Hurricanes

This site is a joint effort of NOAA Research and the College of Education at the University of South Alabama. The goal of the site is to provide middle school science students and teachers with research and investigation experiences using on-line resources. In this unit students explore how hurricanes develop, where they form, the most dangerous parts of hurricanes, how to track hurricanes, and determine the effects of hurricanes on coastal areas. Parts of the unit include gathering information from other websites, applying the data gathered, and enrichment exercises. This site contains a downloadable teachers guide, student guide, and all activity sheets to make the unit complete. Educational levels: Middle school

Florida hurricanes and tropical storms: 1871-1993, an historical review

In recent times, from 1871-1993, nearly 1,0OO tropical cyclones of tropical storm or hurricane intensity have s cur red in the North Atlantic, Caribbean Sea, and Gulf of Mexico. Of this total, about 180 have reached Florida, with 75 of these known to have hurricane force winds (wind speed 2 74 mph) and 105 with tropical storm force winds (39 mph - 73 mph). While early records are fragmentary and incomplete, the following is a discussion of the more formidable Florida hurricanes. For convenience and to provide readable hurricane tracks, the discussion examines hurricanes occurring within 30-year periods, divided into 10-year sections. When possible the SaffirISirnpson Scale (Table 1) describes the hurricane category for both past hurricanes (before the scale was developed), and recent hurricanes. (157pp.

On the relationship between hurricane cost and the integrated wind profile

It is challenging to identify metrics that best capture hurricane destructive potential and costs. Although it has been found that the sea surface temperature and vertical wind shear can both make considerable changes to the hurricane destructive potential metrics, it is still unknown which plays a more important role. Here we present a new method to reconstruct the historical wind structure of hurricanes that allows us, for the first time, to calculate the correlation of damage with integrated power dissipation and integrated kinetic energy of all hurricanes at landfall since 1988. We find that those metrics, which include the horizontal wind structure, rather than just maximum intensity, are much better correlated with the hurricane cost. The vertical wind shear over the main development region of hurricanes plays a more dominant role than the sea surface temperature in controlling these metrics and therefore also ultimately the cost of hurricanes

THE 2005 GULF COAST HURRICANES' EFFECT ON FOOD STAMP PROGRAM CASELOADS AND BENEFITS ISSUED

In fall 2005, Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma devastated areas along much of the Gulf Coast resulting in large increases in food stamp caseloads and benefits issued. In November 2005, the number of people receiving food stamps reached a record 29.7 million, or about 4 million more participants than just 3 months earlier. Most of the increase in caseloads occurred in the Gulf Coast States that were hardest hit by the hurricanes—Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas. The hurricanes’ impact on caseloads in these States, in terms of both magnitude and duration, varied widely. States that received large numbers of evacuees from hurricane-affected areas also experienced disproportionate increases in caseloads relative to the other States. This study estimates that the hurricanes increased total food stamp benefits issued by about $1.2 billion, with most of it going to people located in the five Gulf Coast States.Food Stamp Program, Disaster Food Stamp Program, food stamp caseloads, food stamp benefits issued, hurricanes, Gulf Coast States, Food Assistance and Nutrition Research Program, FANRP, Food Security and Poverty,

On the global circulation and the hurricane system of the Jovian atmosphere

An argument is made to support the proposal that Jupiter's red spot and the white and brown ovals are hurricanes or cyclones. Against the background of a convectively unstable troposphere, the general condition exists for the formation of hurricanes. The energy Jupiter emits must be transported upwards through the troposphere. If that transport is accelerated by the prevailing upward motions in the solar driven multicellular meridional circulation, eastward jets develop such as observed in the l region. But if that vertical transport is impeded by the prevailing downward motions in the meridional circulation, the atmosphere reacts and tends to maintain the process through the development of hurricanes. Dynamically induced by solar differential heating, an ordered latitudinal structure with alternating stability and instability is impressed on the troposphere to form alternating zonal strata where hurricanes are forbidden and permitted, respectively