Hurricanes

Ben Barber

Hurricane Conditions: Minimum of 75% humidity north or south of the equator, so that the Coriolis (spinning) effect can bring about the maximum rotation of air. 26.5C sea temperature Falling air pressure The location must be 5 Rapidly rising moist air cools and condenses, releasing latent heat energy which fuels the storm Low level of convergence of air occurs in the lower circulation system, this is thought to be the precursor to the tropical storm

They begin with an area of low pressure into which warm air is drawn in a spiralling manner. Smallscale disturbances enlarge into tropical storms with rotating wind systems, which may grow into a much more intense and rapidly rotating system the cyclone.

The magnitude of tropical storms is typically measured on the Saffir-Simpson scale which consists of five levels based on central pressure, wind speed, storm surge and damage potential. The impacts of hurricanes/cyclones include: Winds exceeding 150km per hour (up to a maximum of 250km per hour) cause structural damage and collapse of buildings, damage to bridges and road infrastructure and loss of agricultural land. Heavy rainfall, often over 100mm per day, causes severe flooding and sometimes landslides.

(The Saffir-Simpson scale)

Category 1 Wind Speed (km per hour) 119-153 Effect No real damage to building structures; slight damage to trees and vegetation, some risk of coastal flooding Some roofing material, door and window damage; considerably vegetation damage Some structural damage to small houses and utility buildings; extensive coastal flooding Extensive damage; complete roof collapse possible for small houses; extensive coastal erosion and flooding extending well inland Complete roof failure on many dwellings and industrial buildings; major flood damage; massive evacuation of residential areas may be required Storm surge (m above normal water levels) 1.2-1.5

154-178

1.8-2.4

179-209

2.7-3.6

210-249

3.95.5

249+

5.5+

(Hurricane Distribution Worldwide)

(Scale of Hurricanes)

Magnitude Speed of onset Duration Areal Extent

Enormous Rapid Long Widespread

Just above normal Slow Short Limited Regular/Predicatability Very Rare

Spacial Predictability - Random Frequency Frequent (A typical hurricane hazard profile)