Hurricanes, a Natural Disaster

Hurricanes, A Natural Disaster!

COM/215

May 3, 2011

Hurricanes, A Natural Disaster!

According to Dictionary.com (2011) a hurricane is “A storm with a violent wind, in particular a tropical cyclone…a wind of force 12 on the Beaufort scale (equal to or exceeding 64 knots or 74mph). As I read through the National Hurricane Center website by NOAA, our National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration it shares with us what a hurricane is, and how it reaches hurricane status.

A hurricane is a type of tropical cyclone, which is generic term for a low pressure system that generally forms in the tropics. The cyclone is accompanied by thunderstorms and, the Northern Hemisphere, a counterclockwise circulation of winds near the earth’s surface.

Much like the trim levels of a vehicle, Hurricanes have a similar ranking. Starting off with a system of clouds, thunderstorms, and maximum wind speeds of 38 mph, the system becomes organized and categorized as a Tropical Depression. A step above that brings you into the category of a Tropical Storm where you will find: stronger winds speeds from 39 mph to a max of 73 mph, stronger thunderstorms, and a defined surface with an eye. Finally starting at 74 mph the storm becomes classified as a Category I Hurricane. Once the system reaches its Hurricane status, there are five categories.

|Category |Wind Speeds (from xxx mph up to xxx mph) |

|Tropical Depression |Maximum sustained winds of 38 mph |

|Tropical Storm |39 – 73 |

|Hurricane | |

|Category I...