Oberlin, Ohio
Hi, my name is Mia. My project is about
hurricanes. I studied the history, the formation, and the
effect of hurricanes. I also learned about forecasting,
physical characteristics, and many other things. I chose
this project because I have always thought hurricanes were
interesting. I didn't know anything about hurricanes. I
wanted to know why they formed and how strong they could
get. I read a little on the internet and decided to do this
project. I hoped I would learn how meteorologists
forecast a storm. I wanted to know about the history of
hurricanes and what happened in the past. I was very curious
about hurricanes. I learned many things I didn't expect to
learn like that hurricane names retire and they reuse the
list for names after a couple years. I didn't think there
would be many books about my topic and I was wrong. There
were more resources than I thought. For my research, I used books, magazines,
the internet, the encyclopedias, and other things. I found
the information and wrote it on note cards. A helpful web
site was http://www.google.com. Ajkids.com wasn't that
useful. It was hard to find helpful web sites. I learned many interesting facts about
hurricanes. Ice forms on the very top of the clouds in a
hurricane. Hurricane winds go counter-clockwise if they are
north of the equator. Winds go clockwise south of the
equator. The hurricanes season occurs from June 1st-
November 30th. Hurricanes in the Atlantic occur 6-8 times a
year. In the Pacific about 25 typhoons (hurricanes) occur a
year. In the Indian Ocean about 15 cyclones (hurricanes)
occur each year. Hurricanes can be useful. They bring rain
to dry parts of the world. Japan gets one quarter of its
rain from typhoons (hurricanes). Hurricanes also help take
warm air from the center of the world to the colder areas.
Hurricanes sound like freight trains or airplane engines
getting ready for take-off. Hurricanes can spawn tornadoes.
Hurricane Beulah produced 141 tornadoes in 1967 in Texas.
North of the Bay of Bengal is an area that has had terrible
storms for centuries. In 1737 a cyclone (hurricane) hit the
coast and 300, 000 people drowned. 5 deadliest hurricanes: 5 costliest hurricanes: I learned about hurricanes in the past.
The hurricane of 1938 is famous because it was unexpected.
Before 1953 hurricanes weren't named. The four worst storms
ever to hit New England in the last 400 years were in 1635,
1723, 1815, and 1938. In 1969 Camille killed 250 or more in
the USA. This hurricane had a nine day track. It caused a
storm surge of 25 feet on the Mississippi coast. It was a
Category 5. Hurricane Camille hit Mississippi, Alabama,
Louisiana, Virginia, West Virginia. Winds recorded were 175
mph, but scientists think it reached 200 mph. Hurricanes Andrew was a deadly hurricane.
Andrew started off as a mass of hot air over west Africa. It
traveled over the Atlantic Ocean. Hurricane Andrew slammed
into southern Florida at 5:00 am on August 24, 1992. Andrew,
in 1992, was the third strongest that ever hit the USA.
Andrew 's speed increased from 50 to 140 mph in 48 hours.
The formation of a hurricanes is an extremely interesting
area of research. Hurricanes are the deadliest storms on
earth. They start as showers or thunderstorms. When a storm
reaches 74 mph or more , it becomes a hurricane. For
hurricanes that form in the Atlantic Ocean, they begin as
storms that move off the west coast of Africa. The storm
feeds off the warm ocean. Water vapor rises and starts to
spiral. When it reaches land it doesn't have the warm ocean
to feed off of, and the hard ground and elevation causes the
storm to weaken. It ends in heavy winds several hundred
miles inland. This is the formation cycle: Day 2: Storms group to form a swirl of
cloud. Day 4: Winds grow, distinct center
forms in cloud swirl. Day 7: Eye forms; hurricane is at its
most dangerous. Day 11: Eye passes over land;
hurricane starts to die. Not all storms that form in the tropics
become tropical storms or hurricanes. A tropical wave
produces showers and thunderstorms and if it becomes
organized, it becomes a tropical disturbance. A tropical
disturbance is an area of thunderstorms which holds together
for at least 24 hours. If the disturbance develops, it may
become a tropical depression. A tropical depression is an
area of low pressure with winds 38 mph of less. If it
continues to develop, it becomes a tropical storm. A
tropical storm is a strong low pressure area with winds 39
mph to 73 mph, with heavy rains. Once it has been determined
a tropical storm, it gets a name. If the winds reach 74 mph
or more it becomes a hurricane. A hurricane requires water
of at least 80 degrees Fahrenheit to develop. September storms usually develop near the
Cape Verde Islands of west Africa. Hurricanes start near the
equator. They usually form in the tropics. Hurricanes tend
to hit the southern states because a hurricane requires warm
ocean water conditions and the water is warmer near the
equator. When hurricanes hit cool water or land, they weaken
or die off. Hurricane Ginger , the longest lasting Atlantic
hurricane on record , it lasted for 20 days in 1971.
Hurricane John lasted 29 days in the Pacific Ocean in
1994. I learned about the effect on people and
the land after hurricanes. Here are some things to watch out
for after the storm passes. Don't touch power lines that are
down. They can electrocute you. Watch out for glass, sharp
objects, and dangling tree branches. Look out for poisonous
snakes that flood waters may have driven out of their homes.
