Saturday, April 30, 2011
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Friday, April 1, 2011
Have you ever wondered why tsunamis happen? In this article we’ll give you the facts about these huge waves, so you can better understand what causes a tsunami.
The name tsunami, pronounced soo-nahm-ee comes from two Japanese words; tsu means harbor and nami meaning wave, so tsunami means harbor-wave.
A tsunami is caused when there is a disturbance deep under the ocean such as an earthquake, volcano or a landslide. An underwater earthquake is the most common cause for a tsunami, but not just any underwater earthquake causes a tsunami. The earthquake needs to be a large enough earthquake of around 7.0 magnitude or bigger.
Underwater earthquakes happen because oceanic and continental plates, which are huge areas of the earth’s crust, push into each other and build up pressure. The pressure builds and builds until eventually the oceanic plate slips under the continental plate releasing all that pressure and energy in the form of an earthquake. If you would like to read other tribune articles about earthquakes click here.
If an underwater earthquake is large enough, the ocean floor will make significant movements, therefore the water above the sea floor must move too.
The ocean water is pushed upward causing a large ripple that begins to travel through the ocean. This large ripple, which will become the tsunami, travels at a very fast speed of up to 600 miles per hour.
Because the ocean is so deep, the wave has plenty of room to move, but when it gets near the shore the wave starts to build in height because the water has nowhere else to travel. Eventually the wave will hit the shore and travel far inland.
Eventually the ocean will settle down again, and all the water that came onto land from the tsunami will retreat back into the ocean. Unfortunately such large amounts of water can cause harm to people and property if they have not been warned. The United States is fortunate to have a tsunami warning system that can warn us before a tsunami wave approaches our shores.
The name tsunami, pronounced soo-nahm-ee comes from two Japanese words; tsu means harbor and nami meaning wave, so tsunami means harbor-wave.
A tsunami is caused when there is a disturbance deep under the ocean such as an earthquake, volcano or a landslide. An underwater earthquake is the most common cause for a tsunami, but not just any underwater earthquake causes a tsunami. The earthquake needs to be a large enough earthquake of around 7.0 magnitude or bigger.
Underwater earthquakes happen because oceanic and continental plates, which are huge areas of the earth’s crust, push into each other and build up pressure. The pressure builds and builds until eventually the oceanic plate slips under the continental plate releasing all that pressure and energy in the form of an earthquake. If you would like to read other tribune articles about earthquakes click here.
If an underwater earthquake is large enough, the ocean floor will make significant movements, therefore the water above the sea floor must move too.
The ocean water is pushed upward causing a large ripple that begins to travel through the ocean. This large ripple, which will become the tsunami, travels at a very fast speed of up to 600 miles per hour.
Because the ocean is so deep, the wave has plenty of room to move, but when it gets near the shore the wave starts to build in height because the water has nowhere else to travel. Eventually the wave will hit the shore and travel far inland.
Eventually the ocean will settle down again, and all the water that came onto land from the tsunami will retreat back into the ocean. Unfortunately such large amounts of water can cause harm to people and property if they have not been warned. The United States is fortunate to have a tsunami warning system that can warn us before a tsunami wave approaches our shores.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
hurricane ike facts
Hurricane Ike began as a tropical wave off of the coast of Africa around August 29th. A few days later, by September 1 it had developed into the 9th tropical depression of the hurricane season and was classified tropical storm Ike later in the day. Ike underwent rapid deepening on September 3rd into the morning of the 4th. It had achieved a category 4 strength on the Saffir-Simpson scale at 140 mph. Shortly after this, northerly wind shear started to take its toll and weaken it north of the Leeward Islands.
Hurricane Ike underwent another restrengthening phase as it moved west southwest into the Turks and Caicos and southern Bahamas. Grand Turk was in the northern eye wall and Great Inagua, Bahamas received a direct hit. Extensive damage occurred throughout these locations, with preliminary estimates showing 80% of the houses on Grand Turk receiving some damage. Ike continued toward Cuba making landfall on the northeast coast of Cuba. It crossed Cuba and turned more west northwest, barely off of its southern coast. After this, Ike made a second landfall in the western part of the country near where Hurricane Gustav made landfall not long before.
