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Chapter
13:
The Nature of Storms
Tracking a Hurricane
Hurricanes are violent storms. That's why it's important to have plenty of advance warning before they hit land. By tracking the changing position of a storm on a chart and connecting
these positions with a line, you can determine a hurricane's path.
Problem
What information can you obtain by studying the path of a hurricane?
Hypothesis
Use the Internet to gather information about the path of a hurricane. Form a hypothesis about how the hurricane's path can be used to predict the strength of the storm and where most
damage might be inflicted.
Find a resource that lists major hurricanes that have occurred within the past five years. Click Activity
Links to find a list of sites that have information about hurricanes.
Choose a hurricane to research.
Some recent major hurricanes include Hurricane Georges, Hurricane Fran, and Hurricane Bertha.
Gather data about the hurricane from the Activity Links found on this site
or the library.
Incorporate your research into a data table. Add any additional information that you think is important.
Post your data below.
Visit sites listed under Activity Links for information on other major hurricanes.
Sharing Your Data Post your data in the table below provided for this activity. Make a copy of the hurricane tracking chart on page 353. Use the additional
data from other students to complete your chart and answer the Conclude and Apply questions.
Plot the position, air pressure, wind speed, and stage of the hurricane at six-hour intervals throughout its existence.
Plot the changing position of the hurricane on your hurricane-
tracking chart.
What was the maximum wind speed in knots that the hurricane reached?
Multiply the value from question 3 by 1.15 to find the wind speed in miles per hour. Based on this value, how would the hurricane be classified on the Saffir-Simpson scale?
Using your completed hurricane-tracking chart, list the landmasses over which the hurricane passed.
Where would you expect the storm surge to have been greatest? Explain. Compare your answer to the information you gathered on the damage inflicted by the storm. Was your answer correct?
How was the hurricane's strength affected when its center passed over land?
