air is humid, widespread snow, showers or light rain falls. http://www.phschool.com/atschool/phsciexp/active_art/weather_fronts/ http://www.atmos.illinois.edu/~snodgrss/Fronts_lab.html 12. What kind of weather is caused by a occluded front? In most cases, storms begin to weaken after a frontal occlusion occurs. http://www.phschool.com/atschool/phsciexp/active_art/weather_fronts/ 13. How are hurricanes and tornadoes related to air masses? A. They form within air masses. B. They form where air masses meet. C. They form where air pressure is the same. D. They form where air temperatures are the same 14. What is the difference between Typhoons and Hurricanes? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJGka8024E0&sf=Relevancy#4 Tropical cyclone categories: Category Wind Speed (mph) Damage at Landfall Storm Surge (feet) 1 74-95 Minimal 4-5 2 96-110 Moderate 6-8 3 111-130 Extensive 9-12 4 131-155 Extreme 13-18 5 Over 155 Catastrophic 19+ West Pacific Ocean Classified as a super tropical cyclone , typhoon Haiyan has made landfall in the Philippines, bringing top sustained winds that were measured at more than 195 miles per hour before landfall. The measurement reflects the winds sustained by the storm for one minute; the storm was also producing gusts, abrupt rush of wind, of 230 mph. 15. Why are NC’s barrier islands important? NC Barrier islands Barrier islands serve two main functions. First, they protect the coastlines from severe storm damage. Second, they harbor several habitats that are refuges for wildlife. NC Barrier islands