Your Name: ____________________________

Hurricane Strike! Science Worksheet 1

Watch the Weather Channel news flash (on the Castillos’ TV) and look in Storm Track (on the Castillos’ laptop computer) to answer questions 1–3: 1. Where was Tropical Storm Erin at 8:00 PM on Sunday, July 30th? (Fill in the blanks with latitude and longitude numbers and circle N, S, E, or W for each. If you have a tracking chart, plot the location.)

Latitude: __ __ . __ N S E W Longitude: __ __ . __ N S E W 2. Which place was closest to the center of Tropical Storm Erin? (Circle one.)

Cuba Florida Mexico The Turks & Caicos 3. Tropical Storm Erin’s winds are gusting to 60 mph. How many kilometers per hour (kph) is that, if 1 mph equals 1.61 kph?

_______ kph Look in Hurricanes & Tropical Cyclones to answer questions 4–11: 4. Tropical storms that begin in the Atlantic Ocean north of the equator form near the … (Circle one.)

Tropic of Cancer Tropic of Capricorn

5. Hurricanes can’t strike places in the northern part of the U.S., like New York. (Circle one.) TRUE FALSE 6. If you lived in Japan, what would you call hurricanes? (Fill in the blank.) _______________________________

7. If you were planning your summer vacation on the East Coast of the U.S., which month would you choose if you wanted to have the lowest chance of having your vacation ruined by a hurricane? (Circle one.) June July August September

8. If there are 18 Atlantic tropical storms next year and 12 of them become hurricanes, what fraction of Atlantic tropical storms will become hurricanes? (Circle one.)

1/3 1/2 2/3 3/4

9. Take a look at the storm system in this picture. Which hemisphere is this system in? (Circle one.)

Northern Hemisphere

Southern Hemisphere

Can't tell from the picture

Look at the hurricane to the right. Imagine that the eye is located halfway between two islands at locations A and B. Now, answer the following questions about this hurricane. 10. If the hurricane is moving quickly toward the north, which island do you think would probably have stronger winds? (Circle one.)

Island A Island B Neither island 11. Imagine that you are stuck on island A and the hurricane is moving directly toward the west. What would the winds do on Island A? (Circle one.)

First they would blow from the north. They would get stronger and stronger for a while. Then the winds would suddenly die out. Then, really strong winds would start to blow from the south. First they would blow from the south. They would get stronger and stronger for a while. Then the winds would suddenly die out. Then, really strong winds would start to blow from the north.

First the winds would swirl around clockwise. They would swirl faster and faster for a while. Then the winds would start swirling counter-clockwise. They would start out light, get really strong, and then gradually weaken. First the winds would blow from the north. Then they would gradually shift directions, blowing from the east, south, and west.

Click on Hugo the dog and help Camille put together the disaster supplies kit to answer questions 12–13: 12. Which of the following is NOT a good thing to include in a disaster supplies kit and why? (Circle one and fill in the blank.)

Batteries Blankets Candles Flashlights __________________________________________________

13. What are three other things, aside from those listed above, that are good to include in a disaster supplies kit? (Write an item in each blank.)

_____________________ _____________________ _______________________

Your Name: ____________________________

Hurricane Strike! Science Worksheet 2

Watch the Weather Channel news flash (on the Castillos’ TV) and look in Storm Track (on the Castillos’ laptop computer) to answer questions 1–3: 1. Where was Hurricane Erin at 8:00 PM on Monday, July 31st? (Fill in the blanks with latitude and longitude numbers and circle N, S, E, or W for each. If you have a tracking chart, plot the location.)

Latitude: __ __ . __ N S E W Longitude: __ __ . __ N S E W

2. Hurricane Erin is moving at about 15 kilometers per hour and is approximately 600 kilometers away from Florida. If it continues to move at the same speed toward the Florida coast, how many hours will it take before the eye makes landfall? (Circle one.) 6 hours 10 hours 40 hours 412 hours 3. If Hurricane Erin travels at a speed of 16 kilometers per hour (kph) for 12 hours, 15 kph for 3 hours, and 19 kph for 9 hours, how far will it have traveled in the 24-hour period?

