How Hurricanes Form and Die: EnchantedLearning.com

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Hurricane Activities

EnchantedLearning.com
Hurricane

Weather Theme Page for K-3

Introduction to Hurricanes

How Hurricanes Form

Naming Hurricanes

Hurricane Structure

Hurricane Classification

Tracking Hurricanes

Preparing for a Hurricane

Landfall, Storm Surges

Hurricane Activities

Hurricane Glossary

How Hurricanes Form and Die

Hurricanes need four conditions to form:

low air pressure
warm temperatures
moist ocean air
tropical winds (near the equator).

Hurricanes form in the tropics, over warm ocean water (over 80ºF or 27ºC) and at latitudes between 8° and 20°, Hurricanes form mostly from June through November (hurricane season). These powerful storms are fueled by the heat energy that is released when water vapor condenses (turns into liquid water -- rain).

A hurricane goes through many stages as it develops:

It starts as a tropical wave, a westward-moving area of low air pressure.
As the warm, moist air over the ocean rises in the low air pressure area, cold air from above replaces it. This produces strong gusty winds, heavy rain and thunderclouds that is called a tropical disturbance.
As the air pressure drops and there are sustained winds up to 38 miles per hour, it is called a tropical depression.
When the cyclonic winds have sustained speeds from 39 to 73 miles per hour, it is called a tropical storm (storms are given names when they begin to have winds of this speed).
The storm becomes a hurricane when there are sustained winds of over 73 miles per hour.

The End of a Storm:
When a hurricane travels over land or cold water, its energy source (warm water) is gone and the storm weakens, quickly dying.

Hurricanes

Introduction to Hurricanes How Hurricanes Form Naming Hurricanes Hurricane Structure Hurricane Classification Tracking Hurricanes Preparing for a Hurricane Landfall, Storm Surges Hurricane Activities Hurricane Glossary

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