Hurricane Ike began to strengthen immediately after moving into the southern Gulf of Mexico. The Keys received some flooding, had squally weather, and reported an isolated tornado. In a similar fashion to Hurricane Gustav, Hurricane Ike had a very low barometric pressure in the central Gulf of Mexico, but did not strengthen significantly. Dry air on the western side of the hurricane kept it from strengthening until just before landfall.
High storm tides flooded the upper Texas and southwest Louisiana coast twenty four hours ahead of landfall. Storm tides of 10-15 were common in these areas. Hurricane Ike made landfall on September 13 at 2:10 am cdt at Galveston, TX. Even though Ike was classified as a category two hurricane with winds of 110 mph, very few gusts over 100 mph were recorded on land. Winds a few hundred feet above the ground were much higher though and caused damage to many windows to the sky scrapers in Houston. Rainfall totals of ten inches were reported in Houston. Heavy rain continued into the mid part of the U.S. as Ike merged with a cold front. Power was lost to approximately four and a half million people at the height of Hurricane Ike.
In summary, Ike was a huge hurricane. Its tropical storm force wind field extended exceeded that of Katrina. In the central Gulf of Mexico, winds of tropical storm force or greater extended out 275 miles from the center. Ike's effects not only were felt on the coast, but extended well inland. Wind damage and/or flooding rains followed the path of Ike into the southern Great Lakes, Ohio Valley and into New England. Rainfall totals of ten inches or more were recorded in the southern Great Lakes. Power Outages were also common from wind damage well northward into the Ohio Valley. Damage estimates are placed at $18 billion making hurricane Ike the 4th costliest hurricane to hit the U.S. An additional $4.4 billion in damage occured in Ike's post tropical stage as it moved northeast through the Ohio Valley causing widespread wind damage.
Hurricane Ike Facts Summary - Preliminary
Hurricane Ike Fact: Lowest pressure: 935 millibars / 27.61 inches
Hurricane Ike Fact: Pressure and sustained wind at landfall: 953 millibars / 110 mph
Hurricane Ike Fact: Maximum sustained winds at peak: 145 mph, Atlantic Ocean
Hurricane Ike Fact: Fatalities: U.S. 103 with 38 still missing
Hurricane Ike Fact: U.S. Damage: $18 billion - 4th costiest U.S. hurricane
Hurricane Ike Fact: Maximum storm surge height: Approximately 15-20 feet Bolivar Peninsula, TX
Hurricane Ike underwent another restrengthening phase as it moved west southwest into the Turks and Caicos and southern Bahamas. Grand Turk was in the northern eye wall and Great Inagua, Bahamas received a direct hit. Extensive damage occurred throughout these locations, with preliminary estimates showing 80% of the houses on Grand Turk receiving some damage. Ike continued toward Cuba making landfall on the northeast coast of Cuba. It crossed Cuba and turned more west northwest, barely off of its southern coast. After this, Ike made a second landfall in the western part of the country near where Hurricane Gustav made landfall not long before.
Hurricane Ike began to strengthen immediately after moving into the southern Gulf of Mexico. The Keys received some flooding, had squally weather, and reported an isolated tornado. In a similar fashion to Hurricane Gustav, Hurricane Ike had a very low barometric pressure in the central Gulf of Mexico, but did not strengthen significantly. Dry air on the western side of the hurricane kept it from strengthening until just before landfall.
High storm tides flooded the upper Texas and southwest Louisiana coast twenty four hours ahead of landfall. Storm tides of 10-15 were common in these areas. Hurricane Ike made landfall on September 13 at 2:10 am cdt at Galveston, TX. Even though Ike was classified as a category two hurricane with winds of 110 mph, very few gusts over 100 mph were recorded on land. Winds a few hundred feet above the ground were much higher though and caused damage to many windows to the sky scrapers in Houston. Rainfall totals of ten inches were reported in Houston. Heavy rain continued into the mid part of the U.S. as Ike merged with a cold front. Power was lost to approximately four and a half million people at the height of Hurricane Ike.
