Introduction
A hurricane is a storm in the coastal regions, with violent winds of more
than 74 miles per hour, that is accompanied by
heavy rain, high tides and flooding. Hurricanes have been hitting North
America and South America for hundreds and hundreds of years.
A hurricane is steered by the Bermuda High, an area of winds in the middle
of the Atlantic Ocean. If the hurricane hits the western border of Europe
or the eastern border of North America, then it was steered by the Bermuda
High. From this web page, you will learn how hurricanes happen, how they
work and the effects of a hurricane.
Hurricanes need ample heat
and moisture. There must be warm layer of water at the top of the sea, with
the surface temperature greater than eighty degrees Fahrenheit. There are
four stages in a hurricane:
1. Tropical disturbance
2. Tropical depression
3. Tropical storm
4. Hurricane
For a tropical storm there
must be winds of 38 MPH. For a hurricane there must be winds of 74
MPH.
The Bermuda High has winds
that turn clockwise and usually steer the storm. A hurricane measures 200
to 500 miles across. The eye of a hurricane measures from 14-25 miles
across. Hurricanes last 3-14 days.
As the hurricane moves
close to the beach, the waves move with it. When the storm hits the beach,
it is called a storm surge, the most deadly effect of a hurricane.
Hurricane damage is from wind and water.
Hurricane winds can uproot
trees and tear the roofs off houses.
Bibliography
Barnes, Gary.” Hurricane.”
World Book. 2004.
Lauber, Patricia.
Hurricanes: Earth’s Mightiest Storms. New York City: Scholastic Inc,
1996.
Lee, Sally. Hurricanes.
Chicago: Franklin Watts, 1993.
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