To: Kate@louisiana.edu
From: mom@hotmail.com
Date: August 27, 2005 11:16 AM
Subject: RE: Heard about the hurricane?
Dear Kate,
Thanks for answering my questions. I heard on the radio that the hurricane is now up to Category 3. I guess that warm ocean water really did something to increase the intensity of the storm. Are you sure you are safe down there? I know that it’s still over the ocean, but it can still be dangerous. Keep me posted.
Love, Mom
To: mom@hotmail.com
From: Kate@louisiana.edu
Date: August 28, 2005 6:08 PM
Subject: RE: Heard about the hurricane?
Attachments: eye2.jpg; satellite1.jpg
Dear Mom,
What a day! The hurricane has nearly doubled in size. At its peak at 1:00 this afternoon, the maximum wind speed was 175 mph and the pressure had dropped to 902 mbar. This is the fourth lowest pressure in a hurricane ever recorded. It looks like this will be the strongest hurricane ever seen in the Gulf! It’s certainly heading for shore. Take a look at the satellite picture I’ve attached that I got from one of the other Hurricane Hunters. You can see the path that the storm is taking.
Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine. It’s the people on the ground that may have problems!
Love, Kate
Attachment: eye2.jpg
Attachment: satellite1.jpg
Questions
- What happened in the time between the two e-mails to increase the size of the storm?
- Hurricanes are classified (into categories) based on the intensities of their sustained winds and the potential damage and flooding they will cause upon landfall. What was the category of this storm at its peak? What damage is associated with this intensity storm?
- Why is Kate so excited about the pressure measurement she made? What does low pressure tell us about the storm?
- After looking at Kate’s satellite photo, where do you think the hurricane will hit land?
- How would the character of the hurricane change if it did hit land? What damage will the hurricane cause when it hits land?
- What damage might the hurricane cause indirectly?
Assignment
- As a meteorologist with NOAA, what would you advise the people living along the coast to do? Keep in mind the associated costs (physical, mental, and financial) of an unwarranted evacuation. What would they have to do to protect their property?
Image credits: Photo of storm eye by US Air Force, courtesy of Hurricane Hunters Association. Satellite image by NASA/Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team.
Originally published at http://www.sciencecases.org/hurricane/hurricane2.asp
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