What causes hurricanes?
The recipe for a hurricane requires two key ingredients: heat and moist air. In the summer and early fall, masses of air heat up over warm ocean waters and absorb moisture, creating the conditions that generate a hurricane. The air flow in a hurricane spirals around the center, or eye, of the storm. The eye of a hurricane is deceptively tranquil, while the strongest winds and heaviest rains occur in the region surrounding the eye. Predicting Hurricanes Hurricanes have long been causing destruction, but deaths attributable to these storms have declined in recent years thanks to technological advances in predicting the course and intensity of hurricanes. The National Hurricane Center in Florida tracks and ranks hurricanes and tropical storms. The center uses satellite imagery, radar and weather balloons to spot conditions that could produce a hurricane. With the data gathered, computers estimate the path, strength and development of each storm.
Hurricanes like Katrina are the most powerful storms in nature. They begin when a group of storms comes together over warm waters in the ocean along the equator. All summer long, these areas absorb heat from the sun. By late summer, the higher water temperatures allow storms to strengthen and grow. This signals the start of “hurricane season.” Warmer water means more energy for a storm’s development. Storm systems create areas of low pressure, which cause large amounts of water to evaporate. This makes the air very humid. As the warm air rises, cooler air rushes in to replace it. As this cycle intensifies, these rushing winds pick up speed. At first, these winds blow in toward the center of the storm system. As the storm grows, however, the effect of Earth’s rotation begins to spin the storm around. The center rotates in a counterclockwise direction. The winds now whip around the center and create the “eye” of the storm.
Pre-conditions for hurricanes Several atmospheric ingredients must come together for a hurricane to form.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 another article by Rich Johnson called How do hurricanes form? These factors are important in that tremendous amounts of heat energy are 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.
Pre-conditions for hurricanes Several atmospheric ingredients must come together for a hurricane to form. 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?” 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.
FORMER PRESIDENT Clinton predicted last week that Republican environmental policies are going to lead to more hurricanes. Wow. This isn’t something we should take lightly. The ex-president knows people. He’s connected. He doesn’t just pop off about critical issues without the kind of information at his fingertips unavailable to mere mortals. When he tells us that Republicans are going to cause hurricanes, it should be a wake-up call, at least in the Southeastern United States. You’re going to hear a lot of scuttlebutt about “those darn Republicans and their hurricanes” over the next few days. I, for one, plan on avoiding my barbershop altogether until this whole thing blows over (pun intended). But let’s face it, talk is cheap. What are we going to do about it? One idea would be to simply put a Democrat in the Oval Office. But wait. What if the Republicans still control Congress? Are you telling me that the president is going to veto a hurricane? Hard to imagine.