______________ kilometers Look in Hurricanes & Tropical Cyclones and Create-A-Cane to answer questions 4–7: This satellite picture shows three storms, Hurricane Edouard, Tropical Storm Fran, and Tropical Depression #7. What can you say about these three storms? 4. Tropical Depression #7 has stronger winds than Tropical Storm Fran. (Circle one.)

TRUE FALSE Can’t tell from the picture

5. What is the highest wind speed possible in Tropical Depression #7? (Circle one.)

38 kilometers per hour 62 kilometers per hour 100 kilometers per hour 119 kilometers per hour

6. According to the Beaufort Scale, Tropical Storm Fran’s winds are at least strong enough to... (Circle one.)

Knock down power lines Make small leafy trees sway

Break twigs off trees Knock down medium-sized trees

7. What ingredients were necessary before Tropical Storm Fran (in the picture) could form? (Check all that apply.)

□ Cold sea temperatures

□ Warm sea temperatures of at least 26.5°C or warmer

□ A very dry atmosphere

□ Strong whirling winds

□ A strong jet stream blowing right over the storm area

□ Light winds from similar directions above the storm area

□ Plenty of moisture at low and middle levels of the atmosphere

□ A tropical disturbance or group of tropical thunderstorms Click on Hugo the dog and have dinner with the Castillo family to answer questions 8-10: 8. What should every family have to help them find each other if they are separated during an evacuation or emergency? (Circle one.)

A friend or relative in a safe location that everyone can call A solar-powered portable radio An evacuation plan Directions to the nearest emergency shelter

9. What should you do if you see a serious injury or fire during an emergency? (Circle one.)

Call 911 Run away Wait until the storm passes, then call 911 10. Which people usually have to evacuate during a hurricane? (Circle TWO.)

People in mobile homes People in the path of tornadoes People in possible flood zones People in the high wind area

Your Name: ____________________________

Hurricane Strike! Science Worksheet 3

Watch the Weather Channel news flash (on the Castillos’ TV) and look in Storm Track (on the Castillos’ laptop computer) to answer questions 1–2: 1. Where was Hurricane Erin at 5:00 PM on Tuesday, August 1st? (Fill in the blanks with latitude and longitude numbers and circle N, S, E, or W for each. If you have a tracking chart, plot the location.)

Latitude: __ __ . __ N S E W Longitude: __ __ . __ N S E W 2. a. At 8 PM on Monday evening, Hurricane Erin was 644 kilometers southeast of Florida. At 5

PM Tuesday evening, it was 177 kilometers southeast of Florida. How many kilometers had it traveled in that time period? (Fill in the blank.)

_______________ kilometers b. How many hours had passed between 8 PM on Monday evening and 5 PM Tuesday

evening? (Circle one.) 9 hours 13 hours 21 hours 29 hours c. What was Erin’s average speed in that same time period? (Fill in the blank.) _______________ kilometers per hour Look in Hurricanes and Tropical Cyclones to answer questions 3–5: 3. Which way do the “Tropical Easterlies” blow? (Circle one.) From the east toward the west From the west toward the east 4. What is the strongest type of hurricane?

Category 1 Category 5 Beaufort Force 5 Beaufort Force 10

5. A hurricane of what Saffir-Simpson category is likely to damage trailers and mobile homes?

1 2 3 4 5 All categories Play Aim a Hurricane to answer questions 6–8: 6. In the Aim-a-Hurricane game, which combination of High, Low, and hurricane positions results in direct strikes on Kingston, Jamaica; Miami, Florida; and Wilmington, North Carolina? (Circle one L, one H, and one hurricane in the picture at right.)

7. In the Aim-a-Hurricane game, which combination of High, Low, and hurricane positions keep the hurricane in the Atlantic Ocean, never letting it move past 75° west longitude? (Circle one L, one H, and one hurricane in the picture at right.) 8. From what you’ve learned about how hurricanes move in both Hurricanes & Tropical Cyclones and the Aim-a-Hurricane game, why do you think it might be difficult to predict exactly where a hurricane might go? (Fill in the blank.) _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ Help Camille get some extra emergency supplies from the market to answer question 9: 9. Explain why Camille purchased the following items.