In summary, Ike was a huge hurricane. Its tropical storm force wind field extended exceeded that of Katrina. In the central Gulf of Mexico, winds of tropical storm force or greater extended out 275 miles from the center. Ike's effects not only were felt on the coast, but extended well inland. Wind damage and/or flooding rains followed the path of Ike into the southern Great Lakes, Ohio Valley and into New England. Rainfall totals of ten inches or more were recorded in the southern Great Lakes. Power Outages were also common from wind damage well northward into the Ohio Valley. Damage estimates are placed at $18 billion making hurricane Ike the 4th costliest hurricane to hit the U.S. An additional $4.4 billion in damage occured in Ike's post tropical stage as it moved northeast through the Ohio Valley causing widespread wind damage.
Hurricane Ike Facts Summary - Preliminary
Hurricane Ike Fact: Lowest pressure: 935 millibars / 27.61 inches
Hurricane Ike Fact: Pressure and sustained wind at landfall: 953 millibars / 110 mph
Hurricane Ike Fact: Maximum sustained winds at peak: 145 mph, Atlantic Ocean
Hurricane Ike Fact: Fatalities: U.S. 103 with 38 still missing
Hurricane Ike Fact: U.S. Damage: $18 billion - 4th costiest U.S. hurricane
Hurricane Ike Fact: Maximum storm surge height: Approximately 15-20 feet Bolivar Peninsula, TX
the death of hurricane andrew
Facts about Hurricane Andrew
Hurricane Andrew was a Cape Verde hurricane that formed from a tropical wave that moved off of the west coast of Africa on August 14, 1992. It moved west south of the Cape Verde Islands and began to take on banding. By August 16, sufficient orgainization had occured to upgrade the tropical wave to a tropical depresssion. Wind shear aloft lessened and tropical storm Andrew formed on August 17. A strong upper trough to the east southeast of Bermuda allowed tropical storm Andrew to take more of a northwesterly course and miss the Caribbean Islands. Wind shear also did not allow significant strengthening at this time.
Shortly after this time the upper level low weakened and split. One of the upper lows positioned itself southwest of Andrew. Instead of creating wind shear which nearly destroyed the storm, winds aloft now enhanced the outflow. This allowed tropical storm Andrew to strengthen quickly. At the same time, a strong high built over the Southeeastern U.S. setting up a strong easterly flow over Andrew. This flow would steer Andrew directly toward south Florida over the next 2 1/2 days. Hurricane Andrew formed on the morning of August 22. By late on August 23 hurricane Andrew was a caregory 4 hurricane that passed over northern Eleuthera Island in the eastern Bahamas. Andrew weakened some to a pressure of 941 mb over the western part of the Great Bahama Bank. Hurricane Andrew next underwent another rapid deepening phase as it crossed the Florida Straits into south Florida near Homestead. Hurricane Andrew caused great damage to south Florida, especially south of Miami. Andrew weakened as it moved over the Everglades.
After spending only a few hours over south Florida, Hurricane Andrew restrengthened in the Gulf of Mexico, turned north and made a second landfall in Louisiana as a category 3.
Hurricane Andrew was the 3rd category 5 hurricane to hit the U.S. on record. Originally it was classified as a strong category 4 hurricane. After additional evaluations and research it was upgraded to a category 5. It caused catastrophic damage to south Florida near Homestead. Hurricane Andrew at the time was the costliest hurricane on record with 26.5 billion dollars in damage. Andrew also had the fourth lowest pressure of any U.S. hurricane at landfall at 922 millibars. Only Hurricane Camille, Hurricane Katrina, and the Labor Day hurricane had lower pressures at landfall. As for winds, a Hurricane Hunter aircraft measured a 10,000 foot flight level wind of 196 mph just before landfall in so
Hurricane Andrew Facts Summary
Hurricane Andrew Fact: Lowest pressure: 922 millibars / 27.23 inches
Hurricane Andrew Fact: Lowest pressure at landfall: 922 millibars / 27.23 inches - 4th lowest of a U.S. land falling hurricane
Hurricane Andrew Fact: Pressure and sustained wind at landfall, Florida: 922 millibars / 175 mph
Hurricane Andrew Fact: Maximum sustained winds at peak: 175 mph
Hurricane Andrew Fact: Fatalities: 26 total, 23 mainland U.S.
