What+is+a+hurricane,+how+do+they+form+and+how+do+we+classify+them?

//by Aditya S //
 * WHAT IS A HURRICANE, HOW DO THEY FORM AND HOW DO YOU CLASSIFY THEM **

 A hurricane is a gigantic slow moving storm that brings rain, thunder, and lightning. Storm surges from the ocean are like giant waves which can rise up to 40 feet in the air. Hurricanes are very windy storms that can sometimes blow mobile houses of the ground most hurricanes range from 70 miles per hour to about 150 mph or more. Hurricanes occur when the ocean water is warmer than 79 degrees. The water is this warm usually in November, this time of year is called hurricane season. When the winds speed are less than 70 mph we call them tropical storms. Tropical storms have the potential to become hurricanes. Sometimes big that have been weakened when they reached land go back to the tropical storm status. Hurricanes are also called typhoons, or tropical cyclones.  Hurricanes form over warm ocean water; this is why they form near the equator. The warm moist air rises form the surface causing there to be less air at the surface. The warm air rises and creates a low pressure system by the surface. Then air from close places with high pressure push towards the low pressure system. The new air pressure system becomes moist and warm and rises to. As the war air rises the other air starts to swirl. The warm moist air rises and starts to cool of making cumulonimbus clouds to form. The whole system of clouds and air grows generated by the oceans heat and water. That is how a hurricane forms.  Hurricanes are classified by wind speeds, depending on the wind speed meteorologists can say how deadly the hurricane will be. A category one hurricanes wind speed ranges from 75 mph to 95 mph. A category one hurricane’ storm surges are the weakest of the hurricanes and the storm surges only got about 5 feet. A category 3 hurricane ranges from 111-130 these are near to extreme hurricanes. Storm surges for category 3 are around 15 feet. A category 5 is the most dangerous and extreme hurricane with winds reaching over 155 mph, that has enough power to destroy a mobile home. The hurricanes surges can go above 20 feet. There are many different types of hurricanes, some that can bring rain and some winds and others that can send small houses into pieces. 

Hurricanes can be very dangerous and harmful if you do not take proper precautions, even if you do sometimes they can still hurt you. One of the most terrible and devastating hurricanes was Hurricane Katrina. Katrina had wind speeds near 200 miles per hour. That is the most dangerous a hurricane can get! Hurricane Katrina struck late august 2005 and had a little less than 2,000 casualties. The worst part was nobody had expected Katrina to be this destructive, people in New Orleans a few weeks before thought the storm was not even coming in their direction. Some hurricanes, like Hurricane Isabel, become a category five but decrease as they reach land. This is usually because the water is not warm enough to fuel that powerful Hurricane. Some hurricanes sound bad and are not and some sound weak but form into strong ones. You can never be 100% sure when it comes to predicting weather and hurricanes.  Hurricanes can be dangerous but more heart breaking too. Even if there are no deaths or injuries hurricanes are tough. They are so tough because the aftermath is when most families get separated. The teens who survived hurricane Katrina had to go to different states and had to go to different schools and be without their families for weeks or a month. William who was 16 was at his cousin’s house when he heard about the storm. His parents (who were not at their cousins house) left straight for Texas when they heard about the storm. He ended staying with his cousins who went to a hotel. They stayed in the flooded hotel for six days until the marshals evacuated the area. The Marshalls took them to a helicopter to Washington D.C. When he reached they gave him many shots because of the contaminated water. He was given many video games and tickets to baseball games from different charities. Sometimes the aftermath of the hurricane is worse than the real deal.
 * Horrible hurricanes **

Storm Surges: A rising of the sea as a result of atmospheric pressure changes and wind associated with a storm. Eye of the storm: The middle of the Hurricane. It is the calmest part of the hurricane Rain Bands: A rain band is a cloud and precipitation structure associated with an area of rainfall which is significantly elongated.
 * Glossary **

Chambers, Catherine. Hurricanes Disasters in Nature. Chicago: HeinemannLibrary, 2001. Print. Cosgrove, Brian. Eye Witness books Weather. New York: DK, 2004. Print. "Storm." Compton's by Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online School Edition. <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 2012. Web. 12 Sept. 2012. <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Fisher, Diane. “How do Hurricanes form?” NASA. September 18, 2012. Web. <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Nwazota, Kristina. “Teen Survivors of Hurricane Katrina Share Their Stories” PBS, September 12, 2005
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">Citations **

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> Web. September 18, 2012