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Hurricanes - College Essay

Hurricanes

Hurricanes are giant, spiraling tropical storms that can pack wind speeds of over 160 miles (257 kilometers) an hour and unleash more than 2.4 trillion gallons (9 trillion liters) of rain a day. These same tropical storms are known as cyclones in the northern Indian Ocean and Bay of Bengal, and as typhoons in the western Pacific Ocean.

The Atlantic Ocean’s hurricane season peaks from mid-August to late October and averages five to six hurricanes per year.

Hurricanes begin as tropical disturbances in warm ocean waters with surface temperatures of at least 80 degrees Fahrenheit (26.5 degrees Celsius). These low pressure systems are fed by energy from the warm seas. If a storm ...

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warm, moist ocean air and release it through condensation of water vapor in thunderstorms.

Hurricanes spin around a low-pressure center known as the “eye.” Sinking air makes this 20- to 30-mile-wide (32- to 48-kilometer-wide) area notoriously calm. But the eye is surrounded by a circular “eye wall” that hosts the storm’s strongest winds and rain.

These storms bring destruction ashore in many different ways. When a hurricane makes landfall it often produces a devastating storm surge that can reach 20 feet (6 meters) high and extend nearly 100 miles (161 kilometers). Ninety percent of all hurricane deaths result from storm surges.

A hurricane’s high winds are also destructive and may spawn tornadoes. Torrential rains cause further damage by spawning floods and landslides, which may occur many miles inland.

The best defense against a hurricane is an accurate forecast that gives people time to get out of its way. The National Hurricane Center issues hurricane watches ...

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Hurricanes. (2011, March 23). Retrieved April 25, 2024, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Hurricanes/96651

"Hurricanes." Essayworld.com. Essayworld.com, 23 Mar. 2011. Web. 25 Apr. 2024. <http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Hurricanes/96651>

"Hurricanes." Essayworld.com. March 23, 2011. Accessed April 25, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Hurricanes/96651.

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PAPER DETAILS

Added: 3/23/2011 01:52:43 PM
Submitted By: imakeitlookez
Category: Science & Nature
Type: Premium Paper
Words: 358
Pages: 2

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