Hurricanes
from the Weather Smart Series
written and produced by...
Alan Sealls, Meteorologist
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Hurricanes
Table of Contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
Curriculum Standards . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
Program Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Series Goals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Teacher Preparation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
Instructional Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
Pre-Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Student Preparation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Student Objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Introducing the Program . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
Discussion Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
Blackline Master Activities . . . . . . . . . . .6
Extended Learning Activities . . . . . . . . .8
Answer Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Reference Material . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
Script of Program Narration . . . . . . . . .16
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HURRICANES
from the WEATHER SMART Series
INTRODUCTION
Weather Smart is a series comprised of 10 weather programs for grades 3-8. It is written and produced by Alan
Sealls, an award-winning meteorologist who has worked
for WGN-TV and CNN. Each program is supported by
exercises, quizzes, Internet references, and hands-on
experiments to make the weather come alive to students.
The series is an entire "course" in the wonders of weather, while each video stands alone in approaching the various facets of meteorology. These delightful and entertaining videos are geared toward kids' fascination with
weather. Each program may be used as an introduction,
supplement, or follow-up to weather studies.
Hurricanes are often called the greatest storms on Earth
for their size, wind, and effects. In Weather Smart:
Hurricanes, students learn the steps that lead to the formation of these tropical systems. The importance of
mathematics in plotting and measuring hurricanes is
emphasized along with safety information. Kids see how
hurricanes are tracked. The teacher's guide and written
material contain fun exercises that allow hurricane tracking, and that reinforce hurricane terminology and safety
rules.
CURRICULUM STANDARDS
Weather Smart: Hurricanes correlates to the following science standards:
National Science Education Standards, grades K-4
Science as Inquiry
CONTENT STANDARD A:
• Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry
• Understanding about scientific inquiry
Physical Science
CONTENT STANDARD B:
• Properties of objects and materials
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• Position and motion of objects
• Light, heat, electricity, and magnetism
Earth and Space Science
CONTENT STANDARD D:
• Properties of earth materials
• Objects in the sky
• Changes in earth and sky
Science and Technology
CONTENT STANDARD E:
• Abilities of technological design
• Understanding about science and technology
Science in Personal & Social Perspectives
CONTENT STANDARD F:
• Personal health
• Types of resources
• Changes in environments
• Science and technology in local challenges
History and Nature of Science
CONTENT STANDARD G:
• Science as a human endeavor
National Science Education Standards, grades 5-8
Science as Inquiry
CONTENT STANDARD A:
• Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry
• Understanding about scientific inquiry
Physical Science
CONTENT STANDARD B:
• Properties and changes of properties in matter
• Motions and forces
• Transfer of energy
Life Science
CONTENT STANDARD C:
• Populations and ecosystems
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Earth and Space Science
CONTENT STANDARD D:
• Structure of the earth system
Science and Technology
CONTENT STANDARD E:
• Abilities of technological design
• Understanding about science and technology
Science in Personal & Social Perspectives
CONTENT STANDARD F:
• Personal health
• Natural hazards
• Risks and benefits
• Science and technology in society
History and Nature of Science
CONTENT STANDARD G:
• Science as a human endeavor
• Nature of science
PROGRAM SUMMARY
Effects of hurricanes are reviewed along with storm
surge, flooding, and how the storms are ranked by
strength. Particular attention is given to hurricane safety,
such as preparing for a tropical storm, evacuation tips,
and preparing safety kits for homes. Students learn that
these storms can be catastrophic, but that they also play
an important role in the balance of heat and humidity.
Why do hurricanes have names? Where do they happen?
Do they really have eyes? What causes them? These are
some of the questions answered as fascinating animations show the size and motions of hurricanes related to
Earth.
The program concludes with a true/false video quiz.
SERIES GOALS
The Weather Smart series will give students the entire
scope of meteorology, fostering an appreciation for
weather as a universal, ever-present aspect of life on
Earth.
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• Varying combinations of heat, air, and water generate
weather.
• The sun is the driving force behind weather.
• Air and water have unique properties.
• Neither Earth nor life would exist as we know them
without weather.
• Humans can affect weather or climate.
• Weather forecasts make our lives easier and safer.
• Tools and instruments help us to understand and predict
weather.
• Mathematics is needed to assess and forecast weather
and climate.
• Scientists do not fully know what makes weather and climate change.
• Weather and climate are cyclical.
• There is beauty in the sky.
