Hurricanes Hit!
By: Sydney Orr
November 16, 2012
What is a hurricane?
Hurricanes are deadly storms that happen in the Atlantic. Many deaths every year happen because of these storms. A hurricane is one of the most deadly types of storms, and if you do not take precautions and be careful, you could be in danger.
Hurricanes form off the coast of Africa. They need warm water to maintain their strength. Once a hurricane makes landfall, they lose some of their strength because they no longer have the warm water that they once had. A hurricane forms when two winds are blowing the same speeds in different directions or when a cold front and a warm front meet. The air forces upward, and the wind blows out causing air and water to rise from the surface of the sea. To the left, is a picture of a hurricane forming on the coast. This is what a hurricane looks like when it just begins to form.
Hurricane Facts.
A hurricane can happen at anywhere, anytime. But the official hurricane season is from June 1st through November 30th. Hurricanes are categorized by a scale called the Saffir-Simpson Scale. Hurricanes get put in categories 1-5. 1 being the littlest type and 5 being the deadliest. A category 1 hurricane ranges wind speeds anywhere from 74-95 miles per hours. A category 2 hurricane ranges from 96-100 miles per hour. Category 3 ranges from 111-130 miles per hour. Category 4 ranges from 131-155 miles per hour, and a category 5 hurricane has wind speeds faster than 155 miles per hours. The National Hurricane Center made up a list of names that hurricanes went by, only using women's names. In 1979, they added men's names to the list and they have used that list of names ever since. If a hurricane was very dangerous, and cause lots of damage, then that hurricanes name can be retired from the list. To the right, is a picture of some of the damage that a hurricane in the past has done.
Hurricane Frances.
On September 31, 2004, hurricane Frances took place. This was one of the most deadly hurricanes in U.S history. Just after midnight, Frances made its first landfall. Frances made its first landfall in Stuart, Florida with a storm surge of 6 feet. After the surge, wind speeds started off at 105 miles per hour. This hurricane hit many states including Florida, Alabama, North Carolina and West Virginia. Because of this hurricane, 8 deaths took place, but very many injured. The damage done in the U.S cost around 8.9 billion dollars! But, most of the damage was done in Florida. This is just a little bit of a hurricane in the past. The picture to the left is what hurricane Frances caused. This is little of the damage done.
For more information about hurricane Frances or, hurricanes in general, call 1-800-HURRICANES. Tune in next time for Hurricanes Hit!