Topic 3:

HURRICANE
L02.3: Discuss the hurricanes and its wind and pressure including the eye and
the wall based on the national hurricane center projection

L02.4: Determine the different side of a tropical storm and its trapped fetch

GROUP 5 METEO 2314

REY
SANCHEZ
SIOSAN
QUISEL
POMAREJOS
SERIOZA
 What is a Hurricane?
A hurricane is a type of storm called a tropical cyclone, which forms over tropical or subtropical waters.

• A tropical cyclone is a rotating low-pressure weather system that has organized thunderstorms but no
fronts (a boundary separating two air masses of different densities).

• Tropical cyclones with maximum sustained surface winds of less than 39 miles per hour (mph) are called
tropical depressions

• A tropical depression becomes a tropical storm if its winds reach 63 km/hr (39 mph).

• A tropical storm becomes a hurricane if its winds reach 119 km/hr (74
mph).
 What are the parts of a Hurricane?
The main parts of a hurricane are the rain bands on its outer edges, the
eye, and the eyewall. Air spirals in toward the center in a counter-
clockwise pattern, and out the top in the opposite direction. In the very
center of the storm, air sinks, forming the cloud-free eye.

 The Eyewall

The dense wall of thunderstorms surrounding the eye has the strongest
winds within the storm. Changes in the structure of the eye and eyewall
can cause changes in the wind speed, which is an indicator of the
storm's intensity. The eye can grow or shrink in size, and double
(concentric) eyewalls can form.
 What are the parts of a Hurricane?
 The Eye
The hurricane's center is a relatively calm, clear area usually 20-40 miles
across. People in the midst of a hurricane are often amazed at how the
incredibly fierce winds and rain can suddenly stop and the sky clear when
the eye comes over them. Then, just as quickly, the winds and rain begin
again, but this time from the opposite direction.

 Hurricane Size
Typical hurricanes are about 300 miles wide although they can vary
considerably, as shown in the two enhanced satellite images below. Size is
not necessarily an indication of hurricane intensity. Hurricane Andrew
(1992), the most devastating hurricane of this century, was a relatively
small hurricane.
 What are the parts of a Hurricane?
 The Spiral Rainbands

The storm's outer rainbands (often with hurricane or tropical storm-force winds) can extend a few hundred
miles from the center. Hurricane Andrew's (1992) rainbands reached only 100 miles out from the eye,
while those in Hurricane Gilbert (1988) stretched over 500 miles. These dense bands of thunderstorms,
which spiral slowly counterclockwise, range in width from a few miles to tens of miles and are 50 to 300
miles long. Sometimes the bands and the eye are obscured by higher level clouds, making it difficult for
forecasters to use satellite imagery to monitor the storm.
Hurricane Size

 Hurricane Circulation and Movement

In the northern hemisphere, hurricane winds circulate around the center in a counter-clockwise fashion.
This means that the wind direction at your location depends on where the hurricane's eye is. A boat on the
northern edge of the orange area in Hurricane Fran (right) would experience winds from the east, while a
boat on the southern edge would have westerly winds.
 What are the parts of a Hurricane?
 Hurricane Circulation and Movement

In the northern hemisphere, hurricane winds circulate around the center in a counter-clockwise fashion.
This means that the wind direction at your location depends on where the hurricane's eye is. A boat on the
northern edge of the orange area in Hurricane Fran (right) would experience winds from the east, while a
boat on the southern edge would have westerly winds.
 Damages and Effects of Hurricanes
High Wind of a hurricane range from 74 mph (65 knots) in a minimal storm to greater than 155 mph
(136 knots) in a catastrophic one.

 Wind is responsible for much of the structural damage caused by hurricanes. High winds uproot
trees and tear down power lines.
 The wind speed and potential damage of a hurricane is expressed as categories according to he
Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale.
 The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale puts wind speeds, damage inflicted, and power outages
into five categories.
Damages and Effects of Hurricanes
 Damages and Effects of Hurricanes
Storm Surge is a rapid rise in the level of water that moves onto land as the eye of the storm makes
landfall.

 Storm surge is the greatest potential threat to life and property associated with hurricanes.
 A storm surge is a large dome of water, 50 to 100 miles wide, that sweeps across the coastline near
where a hurricane
 makes landfall. It can be more than 15 feet deep at its peak.
 The level of surge in a particular area is primarily related to the intensity of the hurricane and slope of
the continental shelf.
 The Sea, Lake, and Overland Surges from Hurricanes (SLOSH) model is used by communities to
evaluate storm surge
 threat from different categories of hurricanes striking from various directions.
 Because storm surge has the greatest potential to kill more people than any of the other hurricane
hazards, it is wise to
 err on the conservative side by planning for a storm that is one category more intense than is forecast.
 Damages and Effects of Hurricanes
HEAVY RAINFALL is produced by hurricanes. The amount of rainfall usually varies between 6
and 12 inches.