• Meteorology is a wide-reaching profession.
TEACHER PREPARATION
Duplicate a sufficient quantity of the Blackline Masters
for your students. In order to undertake all of the exercises in this program, the following items are needed in
appropriate amounts and numbers:
• computer with Internet connection
• measuring cup
• wide baking pan
• medium-depth baking pan
• battery-powered fan
• water
• crayons or colored pencils (optional)
• calculator (optional)
INSTRUCTIONAL NOTES
Before presenting this Weather Smart lesson to your students, we suggest you preview the program and review
this guide and accompanying Blackline Master activities
in order to familiarize yourself with their content.
As you review the materials presented in this guide, you
may find it necessary to make changes, additions, or
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deletions to meet the specific needs of your class. We
encourage you to do so, for only by tailoring this program
to your students will they obtain the maximum instructional benefits afforded by the materials.
We also suggest that the program viewing take place
before the entire group under your supervision. The lesson activities grow out of the context of the program;
therefore, the presentation should be a common experience for all students.
PRE-TEST
To gauge student level of understanding of hurricanes,
you may use any of several of the Blackline Masters as
both pre-test and post-test. Those most appropriate
would be Blackline Master 1, Video Quiz, Blackline
Master 3, Discussion Questions, or Blackline Master
5, Hurricane Quiz.
STUDENT PREPARATION
In the days prior to undertaking this program, encourage
students to watch the weather forecast on television. Ask
them to make notes of references to hurricanes or
typhoons, such as where they happen, when they happen, and what they do. Share an article or story of a local
hurricane strike if one exists. Blackline Master 2,
Hurricane Vocabulary Word Search is a good way to
familiarize students with terms they will hear in the program.
STUDENT OBJECTIVES
After viewing the program and participating in the followup activities, students should be able to...
• Demonstrate how to plot hurricane coordinates.
• Describe the life cycle of a hurricane.
• Identify sources of information on hurricane and tropical storm forecasts.
• Discuss the role of hurricanes in the water cycle and in
heat balance.
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• Identify the benefits of hurricanes.
• Describe where hurricanes occur.
• List items needed in a hurricane safety kit.
• Describe the forces in a hurricane that cause injury and
destruction.
INTRODUCING THE PROGRAM
Blackline Master 6, Practice Plotting, may be completed by each student or Blackline Master 14, Wind Moves
the Water may be used by the teacher to introduce the
topic. Either will pique curiosity and bring about discussion of how it relates to hurricanes.
Present the program. Weather Smart: Hurricanes runs
15 minutes. A video quiz, corresponding to Blackline
Master 1, is at the conclusion of the program. You may
choose to pause the program for a longer period between
questions to allow more time for answers or for discussion.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
As printed on Blackline Master 3, the answers are found
in the Answer Key.
1. Where on Earth do we find hurricanes?
2. What kind of weather is needed for hurricanes to start?
3. What different ways can we measure hurricanes?
4. How do hurricanes help the Earth?
5. What time of the year do hurricanes happen?
6. What are some of the dangers of hurricanes?
7. How strong can the winds in a hurricane be?
8. How long do you think a hurricane lasts?
9. Where are safe places to be when a hurricane strikes?
10. What would Earth be like if we didn't have hurricanes?
BLACKLINE MASTER ACTIVITIES
1. Video Quiz appears at the conclusion of the program.
It may also be used as a pre-test and post-test.
2. Hurricane Vocabulary Word Search will introduce
terms to kids and allow them to have fun searching for
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them. You may have them complete this in groups to
make it easier to find some of the more-hidden terms.
3. Discussion Questions will encourage thinking beyond
the material presented.
4. Hurricane Safety Checklist should be distributed for
students to share with their families. Some of the younger
kids may wish to color the images.
5. Hurricane Quiz gives more opportunities to assess
comprehension and retention.
6. Practice Tracking shows that tracking hurricanes is
just a matter of connecting the locations.
7. Hurricane Andrew gives coordinates and storm statistics for use in tracking. For younger students, you may
choose to eliminate the decimal portion of the coordinates.
8. Tracking Chart Wide may be used with the coordinates presented in 7, above, or for plotting any other hurricane.
9. Tracking Chart Close may be used with the coordinates presented in 7, above, or for plotting any other hurricane.
10. How Strong Was the Wind? is used to create a line
graph of wind speed, using data from 7.