Batteries Why? ________________________________________________________

Gallon Water Bottles Why? _______________________________________________ Canned Food Why? _____________________________________________________ Help Gilbert prepare the house and yard to find the answers to question 10: 10. Look at this picture of someone’s back yard. Some things in the yard could cause safety problems if they aren’t changed. For each item, write what should be done to prevent problems. (Write a short explanation in each blank.)

a. What should be done about the windows? ___________________________________

___________________________________

b. What should be done about the grill? ___________________________________ ___________________________________

c. What stuff needs to be put away? (List at least 5 things.) _______________________________________________________________________

Your Name: ____________________________

Hurricane Strike! Science Worksheet 4

Watch the Weather Channel news flash (on the Castillos’ TV) and look in Storm Track (on the Castillos’ laptop computer) to answer questions 1–4: 1. Where was Tropical Storm Erin at 3:00 PM on Wednesday, August 2nd? (Fill in the blanks with latitude and longitude numbers and circle N, S, E, or W for each. If you have a tracking chart, plot the location.)

Latitude: __ __ . __ N S E W Longitude: __ __ . __ N S E W 2. What is Erin’s geographic location? (Circle one.)

Atlantic Ocean Caribbean Sea Florida Gulf of Mexico 3. What kind of watch or warning has been issued for Ft. Walton Beach, Florida? (Circle one.)

Tropical Storm Watch Tropical Storm Warning Hurricane Watch Hurricane Warning

4. Do the people in Ft. Walton Beach still have to prepare for damage from the storm even though no Hurricane Watches or Warnings have been issued? YES NO

Why or Why not? (Fill in the blanks.)

_______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ Look in Inside the Storm to answer questions 5–6: 5. Your friend calls you from the middle of the eye of a very strong hurricane. Which of the following things might she tell you? (Circle one.)

There is so much rain I can't even see across the street.

The sky is dark and ominous.

The wind is so loud I can't hear myself think. All of the above.

It's hardly raining and there is almost no wind.

6. Where are the strongest winds and rains in a hurricane? (Circle one.)

In the eye

In the eyewall

In the rainbands

In the feeder bands

All along the outer edges Click on Hugo the dog and help Carla give evacuation advice to Betsy to answer questions 7–9: 7. What are four things you should have if you need to evacuate your home? (Write an item in each blank.)

______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________

8. What should you do about the following things when preparing to evacuate your home? (Write a short explanation in each blank.)

What should you do about perishable food? ___________________________________________________________________ What should you do about utilities such as gas and electricity? ___________________________________________________________________ What should you do about valuables? ___________________________________________________________________

9. If, during an evacuation, you come across a flooded road or bridge, what should you do? (Circle one.)

Drive through the water if it doesn’t look very deep. Wait to see if someone else can drive through it; if they can, then you probably can too. Wait for the water to go down before crossing. Turn around and take a different route.

Your Name: ____________________________

Hurricane Strike! Science Worksheet 5

Watch the Weather Channel news flash (on the Castillos’ TV) and look in Storm Track (on the Castillos’ laptop computer) to answer questions 1–3: 1. Where was Hurricane Erin at 9:30 AM on Thursday, August 3rd? (Fill in the blanks with latitude and longitude numbers and circle N, S, E, or W for each. If you have a tracking chart, plot the location.)

Latitude: __ __ . __ N S E W Longitude: __ __ . __ N S E W 2.a. How high is the storm tide expected to be in Navarre Beach? (Fill in the blank.)

______ feet above normal How high is that in meters? ______ meters b. Pretend you have a house at Navarre Beach that sits 2.5 meters above the water level. Will

you expect water damage in the house if the normal tide when the hurricane makes landfall is 0.8 meters?

YES NO 3. Did you notice that on Tuesday and Wednesday there was a hurricane warning for Lake Okeechobee? What do you think was the main hazard that forecasters were concerned about for this area?

____________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________ Enter the Danger Zone to answer questions 4–9: 4. Of the hurricanes that come all the way onto land, how many spawn tornadoes? (Circle one.)

Almost all About half About a third Very few 5. What kinds of dangerous weather can hurricanes and tropical storms produce? (Check all that apply.)

□ Earthquakes □ El Niño

□ Floods and mudslides □ Hail

□ Tides □ Ice storms

□ Tsunamis □ Storm surge

□ Strong winds □ Tornadoes 6. What is the main cause of storm surge? (Circle one.)

