Hurricanes and Hurricane Tracking

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Hurricanes and Hurricane Tracking

• Nancy Bose
• Multi-community Environmental
• Storm Observatory (MESO)

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What is a Hurricane?

• A tropical low pressure system with a
  closed circulation.
• Warm surface inflow feeds energy into the storm,
  cool outflow (exhaust) occurs at the top of the
  storm.

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• The eye is very calm. It is the center of
  rotation and contains cool sinking air, so clouds
  cant form. The lowest pressure is found here.
• Deep convection is concentrated near the center
  in the eyewall. Warm, rising air with very
  violent thunderstorms are found here. The
  strongest winds are found here.
• Spiral rainbands branch out from the eyewall and
  also contain strong thunderstorms, heavy rain,
  and high winds.

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The Birth of a Hurricane

• Typical or Necessary Conditions for Formation
• warm ocean temperatures (gt80F)
• little or no vertical wind shear
• low latitudes (7N-20N)
• Atlantic Hurricane Season June 1 - November 30

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The Birth of a Hurricane

• Steps to becoming a hurricane
• Wave/Disturbance (disorganized low pressure)
• Tropical Depression (closed circulation)
• Tropical Storm (winds higher than 39mph)
• Hurricane (winds higher than 74mph)

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Saffir-Simpson Intensity Scale

• A scale used to label the strength of a hurricane
  by its pressure and its winds.

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Real Hurricanes
Hurricane Mitch (visible)
Hurricane Mitch (infrared)
Hurricane Georges (radar)
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Hurricane Tracking

• Mostly done by use of satellites and aircraft.

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Aircraft Reconnaissance
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The End Product

• 1998 hurricane track summary.

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The End Product

• The National Hurricane Center (Miami, FL) issues
  watches and warnings for the areas that are
  likely to be affected.
• Accurate warnings can save lives because
  people have time to evacuate.