11. How Low Was the Pressure? is used to create a line
graph of pressure, using data from 7.
12. Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale shows how hurricanes are ranked. It may be used with 7, or any other hurricane.
13. Tracking Follow-Up helps you to assess how well
students have integrated the components of hurricanes.
14. Water Feeds the Storm illustrates that heat evaporates moisture rapidly when the water surface area is
large.
15. Wind Moves the Water allows students to see that air
has power to move objects and create ocean waves.
16. Hurricane Facts is a list of items that show the
extremes of hurricanes. You might use them in a game
show format and break the class up into teams.
17. Internet Sites will take students beyond the classroom into further hurricane studies or tracking.
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EXTENDED LEARNING ACTIVITIES
Contact local businesses or agencies that are greatly
affected by hurricanes. Your class may be allowed to visit
them to gain a local perspective on hurricanes. You might
also assign students to contact and arrange a visit or
interview with these businesses or agencies.
• Meteorologists who work at a nearby National Weather
Service office, or on TV, or at a university, can provide a
lot of information.
• Local Navy, Coast Guard, boating, or offshore oil rig
companies can tell the steps they take when a hurricane
threatens.
• Architects and construction companies can illustrate and
explain how buildings are designed to handle high wind or
located to mitigate flooding.
• Your local emergency management agency can
describe all the events that take place when a hurricane
occurs, including the criteria for evacuation.
• The local Red Cross chapter can assist in providing
materials on disaster recovery and explain their role in the
process.
• Firefighters, paramedics, and doctors can provide input
on first aid and what happens when people are stranded
or injured by hurricanes, flooding, or tornadoes.
• A local historian may be able to describe past hurricanes
and how they affected your community.
You may assign students to research news reports on
Hurricane Andrew to put the storm into context as something that had a huge impact on human lives.
ANSWER KEY
1. Video Quiz
1. false
2. true
3. false
4. true
5. false
6. true
7. true
8. true
9. true
10. false
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2. Hurricane Vocabulary
3. Discussion Questions
1. Hurricanes are found in all of the major oceans near
the equator in both the northern and southern hemispheres.
2. Hurricanes need warm air and warm water to start the
formation process from thunderstorms. The winds around
the hurricane must be light enough for the storm to not be
shredded apart.
3. We can measure hurricanes by their wind, size, pressure, damage, longevity, and number of lives lost.
4. Hurricanes help the Earth by moving enormous
amounts of water in the water cycle. We benefit by moderate amounts of rain. They transport heat and air and
mix the atmosphere to rid pollution. Hurricanes destroy
weak trees to allow stronger trees to take their places.
5. Most hurricanes happen in the summer and fall,
although in some oceans they can occasionally occur in
the winter or spring.
6. The dangers of hurricanes are damaging wind, storm
surge, flooding, tornadoes, lightning, and displaced wild
animals after the storm passes.
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7. The winds in a hurricane are always over 75 mph and
on rare occasion they may approach 200 mph.
8. Most hurricanes last a few days to a week. They may
live as short as several hours or as long as nearly a
month.
9. When a hurricane strikes, the safest place is far away.
Near the strike zone, safe places are those designated as
hurricane shelters. These are strong buildings, away from
flood areas. In a home, the safer places are in the middle
of the building, in a small room without windows.
10. Without hurricanes, locations near the equator might
be hotter and drier than they are. We would likely find different types of foliage in hurricane-prone coastlines.
There would probably be many more thunderstorms near
the equator to make up for the work undone by hurricanes.
4. Hurricane Safety Checklist
Note that there is no listing of candles or hurricane
lanterns. The emergency management community
deems these to be unsafe. These items cause fires and
fire departments cannot respond to fires during a hurricane.
5. Hurricane Quiz
1. warm
2. over
3. strong
4. floods
5. evacuate
6. calm
7. large
8. water
9. warm
10. larger
6. Practice Tracking
While coordinates are
connected in a straight
line in all tracking exercises here, the true
motion of a hurricane is
not a perfect straight line
between points.
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8. Tracking Chart Wide
The full track of Hurricane Andrew is seen here from
August 16 to August 27. The coordinates are for the center of the hurricane. When the dots are close together it
tells you that the storm slowed down. Plotting requires
interpolation (reading between the lines) to pinpoint the
coordinates. On a wide map such as this, precision to the
decimal point is not possible. Each box is equal to one
degree and coordinates are given in degrees and tenths
of a degree. For each coordinate, the first figure is the
number of degrees north of the equator, represented by
the vertical axis. The second figure is the number of
degrees west of the prime meridian (Greenwich,
England), found on the horizontal axis.
