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Report Title: 'Wild Hurricanes!'
Submitted to: Mrs. Halfyard
Submitted by: Ayoub Zubairi
Date Due: February 17th, 2006

Wild Hurricanes! - Page 1
By Ayoub Zubairi

Defining a Hurricane
'Hurricane' is a name for a tropical cyclone that occurs in the Atlantic Ocean. Hurricanes have several characteristics. Hurricanes are tropical, meaning that they occur in tropical areas near the Equator. Hurricanes are cyclonic which means that the wind swirls around the central eye. The Eye of a hurricane is always a low-pressure area. The lowest pressures ever recorded occurred in hurricanes. In a hurricane the swirling winds around the center of the storms have a speed of at least 74 mph.

How a Hurricane Forms
Hurricanes form in warm regions especially where there is warm water, moist air and equatorial winds. Atlantic hurricanes mostly begin as thunderstorms on the coast of Africa and then move over warm, tropical ocean waters. There are three stages for hurricanes: First, tropical depression in which there are swirling clouds and rain with wind at speeds less than 38 mph. Next, is the tropical storm stage in which there are wind speeds of 39 to 73 mph. Last, is the hurricane stage in which wind speeds are greater than 74 mph.

Hurricane formation can take from hours to days. Three events are necessary for event formation. There must be a continuing cycle of evaporation and condensation of warm and humid ocean air. There must be patterns of wind with strong uniform speeds. Finally, there must be a difference in pressure for air pressure between the surface and high altitude.

For a hurricane to form warm and moist air from the ocean's surface begins to rise up. As water vapor condenses, storm clouds and rain drops form. The condensation releases heat, and this heat is called 'latent heat of condensation'. The latent heat warms the cool air above it, causing it to rise. Then the rising air gets replaced by warm humid air from the ocean. The movement of heat from the surface allows wind to circulate around the center. The circulation looks like water gong down a drain.

One more event for hurricanes to form is 'converging winds'. These are just winds moving in different directions that bump into each other. Converging winds bump into each other at the surface and push warm and moist air up. The rising air adds to the circulation occurring from the evaporation and condensation cycle.

High pressure in the higher atmosphere gets rid of heat from the rising air, pushing the air cycle, and adding to the hurricane's formation.
 

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