Killer Weather

Violent Weather: Hurricanes

Those caught up in a hurricane know only too well when the eye is above them, and although it can buy a bit of valuable time to move, help, or rescue victims, many often describe this moment as a deafening silence. There is an eerie silence within this eye and often clear blue skies and light winds can be usual. A characteristic of a hurricane is the eye and the eye of the storm can be anything from 4 to 25 miles in diameter. The condensation releases latent heat and this heat then powers the hurricane.

Moisture then condenses, clouds are formed, and the rains begin. As this warm air rises around the storms center, it cools. Therefore, the perfect conditions for a hurricane to form are basically warm water and humid air. Hurricanes occur over oceans where the water is 27°C (80°F) or above, and the air has to also be extremely humid and thick. Katrina, by the way, sustained winds of up to 140 mph.

In order to reach hurricane status it has to have sustainable winds exceeding 74 miles per hour. But a hurricane is not just any tropical storm. Well, without going into to much meteorological detail, a hurricane is basically a tropical storm so therefore can only be found in the tropics, namely the Southern Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and in the eastern Pacific Ocean. So just what are hurricanes and why do they occur in certain parts of the world and not others? It’s not the purpose of this short piece to look for someone or something to blame, as lessons have probably already been learnt from the powers that be, but I just hope that the United States governments and responsible departments do everything in their power to ensure such a catastrophe, as was caused by Katrina, never happens again.

Hurricanes can be highly destructive to say the least. Depending which part of the world you come, from you may here about natures ravaging winds being called tropical cyclones or typhoons, but where I come from in the USA, we know them as hurricanes.

What’s coming this Season?

With April and May being the peak of tornado season, what will we be instore for this year? In 2005 mother nature was working over-time, setting a devastating record with 28 named storms. Four times the U.S. coast was hit. The magnatude of destruction and displacement of U.S. citizens was Katrina. The hurricane left New Orleans wrecked and leveled regions throughout the Gulf Coast.

The Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to Nov. 30, averages 9.6 named storms, 5.9 hurricanes and 2.3 intense hurricanes per year.

According to top researchers thie 2007 Atlantic hurricane season should be extremely active. We are already at 9 hurricanes, which leaves a very good chance that at least one major hurricane will hit the U.S. coastline. Forcaster William Gray expects seventeen more named storms this year. With 5 of them being major hurricanes.

Major hurricanes have winds of 111 mph or greater.

“The probability of a major hurricane making landfall on the U.S. coast this year is 74 percent, compared with the average of 52 percent over the past century.” says forcaster William Gray.

With hurricane season barreling down us everyone should prepare for the worst and be as self-reliant as possible.. Don’t wait until the last minute to get supplies. The best time to put a survial kit together is when you don’t need it.

One of the most important tools for emergency preparedness is your Disaster Supplies Kit. You’ll need provisions to carry you through a week or more after the storm. Remember, there may be no electricity or clean water for days. Downed trees and other hurricane related debris blocking the roads will keep you from traveling far.

Put a kit together for your home & your car. Keep a cooler in your trunk filled with canned food (vienna sausages, jelly beans, m&m’s - anything that keeps), first aid supplies, water, multi-tool, sterno, matches, cord and a blanket. Keep yourself and your family members safe by thinking ahead.