Hurricanes

=Hurricanes=

General Information:
A strong, swirling storm that begins over warm waters is called a **hurricane**. Hurricanes form in the waters near the equator ( the middle of the earth) and they migrate toward the north and south poles. Hurricane winds swirl around a central zone called the eye surronded by many dull clouds called the eyewall. The eye is in diameter from 10 to 40 miles with free huge clouds and rain. In the eyewall, large changes in pressure create the strongest winds reaching nearly 200 miles per hour. Winds that are damaged may extend 250 miles from the eye**. #1**

Hurricane winds can go up to nearly 200 miles per hour.#6

When do Hurricanes Happen?
Hurricanes need tropical warm oceans, and moisture and light winds above them. Hurricanes are most common during the summer and early fall. In the Atlantic and the Northeast Pacific, for example, August and September are the peak hurricane months. Typhoons occur throughout the year in the Northwest Pacific but are most frequent in summer. In the North Indian Ocean, tropical cyclones strike in May and November. In the South Indian Ocean, the South Pacific Ocean, and off the coast of Australia, the hurricane season runs from December to March. Approximately 85 hurricanes, typhoons, and tropical cyclones occur in a year throughout the world. There are an aveage six Atlantic hurricanes each year, and approximetely five hurricanes strike the United States Coastline from Texas to Maine. The Pacific hurricane season runs from May 15 through November 30, with peak activity occurring during July through September. The Pacific should expect 15 or 16 tropical storms per year. 9 to 10 of which would become Hurricanes**. #4**

Hurricanes form over the oceans. They are caused by evaporated water that comes off of the ocean, they then become a storm. The Coriolis Effect causes the storms to spin, and a hurricane is declared when this spinning mass of storms attains a wind speed greater than 74 mph. #8

Ways to Protect Yourself from Hurricanes:

 * Hurricanes can be dangerous, small or large, so one should always take safety measures.


 * You should definitely secure your property. If you want to protect your windows, permanent storm shutters are definetly a go. Tape on the other hand is a big no. If shutters aren't available, use 5/8" plywood, fitted and ready to be installed.


 * Put straps or clips to firmly fasten the roof to your house. Doing this will reduce roof damage.


 * Make sure that all plants and trees around your house are well trimed.


 * If gutter and/or downspouts are clogged or loose, clean them.


 * Figure out how and where to secure an escape boat.


 * One thing you should definetly do is construct a safe room like a basement to stay safe in during the storm**. #2**

When hurricanes move onto land, The heavy rain, the strong winds, and the heavy waves can damage buildings, trees, and cars. The heavy waves are called a storm surge. A storm surge is very dangerous and a huge reason why you must stay away from the ocean during a hurricane. **#4** The hurricane's winds are so powerful that they create huge waves that can damage and destroy any land very easily, which leads to many deaths. #1

Famous Hurricanes:
There are very famous hurricanes and some of them ruined millions of lives. One very devastating hurricane was Hurricane Katrina. The hurricane completely destroyed New Orleans with high winds, huge waves, and flooding. The hurricane killed at least 1,800 people and caused billions of dollars in damage.**#1** Another very famous hurricane was Hurricane Andrew. This hurricane had destroyed up to 3 sections of the United States. The first place it hit was the Bahamas killing at least 3 people and did major damage. Later on, Andrew hit Florida with ongoing winds of 135 miles per hour. The last place that Andrew hit was Louisiana at 140 miles per hour winds killing more than 1,500 Louisianans. Those are just some of the extremely frightening hurricanes**. #5**

1. http://www.worldbookonline.com/wb/Article?id=ar267860&st=hurricane 2.http://www.fema.gov/hazard/hurricane/index.shtm 3.http://www.worldbookonline.com/wb/Article?id=ar267860&st=hurricanes 4.http://hurricanes.noaa.gov/ 5.http://library.thinkquest.org/4243/kristina/hurricaneworst.html 6.http://images.google.com/images?q=hurricane 7.http://www.projectshum.org/NaturalDisasters/hurricanes-catarina.jpg __8. http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.projectshum.org/NaturalDisasters/hurricanes-catarina.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.projectshum.org/NaturalDisasters/hurricanes.html&h=231&w=350&sz=16&hl=en&start=13&tbnid=Q6aLKi8f0Dc0pM:&tbnh=79&tbnw=120&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dhurricanes%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG__
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