Stay away from roads, bridges, and buildings because they
may collapse. Eat canned foods. Many people died from
Hurricane Andrew. Many bodies were found way out in the
Everglades. The people that survived Hurricane Andrew had
major injuries. These included broken jaws, shards of glass
cutting skin, bleeding , and destruction to the brain. 2,000
trailer homes were in Homestead, Florida. When Andrew hit
there were 12 left standing. 8,230 mobile homes and 9,140
apartments were demolished because of Hurricane
Andrew. Forecasting a hurricane is very
important. If there is a hurricane watch, there is a
possible hurricane in 36 hours. If there is a hurricane
warning, there is a possible hurricane in 24 hours. If there
is a hurricane warning, these are some things to do. Tape
X's across small windows. This will help prevent glass from
flying in strong winds. Board up large windows. Fill jugs
and bathtubs with water. You might need fresh water for a
couple days after the hurricane. Turn your refrigerator to
the coolest setting. All your food will stay colder for
longer if the electricity goes out. Listen to the radio or
watch t.v. for storm updates. Forecasters sometimes fly planes into the
eye of the hurricane. They have instruments that record the
wind speed and direction of the hurricane. Other instruments
measure the amount of water in the clouds. They use this
information to predict the force and the path of the
hurricane. They can also tell if the hurricane will hit or
not. Forecasters can often tell if a storm will become a
hurricane (74 mph or more). The scientists at the National Hurricane
Center in Miami track down hurricanes. Even though the
season lasts from June to November they watch the storms all
year. Every tropical storm 39 mph or more gets a name
assigned by the National Hurricane Center. People started
naming hurricanes in the 1950's to keep track of storms.
Before then, hurricanes had a number or were identified by
their location. It got confusing so they started naming the
hurricanes. In 1953 hurricanes started getting female names.
They made a list of names from a-w but they didn't include
Q, U, X, Y, and Z. Names for storms in the North Atlantic,
Caribbean, and Gulf of Mexico are used again in six years,
the 1998 list will be used again in 2004. There is a
separate list for the Pacific Ocean. When a storm is deadly
or causes much damage, its name is removed from the list.
Names that will never be used again are Andrew(1992),
Bob(1991), Gilbert(1988), Camille(1969), Hugo(1989), and
Joan(1988). Hurricanes in the Atlantic are called
hurricanes. In the Pacific they are called typhoons. In the
Indian Ocean they are called tropical cyclones. Hurricanes
are called willy-willies in Australia, Hurricanes have physical features. The
size of a hurricane can range from 9-19 miles long. The eye
of the hurricane can be 50 miles wide. That is the distance
between Baltimore, MD and Washington, D.C. The Beau fort
Scale is for the wind. It goes from 1-12. 8 through 12 are
the dangerous storms. 9 strong gale 47-54 mph Slight damage
to buildings. 10 storm 55-63 mph Trees
uprooted. 11 violent storm 64-73 mph Widespread
damage. 12 hurricane 74 mph or more Violent
destruction. Hurricanes are measured on a scale of 1-5
according to the wind speed. category 2 96-110 mph category 3 111-130 mph category 4 131-155 mph category 5 more than 155
mph Category 1 hurricanes break off tree
branches and blow down power lines. Category 5 hurricanes
destroy buildings or even entire towns. I enjoy the independent study project
because it is a chance to do some intensive research. This
project has been good for me because I learned about a new
subject and I learned new vocabulary. If I had more time, I
would want to learn more about the forecasting of
hurricanes. I would like to know what tools meteorologists
use. I had a good time doing this project. Glossary Atmosphere - The layer of air surrounding
earth. Climate - The overall weather conditions
of an area. Condense - Changes from a vapor or gas
into a liquid. Cyclone - A hurricane in the Indian
Ocean. Equator - An imaginary line around the
middle of the earth. Evacuate - To leave your home to seek
shelter from the storm. Eye of the storm - The calm center of a
hurricane. Hurricane - A storm from the tropics that
begins at sea with winds of 74mph or greater. Hurricane warning - A warning that a
hurricane is expected to hit within 24 hours. Hurricane watch - An advisory that a
hurricane might hit within 36 hours. Meteorologist - A scientist who studies
weather. Typhoon - A hurricane in the Pacific
Ocean. Willy-willy - A hurricane that hits
Australia. Bibliography Atkinson, B.W. and Gadd, Alan. (1987).
Weather. New York , New York. Cosgrove, Brian. (1991). Eyewitness
Books Weather. London. Erlbach, Arlene. (1993). A new true
book Hurricanes. Chicago, Illinois. Gemmell, Kathy. (1996). Storms and
Hurricanes. New York, New York. Hood, Susan. (1998). Hurricanes!
New York, New York. Morris, Neil. (1998). Hurricanes and
Tornadoes. New York, New York.
place year deaths
1 Galveston, TX 1900 8,000
2 Florida 1928 1,836
3 Florida 1919 600
4 New England 1938 600
5 Florida 1935 408
name year $money
1 Andrew 1992 $30.5 billion
2 Hugo 1989 $8.5 billion
3 Anges 1972 $7.5 billion
4 Betsy 1965 $7.4 billion
5 Camille 1969 $6.1 billion
Day 1: Thunderstorms develop
over the sea.
8 gale 39-46 mph Twigs broken
off trees.
category 1 74-95 mph
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