Hurricanes(Project based of WebQuest)

Characteristics of a Hurricane

• Hurricanes are areas of low air pressure that form over oceans in tropical climate regions. • Hurricanes hit land with tremendous force, bringing huge waves, heavy rain,

and may cause flooding. • Because hurricanes need warm, moist air, they usually begin in late summer

or early fall.• Thunderstorms often form within hurricanes and produce tornadoes.• Today, an alphabetical list of names is drawn up each year for the coming

year’s hurricanes.• The United States Weather Bureau calls a wind a hurricane when it blows as

fast as 74 miles an hour.

Preparation for a Hurricane

• To begin preparing, you should build an emergency kit and make a family communications plan.• Know your surroundings and install a generator for emergencies.• Learn community hurricane evacuation routes and how to find higher

ground. Determine where you would go and how you would get there if you needed to evacuate.• Cover all of your home’s windows. Permanent storm shutters offer the best

protection for windows. A second option is to board up windows with 5/8” exterior grade or marine plywood, cut to fit and ready to install. Another year-round option would be installation of laminated glass with impact-resistant glazing. Tape does not prevent windows from breaking.

Warning signs of a Hurricane

• Hurricane warning signs are not apparent until a hurricane has gotten close to making landfall

But some signs are:• Increase in ocean swell• Increase in wave frequency• Driving rain can be seen 36 to 72 hours before a hurricane strikes.

History of Hurricanes in New Jersey

New Jersey is at risk for high winds, coastal flooding, rainfall flooding and tornadoes.

During the past century, all sections in the state have experienced hurricane force gusts, if not sustained hurricane strength winds. Hurricane Gloria in 1985 was the last tropical cyclone to bring significant coastal flooding. Other high wind events of the past hundred years occurred in 1933, 1936, 1944, 1954 and 1960. The remnants of Hurricane Floyd in 1999 deluged sections of the Garden State and is among the periodic tropical cyclones that have generated double-digit rainfall and severe flooding. Many tropical systems have spun off tornadoes.

Hurricane Sandy • Hurricane Sandy made landfall in the United States

about 8 p.m. EDT Oct. 29, striking near Atlantic City, N.J., with winds of 80 mph. A full moon made high tides 20 percent higher than normal and amplified Sandy's storm surge.

• On October 29-30, Hurricane Sandy targeted New Jersey with high winds, heavy rains and the most destructive coastal flooding since the Ash Wednesday Nor'easter of 1962. Astronomical high tides, prolonged gale, storm and hurricane force winds, record low barometric pressure and landfall near Atlantic City combined for an unforgettable attack on the shoreline. Hurricane Sandy became the first hurricane in New Jersey during at least the past 400 years to make an initial East Coast landfall in the year after a previous hurricane visited the Garden State. The storm caused massive, prolonged, power outages.

Statistics on Sandy

• The picture to the right shows how hurricane Sandy not only effected New Jersey’s buildings, but how it also effected our way of making money. This shows how hurricane Sandy impacted our unemployment rates, and but many people out of jobs.

• As of Nov. 1, about 4.7 million people in 15 states were without electricity, down from nearly 8.5 million a day earlier.

• Sandy will end up causing about $20 billion in property damage and $10 billion to $30 billion more in lost business, making it one of the costliest natural disasters on record in the United States.

Thank you

• Thank you for listening to our presentation about Hurricanes.• Now that we are experts on the weather systems, we are able to start

airing on Channel one news temporarily.

Sources

• http://www.siue.edu/MLTE/Thematic%20Units/The%20Weather%20Around%20Us/hurricane_facts.htm• http://www.ready.gov/hurricanes• http://www.ehow.com/list_7429165_warning-signs-hurricane.html• http://www.midatlantichurricanes.com/NewJersey.html