The hurricane's extremely low pressure ‘pulls’ the ocean water up like a vacuum cleaner. The hurricane's strong winds 'pile up' the water as it approaches the shore.

7. Look at the hurricane in this picture. It is just hitting the coast (the S-shaped line in the middle). Since you know this storm is spinning counter-clockwise, try to guess which place would probably have the strongest storm surge? (Circle one.) The beach at point A. The beach at point B. Both places would probably

be about the same. 8. If you live 80 kilometers away from the coast, you are safe from hazards related to hurricanes and tropical storms. (Circle one.)

TRUE FALSE 9. Most hurricane fatalities are caused by flooding, not high winds.

TRUE FALSE

Use the Danger Zone and Camille’s conversation with her friend Floyd to answer questions 10–11: 10. Category 1 hurricanes are not very dangerous because they don’t have strong winds or big storm surge. (Circle one.)

TRUE FALSE 11. What should you do and avoid doing during passage of a hurricane or tropical storm? (Choose ‘Smart’ or ‘Not Smart’ for each activity below.) a. Call all of your friends and talk about the storm on the phone. Smart Not Smart b. Go surfing or boogie boarding. Smart Not Smart c. Stay in an interior room away from outside windows. Smart Not Smart d. Drive around in your car. Smart Not Smart

Your Name: ____________________________

Hurricane Strike! Science Worksheet 6

Watch the Weather Channel news flash (on the Castillos’ TV) or look in Storm Track (on the Castillos’ laptop computer) to answer questions 1–2: 1. Where was Erin at 4:15 PM on Friday, August 4th? (Circle one.) In the Gulf of Mexico Over the Florida Panhandle Over central Alabama Over northwest Mississippi 2. What category was Erin at this time? (Circle one.)

Tropical Depression Tropical Storm Category 1 Hurricane Enter the Danger Zone and Safety Zone to find to answer questions 3–8:

3. Name something you can put on the windows of your home to protect them during a hurricane. ________________________________________ 4. It is safe to drive across a flooded intersection as long as the water is less than 0.6 meters (2 feet) deep.

TRUE FALSE 5. When is storm surge most dangerous? (Circle one.)

When a hurricane makes landfall at low tide. When a hurricane makes landfall at high tide.

6. What situations increase the chances of flooding from a landfalling hurricane? (Check all that apply.)

□ Very fast-moving storms

□ Very slow-moving storms

□ Storms moving over mountains

□ Storms moving over flat land

□ Dry weather for several weeks before the storm arrives

□ Wet weather for several weeks before the storm arrives 7. Why are charcoal grills unsafe to use indoors? __________________________________________________________________________

8. Look at this map of Hurricane Hugo’s path across South and North Carolina in 1989. Hugo caused quite a lot of death and destruction during its journey across the Carolinas. Which events do you think happened in which places? (Draw lines between the events and places to show what you think happened where.)

A woman drowned when the storm surge washed over her mobile home. Charlotte, North Carolina

A gymnasium roof caved in after strong winds shook the whole building. Camden, South Carolina

Heavy rains forced officials to let a lot of water out of a reservoir to keep it from overflowing

r bursting. oMt. Pleasant, South Carolina

Help Gilbert give advice to Camille’s Aunt Betsy to answer question 9: 9. If your family evacuates and a hurricane or tropical storm hits your home, there can be many dangers when you return home. Write the causes for each danger below.

a. When returning home, there could be a danger of drowning if you try to cross…

________________________________________. (Describe a dangerous place.) b. People can be electrocuted if they do not stay away from… ________________________________________. (Describe a hazardous situation.) c. When returning home, people are sometimes bitten by… ________________________________________. (List some sources of bites.) d. People can also risk fires and explosions if they are not aware of leaking... ________________________________________. (Describe a fire or explosion hazard). e. When returning home, it is easy to get sick if you drink or eat… ________________________________________. (Write one thing that can make you sick if you drink it and one thing that can make you sick if you eat it.) f. Finally, if there is damage to your home, your family could lose a lot of money if you don’t remember to… ________________________________________. (Describe something you can do to help your family keep a record of damage to your home.)