What exactly is a hurricane?
I know what a hurricane can do and that it is a huge storm that normally occurs in the warm tropical waters of the Caribbean and such. This whole weekend though, I have been watching FOX news because they are talking about Hurricane Gustav practically nonstop. It is very interesting and intriguing. I am very fascinated with hurricaness. My question is, is a hurricane like a big huge tornado? I always thought that they were because of the eye, so you would think they are spinning around. Sorry for my lack of knowledge. I live in Indiana, and have never been through a hurricane and probably never will be.
Tagged with: caribbean • fox news • hurricane gustav • lack of knowledge • Tornado • warm tropical waters
Filed under: Tropical Storms
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A tropical cyclone (or hurricane) is a storm system characterized by a low pressure center and numerous thunderstorms that produce strong winds and flooding rain. A tropical cyclone feeds on heat released when moist air rises, resulting in condensation of water vapour contained in the moist air. They are fueled by a different heat mechanism than other cyclonic windstorms such as nor’easters, European windstorms, and polar lows, leading to their classification as "warm core" storm systems.
The term "tropical" refers to both the geographic origin of these systems, which form almost exclusively in tropical regions of the globe, and their formation in Maritime Tropical air masses. The term "cyclone" refers to such storms’ cyclonic nature, with counterclockwise rotation in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise rotation in the Southern Hemisphere. Depending on their location and strength, tropical cyclones are referred to by other names, such as hurricane, typhoon, tropical storm, cyclonic storm, tropical depression and simply cyclone.
While tropical cyclones can produce extremely powerful winds and torrential rain, they are also able to produce high waves and damaging storm surge. They develop over large bodies of warm water, and lose their strength if they move over land. This is the reason coastal regions can receive significant damage from a tropical cyclone, while inland regions are relatively safe from receiving strong winds. Heavy rains, however, can produce significant flooding inland, and storm surges can produce extensive coastal flooding up to 40 kilometres (25 mi) from the coastline. Although their effects on human populations can be devastating, tropical cyclones can also relieve drought conditions. They also carry heat and energy away from the tropics and transport it toward temperate latitudes, which makes them an important part of the global atmospheric circulation mechanism. As a result, tropical cyclones help to maintain equilibrium in the Earth’s troposphere, and to maintain a relatively stable and warm temperature worldwide.
Many tropical cyclones develop when the atmospheric conditions around a weak disturbance in the atmosphere are favorable. Others form when other types of cyclones acquire tropical characteristics. Tropical systems are then moved by steering winds in the troposphere; if the conditions remain favorable, the tropical disturbance intensifies, and can even develop an eye. On the other end of the spectrum, if the conditions around the system deteriorate or the tropical cyclone makes landfall, the system weakens and eventually dissipates
A tornado is a storm on land.A hurricane is like a tornado only on water.
The terms "hurricane" and "typhoon" are regionally specific names for a strong "tropical cyclone". A tropical cyclone is the generic term for a non-frontal synoptic scale low-pressure system over tropical or sub-tropical waters with organized convection (i.e. thunderstorm activity) and definite cyclonic surface wind circulation
A hurricane is a huge cloud of extremely strong, fast moving winds that move around an "eye," the safest place. The spinning winds continue to spin and spin, often ripping up trees, cars, houses and hurling them around. It is similar to a big tornado, however it is much much wider. I hope this helped =\
A hurricane is an engine that transfers heat from the tropics to the northern sections of the planet.
Heat builds up near the equator and would eventually become intolerable if some of it could not be removed.
This site will tell you all about hurricanes, how they track them and measure their strengths etc. It also shows weather systems in the Atlantic that could develope into hurricanes.
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/
They are not like tornados. In that you cannot be sucked up into one. the eye (centre) of a hurricane is very still and calm. They occur in any tropical area on the planet, and are called typhoons in the far east.
The ones that affect the east coast of USA and get into the Gulf usually start as weather systems off the coast of Africa, and follow the warm currents across the atlantic building strength as they go.
To get info on these systems, there are planes that fly right into them, even after they have become hurricanes, just so they can get information to pass on to help folk prepare. I think these guys are heros. There is a link to them in the NOAA site I have given you. I have this site bookmarked so i can follow what is happening every hurricane season (June - November)