Lesson: Hurricanes and Hot Towers

1
Lesson Hurricanes and Hot Towers

• Global Precipitation Measurement Mission
• Developed by
• Kristen Weaver
• GPM Master Teacher
• NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

2
Guiding Questions

• Storms Have you ever experiences a hurricane or
  a severe storm? What was it like?
• Hurricane Damage What are some of the effects of
  hurricanes?
• Hurricane Causes What conditions cause
  hurricanes to form?
• Predicting the Path How do we predict the path
  of a hurricane? How have those predictions
  changed over time, especially with the use of
  satellites?
• Using Satellites How can satellites look inside
  a hurricane?
• Predicting the Intensity What can hot towers
  in a hurricane tell us about its intensity?

3
Engage

• Have you ever experienced a hurricane or a severe
  storm? What was it like?

Images from Microsoft Office ClipArt
4
Winds and Storm Surge

• Somerset Point in Pinopolis, SC along the shores
  of Lake Moultrie during Hurricane Gaston on
  August 29, 2004

North Roosevelt Boulevard, Key West, Florida
during Hurricane Wilma, October 2005
Image courtesy of Mike Stafford,
http//www.erh.noaa.gov/chs/pictures.shtml
Image source http//www.srh.noaa.gov/key/?nwilma
5
Before and After

• In the top image, taken in 1998, notice the pier,
  pier house, and the antebellum house. The bottom
  image shows the same location on August 31, 2005,
  two days after Hurricane Katrina made landfall.
  This photo shows the complete destruction of
  these landmarks.
• (Image and text from http//coastal.er.usgs.gov/hu
  rricanes/katrina/photo-comparisons/mainmississippi
  .html)

6
Effects of a Hurricane
9th Ward flooding caused by Hurricane Katrina
Damage caused by Hurricane Katrina
Images from http//sos.noaa.gov/Education/foreca
st.html
7
What causes hurricanes?
8
Three Factors of Hurricane Formation

• What do hurricanes need to be able form?

• Warm water (at least 80)
• Moist Air
• Converging Winds

Image source http//scijinks.jpl.nasa.gov/hurrica
ne
9
Where do hurricanes form?
The storms get what they need from the warm
equatorial waters off the coast of Africa, and
then blow west toward the U.S. coast.
10
Hurricane Damage
Because hurricanes can be so damaging, we want to
be able to predict when and where they will hit
land and how strong they might be, to help people
prepare.
Storm surge from Hurricane Ike
Damage caused by Hurricane Gustav
Image source http//sos.noaa.gov/Education/forec
ast.html
11
Prediction the Path of a Hurricane

• We especially need to know the path of the
  hurricane to warn people who might be affected.

Click the image to go to a website showing any
current hurricane warnings.
Tropical Storm Force Wind Speed probabilities,
120 hour, for Hurricane Katrina issued 5 PM
Wednesday, August 24, 2005/NOAA
12
Track Forecast Cones

• A track forecast cone represents the probable
  track of a tropical cyclone (called a hurricane
  when they form in the Atlantic Ocean). These are
  changed as scientists get new data about the
  storm, because they want to be as accurate as
  possible.

Click the image to go an animation of the
progression of forecast cones for the storm.
13
Historical Predictions

• Back in the old days, hurricane predictions were
  based entirely on ground observations. Before
  radio, telephones, and the Internet, imagine how
  hard it would be to share information, and warn
  people they might be in danger!

The great Galveston hurricane (in 1900) roared
through the prosperous island city with winds in
excess of 130 miles per hour and a 15-foot storm
surge. When it was finally over, at least 3,500
homes and buildings were destroyed and more than
8,000 people were killed.
Image and caption source http//celebrating200yea
rs.noaa.gov/magazine/galv_hurricane/Galveston19001
.html
14
Developments in Prediction Technology

• Later, ships at sea were able to transmit
  information to shore via radio, and we developed
  radar and hurricane hunter aircraft (as in NASAs
  HS3 mission) to give us more data to put into
  computer models to help with predictions.

Click on either image to go to a short video
about NOAAs advances in radar..
Click the image to go to an animation of the
aircraft scanning a storm to monitor the
formation of the eyewall.
15
Modern Predictions

• Even better, these days we have satellites that
  can watch the storm the entire time its active,
  greatly improving our ability to predict the path
  of a hurricane.

Hurricane Bonnie, August 1998 5-Day Forecasts
vs. Actual Storm Track. Improved forecasts can
save money (600K to 1M per mile of coast
evacuated) and lives by more precisely predicting
where the hurricane eye will be located at
landfall. Source. Dr. A. Hou, NASA DAO
Click the image to go to a video about
forecasting hurricanes.
16
Satellite Views of Hurricanes
Satellites can show us the storm clouds as they
move across the ocean, such as in this animation
of Hurricane Katrina
But what if we want to see more, such as how much
rain is falling, or what is happening inside the
storm? Satellites can help us with that, too.
17
Tracking Precipitation from Space

• Satellites can provide a more complete picture of
  rain from space, allowing scientists to look at
  storms, rainfall totals, and changes throughout
  days to years
• The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM)
  has been providing rainfall data since 1998 in
  the tropics and mid latitudes
• The Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM)
  Mission will extend observations of rain and snow
  up to the Arctic and Antarctic Circles

18
Instruments on TRMM - Microwave

• NASA scientists are using the TRMM satellite to
  understand which parts of a hurricane produce
  rainfall and why, like this microwave image of a
  hurricane. The red and yellow indicate areas of
  heavier rainfall compared to the blue and green.
  This is especially useful over oceans, where we
  dont have rain gauges.

19
Instruments on TRMM - Radar

• Using radar, TRMM can even see inside a storm!
  Revealing the 3-D structure of the hurricane can
  tell us a lot about what will happen next with
  the storm.

Hurricane Sandy on Oct. 28, two days prior to
landfall
Click the image to go to an animation of the data.
20
Instruments on TRMM
The upper image shows the same 3-D view into
Hurricane Sandy (using radar) as the previous
slide. The lower image is microwave data showing
rainfall totals, also for Sandy. The more data we
have to work with, the better chance we have of
making good predictions!
21
Hot Towers

• Looking at what are called hot towers using
  radar has helped scientists develop insight into
  what causes hurricanes to intensify the towers
  often occur before a storm gets stronger. Pretty
  important if youre in the path of one!

TRMM Observations of Hurricane Bonnie (1998)
22
Towers in the Tempest
23
Share what youve learned!

• Now that you know the basics about what causes a
  hurricane and how and why we try to predict them,
  create a news report or weather forecast
  (performed with a script or created as a comic
  strip), telling people about a hurricane thats
  coming and how we know where it will hit and if
  it will intensify.

Images from Microsoft Office ClipArt
24
News Report or Comic Strip

• Some ideas to consider including
• How is hurricane forecasting different now than
  it used to be?
• Imagine being a weather forecaster in two
  different areas of the coast, one in the direct
  path of the hurricane and one only near it. What
  would be different about what you tell people
  about the storm?
• How does our knowledge of a storm change as it
  gets closer? How might that change what you need
  to tell people?
• Optional How should people prepare for a
  hurricane?

25
Extension Activities

• Extension Activities

26
Hurricane Survival Video
27
Comparing Improvements in Predications
28
TRMM at 15 The Reign of Rain video
29
Hurricane Storm Surge video
30
Stay Connected!

• Follow us on Twitter _at_NASA_Rain
• Like us on Facebook www.facebook.com/NASA.Rain
• Precipitation Education Website
  pmm.nasa.gov/education