Summary:
How are hurricanes named? What is the difference between a hurricane and a typhoon? What is the Saffir-Simpson scale? What was the deadliest hurricane in U.S. history? These and other questions are answered in this useful article.

Details or Sample:
Q: What is the difference between a hurricane watch and a hurricane warning?
A: A hurricane watch is issued when there is a possibility that an area could experience hurricane conditions within the next 36 hours. A hurricane warning is a more urgent communication. If hurricane warnings are issued, the area is expected to experience hurricane conditions within 24 hours or less. It is common that a hurricane watch will be issued for a particular coastal area. As the hurricane moves closer to the area, the hurricane watch will be replaced with a hurricane warning.

Q: What is a storm surge?
A: A storm surge is a rise in sea level caused when the strong winds of a hurricane force water ashore. The amount of storm surge is measured from the level of normal high tide to farthest point inland of the surge. Some coastal areas are more vulnerable to storm surge than others, depending on the height above sea level and the steepness of the continental slope offshore.

Q: What is hurricane forecasting?
A: Hurricane forecasting is the attempt to know in advance the track of a hurricane. Meteorologists use different computer models for their forecasts. The official forecast is issued by the National Hurricane Center. The forecasts are updated every six hours. The forecasts are more accurate for the next 24 hours than they are for the next 36, 48, or more hours. That is why the forecast is depicted with a cone shape. The point of the cone is the hurricane. As you move further aware from the hurricane, the cone gets wider to reflect the increasing uncertainty in the forecast.

Q: What is the Saffir-Simpson scale?
A: The Saffir-Simpson scale classifies hurricanes into tropical storms and five categories of hurricanes. The rankings signify the wind speed of a hurricane and help the public know what kind of damage to expect. The categories are defined by wind speed, as follows:

Tropical Storm 39- 73 mph
Category 1 74- 95 mph
Category 2 96-110 mph
Category 3 111-130 mph
Category 4 131-155 mph
Category 5 over 155 mph

Q: What is a major hurricane?
A: A major hurricane is a Category 3, 4, or 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale.

Q: How do we know the wind speed of a hurricane?
A: When a hurricane is over land, wind measurement instruments can tell the wind speed; however, if the winds become too high, the instruments will probably fail. When hurricanes are over water, they are tracked by airplanes known as hurricane hunters. The planes are flown by the Air Force and NOAA´s Aircraft Operations Center. These specially designed planes carry meteorologists, scientists, and other weather specialists, in addition to the flight crew. They fly directly into the hurricanes and measure the wind speed near the eye of the storm. They also track the storm center by providing updated latitude and longitude positions.

Q: What does it mean when forecasters refer to the intensity of a hurricane?

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Written by: Carla Neeley Freitag
Available File Types:Text
Words: 1240