Dealing with Extreme Weather: Hurricanes in the Caribbean

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Dealing with Extreme Weather Hurricanes in the
Caribbean

• Chapter 11

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I. Geoterms

• El Nino - A warm ocean current that flows off
  the west coast of South America every few years.
  An El Nino event changes weather patterns around
  the World. It may cause extreme weather in some
  regions.
• Extreme weather - Severe or unusual weather
  conditions, such as hurricanes, tornadoes, and
  blizzards.
• Meteorology - The scientific study of climate
  and weather patterns.
• Natural disaster - Great destruction or loss of
  life caused by natural forces rather than by
  human actions.
• Tropical Cyclone - A severe storm with high
  winds that spiral around a calm center.
  Depending on where they form, tropical cyclones
  are called hurricanes, typhoons, or cyclones.

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II. The Geographic Setting

• A. Islands in the Sun
• 1. The Caribbean Islands lie in one of the
  worlds tropical zones. These climate zone
  have are warm.
• 2. European colonists established sugar and
  tobacco plantations. The land and the climate
  are ideal for these cash crops.
• 3. Tourism also plays a big role in the
  regions economy.
• 4. Many islanders live in poverty.

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• B. Extreme weather is part of island life.
• 1. Tropical cyclones are common to this region.
• a. Cyclones are storm winds that reach 74
  mph or more.
• b. These form over warm water.
• 2. We get our information about cyclones from
  meteorologists who study atmospheric
  conditions.

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III. Understanding the Weather Machine

• A. The Sun starts it all.
• 1. The Sun warms the Earth unevenly.
• 2. Heat get distributed unevenly and convection
  or heat transfer occurs.
• a. Warm air rises and cool air descends
  creating wind.
• b. When warm and cool water displace each
  other it is called a current.
• c. Because the Earth rotates wind patterns
  are curved. This is called the Coriolis
  effect.
• 3. These patterns of wind and ocean currents
  are predictable.

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• Small changes can cause extreme weather.
• 1. El Nino is a warm ocean current that occurs
  every few.
• a. There is an increase in rainfall and
  flooding these periods.
• b. Other areas that are accustomed to rain
  may see drier conditions during this period.

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• C. Tropical cyclone The most violent weather
  events.
• 1. More heat in the tropics results in more
  intense weather conditions.
• 2. Tropical cyclones occur in waters that are
  80 degrees or warmer.
• 3. These storms have different names depending
  on what body of water they are in.
• a. Tropical cyclone in the Atlantic is a
  hurricane.
• b. Tropical cyclone in the Pacific is called
  a typhoon.
• c. Tropical cyclones in the Indian Ocean is
  a cyclone.

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IV. Extreme Weather A Hurricane is Born

• Tropical Thunderstorms begin the process.
• 1. Hurricanes in the Atlantic originate off the
  coast of west Africa in the form of warm
  water currents.
• 2. Warm air is released into the atmosphere.
  When it condenses rain clouds form and a
  tropical thunderstorm begins.
• 3. Sometimes a several thunderstorms come
  together to create a tropical disturbance.

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• From a Tropical Disturbance to a Hurricane.
• 1. More warm, moist air rises and begins to
  circle around because of the Coriolis effect.
• 2. When the wind starts circling in a tropical
  disturbance it is called a tropical
  depression.
• 3. When the winds inside a tropical depression
  reach 39 mph it is called a tropical storm.
• 4. When the winds reach 74 mph or more it is
  a hurricane.

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V. Inside The Monster

• The Parts of a Hurricane.
• 1. The eye is the calm part at the center of
  the hurricane which may be between 20 and 40
  miles across.
• 2. The eye wall is made of the storms that
  surround the eye of the hurricane.
• 3. Rainbands are dense clouds that swirl
  around the eye and drop large amounts of
  rain as the hurricane moves.

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• The Path of Hurricanes.
• 1. The path of a hurricane is unpredictable.
• 2. It may move, shift, slow down and speed up
  based on the ocean winds.
• 3. As long as the hurricanes stay over warm
  water it can continue growing.
• 4. Storms can grow to be 1,000 miles across
  and speed up to 200 mph.

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VI. Tracking and Preparing for a Hurricane

• Meteorologists Track and Name Hurricanes.
• 1. Hurricane hunters, who fly into hurricanes,
  work with meteorologists to predict where the
  storm is going and if it will become a
  hurricane.
• 2. Meteorologists have an alphabetical list of
  male and female names. The first hurricane
  of the year always starts with an A.

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• B. Preparing for a Hurricane.
• 1. When the direction of the storm is
  determined, people who are in the path are
  warned.
• 2. When the hurricane is due to hit between 24
  and 36 hour meteorologist issue a hurricane
  watch when it is less than 24 hours it is a
  hurricane warning.
• 3. Hurricanes are ranked on a 1 to 5 scale. A
  level 5 is the most destructive.

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VII. Landfall A Natural Disaster Begins

• The Power of Wind and Rain.
• 1. Powerful hurricanes can destroy houses
  and uproot trees.
• 2. Mudslides and flooding are also problems
  that are caused by hurricanes.

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• Storm Surge The Most Dangerous Force of All.
• 1. A storm surge is a wall of water that is
  pushed ashore by the storm.
• 2. Most of the deaths associated with
  hurricanes are from the storm surge.

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VIII. Cleaning Up after a Natural Disaster

• Hurricanes Lose Strength Over Land.
• 1. Hurricanes die when they lose their main
  source of energywarm water.
• 2. When a hurricane hits a large land mass it
  usually dies out in a few days.

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• B. Rebuilding After a Natural Disaster.
• 1. The damage from a hurricane may include
  destroyed buildings and roads, but it can also
  cause hunger, and the spread of disease.
• 2. Communities may have to rebuild water
  lines, sewage and restore electricity after a
  hurricane.

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IX. Beginning to Think Globally

• Few Places to Escape Extreme Weather
• Most places in the world have some kind of
  extreme weather.
• B. El Ninos Impact on Weather.
• 1. When an El Nino event occurs, it can
  trigger extreme weather in many parts of the
  world.
• 2. Scientists are still trying to understand
  the role El Nino plays in extreme weather.