Hurricane Andrew Fact: Rainfall Florida: 6.9 inches southeast Florida
Hurricane Andrew Fact: Rainfall Louisiana: Hammond 11.9 inches
Hurricane Andrew Fact: U.S. Damage: $26.5 billion
Hurricane Andrew Fact: Maximum storm tide height Florida: 16.9 feet, Biscayne Bay
Hurricane Andrew Fact: Maximum storm tide height Louisiana: about 8 feet, Lake Borgne to Vermillion Bay
Hurricane Andrew Fact: Maximum storm tide height Bahamas: 23 feet, The Current, Eleuthera
wrote by tropical weather
Hurricane Andrew was a Cape Verde hurricane that formed from a tropical wave that moved off of the west coast of Africa on August 14, 1992. It moved west south of the Cape Verde Islands and began to take on banding. By August 16, sufficient orgainization had occured to upgrade the tropical wave to a tropical depresssion. Wind shear aloft lessened and tropical storm Andrew formed on August 17. A strong upper trough to the east southeast of Bermuda allowed tropical storm Andrew to take more of a northwesterly course and miss the Caribbean Islands. Wind shear also did not allow significant strengthening at this time.
Shortly after this time the upper level low weakened and split. One of the upper lows positioned itself southwest of Andrew. Instead of creating wind shear which nearly destroyed the storm, winds aloft now enhanced the outflow. This allowed tropical storm Andrew to strengthen quickly. At the same time, a strong high built over the Southeeastern U.S. setting up a strong easterly flow over Andrew. This flow would steer Andrew directly toward south Florida over the next 2 1/2 days. Hurricane Andrew formed on the morning of August 22. By late on August 23 hurricane Andrew was a caregory 4 hurricane that passed over northern Eleuthera Island in the eastern Bahamas. Andrew weakened some to a pressure of 941 mb over the western part of the Great Bahama Bank. Hurricane Andrew next underwent another rapid deepening phase as it crossed the Florida Straits into south Florida near Homestead. Hurricane Andrew caused great damage to south Florida, especially south of Miami. Andrew weakened as it moved over the Everglades.
After spending only a few hours over south Florida, Hurricane Andrew restrengthened in the Gulf of Mexico, turned north and made a second landfall in Louisiana as a category 3.
Hurricane Andrew was the 3rd category 5 hurricane to hit the U.S. on record. Originally it was classified as a strong category 4 hurricane. After additional evaluations and research it was upgraded to a category 5. It caused catastrophic damage to south Florida near Homestead. Hurricane Andrew at the time was the costliest hurricane on record with 26.5 billion dollars in damage. Andrew also had the fourth lowest pressure of any U.S. hurricane at landfall at 922 millibars. Only Hurricane Camille, Hurricane Katrina, and the Labor Day hurricane had lower pressures at landfall. As for winds, a Hurricane Hunter aircraft measured a 10,000 foot flight level wind of 196 mph just before landfall in so
Hurricane Andrew Facts Summary
Hurricane Andrew Fact: Lowest pressure: 922 millibars / 27.23 inches
Hurricane Andrew Fact: Lowest pressure at landfall: 922 millibars / 27.23 inches - 4th lowest of a U.S. land falling hurricane
Hurricane Andrew Fact: Pressure and sustained wind at landfall, Florida: 922 millibars / 175 mph
Hurricane Andrew Fact: Maximum sustained winds at peak: 175 mph
Hurricane Andrew Fact: Fatalities: 26 total, 23 mainland U.S.
Hurricane Andrew Fact: Rainfall Florida: 6.9 inches southeast Florida
Hurricane Andrew Fact: Rainfall Louisiana: Hammond 11.9 inches
Hurricane Andrew Fact: U.S. Damage: $26.5 billion
Hurricane Andrew Fact: Maximum storm tide height Florida: 16.9 feet, Biscayne Bay
Hurricane Andrew Fact: Maximum storm tide height Louisiana: about 8 feet, Lake Borgne to Vermillion Bay
Hurricane Andrew Fact: Maximum storm tide height Bahamas: 23 feet, The Current, Eleuthera
wrote by tropical weather
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