 Hurricanes (and some tropical storms) typically produce widespread rainfall of 6 to 12 inches
or more, often resultingin severe flooding.
 Inland flooding has been the primary cause of tropical cyclone-related fatalities over the past 30
years.
 Rains are generally heaviest with slower moving storms (less than 10 mph).
 The heaviest rain usually occurs to the right of the cyclone track in the period 6 hours before
and 6 hours after landfall.However, storms can last for days, depending on what inland weather
features they interact with.
 Large amounts of rain can occur more than 100 miles inland where flash floods and mudslides
are typically themajor threats.
 Damages and Effects of Hurricanes
TORNADOES is a violently rotating column of air that extends from the bottom of a vertically
developed cloud

 Tornadoes are most likely to occur in the right-front quadrant of the hurricane. However, they
are also often found
 elsewhere in the rainbands.
 Typically, the more intense a hurricane is, the greater the tornado threat.
 Tornado production can occur for days after landfall.
 Most tornadoes occur within 150 miles of the coast.
 The National Weather Service's Doppler radar systems can provide indications of tornados from
a few minutes toabout 30 minutes in advance. Consequently, preparedness is critical.
 Categories of Hurricanes
Hurricanes are categorized on the basis of the intensity is measure using the Saffir-Simpson
hurricane scale.
• It is names after Herbert Saffir, a consulting engineer in Coral Gables Florida & Robert Simpson, director
of the National Hurricane Center.
• Mr. Saffir developed the first version of the scale in 1971 , which uses wind speeds as a guide to the
damage.
• The scale is devised on the basis of the Hurricane Camille that hit the Mississippi Coast on August
17,1969.
• Saffir-Simpson scales hurricanes are rated by their potential for damage on a scale one to five

There are two main ingredients that are needed for the formation of hurricanes.
1. One ingredient is warm water. Warm ocean waters provide the energy a storm needs to become a
hurricane. Usually, the surface water temperature must be 26 degrees Celsius (79 degrees Fahrenheit) or
higher for a hurricane to form.
2. The other ingredient is winds that don't change much in speed or direction as they go up in the sky.
Winds that change a lot with height can rip storms apart
 How Are Hurricanes Named?
There can be more than one hurricane at a time. This is one reason hurricanes are named. Names
make it easier to keep track of and talk about storms.

• A storm is given a name if it becomes a tropical storm. That name stays with the storm if it goes on to
become a hurricane.
• Each year, tropical storms are named in alphabetical order. The names come from a list of names for that
year.
• There are six lists of names. Lists are reused every six years
 TOPIC 4:
TROPICAL STORMS
 What is a “Dirty Side” of
a tropical storm?
● The dirty side of a hurricane or tropical system is the right side of the storm with respect to the direction it is
moving. So, if the system is moving to the north, the dirty side is usually to the right or east side of the system. If
the storm is moving west, the dirty side would be the top or north side. 
● Meteorologists call it the dirty side because it is where the most concerning weather occurs. Every part of a tropical
storm or hurricane is dangerous, but the dirty side typically brings the worst.
● The dirty side is where you’re most likely to see storm surge, extreme wind and heavier rain bands that can cause
flooding and with the embedded storms that can quickly spin tornadoes.
● The storm surge exists on the dirty side because winds spin around the storm counter-clockwise, meaning the wind
in this sector blows onshore, pushing water onto land.
● Typically, the faster the wind speed and forward motion of the hurricane, the higher the storm surge will be.
● The other side of a tropical cyclone will have winds blowing offshore. While it can still bring wind damage, wind
actually blows water off the shore. It’s also an area less likely to create tornadoes.
● The NOAA explains that the winds spiral counter-clockwise around the storm’s center in addition to its forward
movement. So as the storm moves forward, the winds are moving in the same direction and therefore their speeds
are accelerated.
● On the other side of the storm, winds are slower because the forward velocity slows down the wind velocity. 
● “For example, a hurricane with 90 mph winds moving at 10 mph would have a 100 mph wind speed on the right
(forward-moving) side and 80 mph on the side with the backward motion,” the NOAA’s website says. 
● So watch for the dirty side of tropical storms and hurricanes. These weather conditions are more likely to occur
there:
○ Storm surge along the coast
○ Higher tornado threat
○ Strongest wind gusts
● The dirty side of the system is often the right side of the storm with respect to direction. For example, if the system
is moving to the west, the dirty side is usually to the north of the system. If the storm is moving north, the dirty side
would be the right side. 
● A tropical cyclone has 4 quadrants: the bottom right, top right, top left, and bottom left. All sides bring effects and
can cause major damage if the system is defined symmetric, but there are quadrants that bring high threats.
 The Quadrants
The top left quadrant: it’s where the most dangerous due to storm surge occurs. Remember water is
the number one reason that people lose their lives during a hurricane.
The bottom left quadrant: It’s the least threatening sector of a storm, but can still be very dangerous.
The bottom right quadrant: winds in the quadrant cause significant damage, it is here where the
strongest wind speeds are usually registered.
The top right quadrant: this is the most dangerous area in a cyclone. In this quadrant, we see it all!
Storm surge, extreme wind, heavier rain bands that can cause flooding and with the embedded storms
that can quickly spin tornadoes Usually, there are higher chances of tornado development near the
center, within 100 miles.
 TRAPPED FETCH
The ocean wind wave in normal condition can be estimated from three factors - sea surface wind speed, duration,
and fetch distance. However, when a mid-latitude storm or tropical cyclone system is moving, the fetch distance is not a
stationary one anymore. Waves in right quadrant or right of track can be grown larger because the waves are moving in
same direction as the fetch also advances along the track.
The distance over which waves actually grow is called trapped-fetch (or dynamic fetch). 
Bower and MacAfee (2005), developed ‘Trapped-Fetch Wave Model (TFWM)’ and it is applied operationally for
hurricane in north Atlantic at Meteorological Service of Canada.
● The prediction skill of numerical ocean wind wave model is highly depend on the forcing from atmospheric model
which has limitation in representing the analyzed central minimum pressure, maximum sustained wind speed, and
expected track of typhoon.  
● The TFWM can be used as a supporting guidance tool in this respect by the way of putting the forecaster's analyzed
typhoon track location and intensity into TFWM input parameter and the forecaster can get estimated highest wave
expectation induced by typhoon in a quicker way.
THANK YOU !!!