9. Tracking Chart Close
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10. How Strong Was the Wind?
Have the students hold this chart up in the light right in
front of Blackline Master 11, How Low Was the
Pressure? to get an instant perspective of the relationship between wind and pressure.
11. How Low Was the Pressure?
Have the students hold this chart up in the light right in
front of Blackline Master 10, How Strong Was the
Wind? to get an instant perspective of the relationship
between pressure and wind.
13. Tracking Follow-Up
1. The wind goes up when the pressure goes down, and
when the pressure goes up, the wind goes down. They
are directly linked to each other (inversely proportional).
2. The winds in Andrew likely grew stronger because the
hurricane moved over an area of warm water that was
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able to provide more fuel. In addition, the winds in the
atmosphere likely were light enough that the storm could
grow without fighting the environment.
3. On August 23rd, Andrew was a Category Four.
4. Yes, there will be more hurricanes as strong as Andrew.
5. Hurricane Andrew changed direction, most likely due to
a shift in the steering winds around it. This is analogous
to a leaf being carried in a stream. It won't always flow in
a straight line. It is possible that the shift in path is a
human error to some extent. Occasionally, the coordinates of a tropical system are inaccurate due to inability
of humans to measure them.
6. All hurricanes lose wind speed and strength when they
move onto land and lose their energy source from warm
oceans.
7. Hopefully, you would have evacuated if ordered to do
so. If you felt unsafe, you should have gone to a shelter.
You should have also made sure all of your family, neighbors, and friends were aware of how serious a situation it
was. Only if time allowed would you have prepared your
home to mitigate damage.
8. Not really. There is no way to know with certainty where
a hurricane will be more than a couple of days in
advance. The hints to meteorologists would have been
long-range computer models, and the past history of hurricanes that occur in middle August.
9. Andrew crossed land at least three times. The areas it
crossed were the Bahamas, south Florida, and Louisiana.
Given that the Bahama Islands are relatively small, and
Andrew was relatively large, one can increase the number of crossings if the individual islands are counted.
10. A NOAA weather radio running on batteries, along
with a battery-powered AM/FM radio or TV would have
been good sources of information.
14. Water Feeds the Storm
The water evaporates. The water in the wide-open pan
evaporates faster because it has greater surface area to
allow more water molecules to escape at the same time.
15. Wind Moves the Water
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The wind from the fan makes waves illustrating the power
of moving air. As the fan is held closer to the water the
waves will become higher. If the water is near the top of
the pan it might overflow which is a good analogy to storm
surge when the water level rises quickly.
Internet Activities
Hurricane Hunters
http://www.hurricanehunters.com
Learn all about the men and women who fly into hurricanes to gather storm measurements and readings. Take
a virtual flight and see images from inside the eyes of hurricanes.
National Hurricane Center
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/
Find the coordinates of the latest tropical storm or hurricane. Read a list of almost every question and answer
you can think of about hurricanes. See if your name is on
the list of hurricane names for this year.
National Severe Storms Laboratory hurricane page
http://www.nssl.noaa.gov/edu/
Locate more answers to your hurricane questions.
American Red Cross hurricane safety
http://www.redcross.org/services/disaster/keepsafe/r
eadyhurricane.html
Get more information to share with your family to be prepared for hurricanes.
NASA hurricanes and kids links
http://kids.earth.nasa.gov/archive/hurricane/index.ht
ml
See awesome pictures of hurricanes from space and
learn more about how NASA is studying these huge
storms.
As Internet addresses can change, you may have to use
a search engine to find the title of the page or website that
you are seeking. You may also have luck by going to the
host website URL. For example, if you are looking for
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http://www.alan.edu/weather/cloud.html and you get a
message that the page is no longer available, then try
http://www.alan.edu/ and look or search for weather and
then cloud or something that sounds similar.
REFERENCE MATERIAL
Federal Emergency Management Agency
http://www.fema.gov/
Find current hurricane information as well as news
reports of the effects of hurricanes. There is also a library
of photos and fact sheets on hurricanes.
Johnson Space Center Earth from Space
http://earth.jsc.nasa.gov/
Download or print awesome satellite and Space Shuttle
pictures of hurricanes and thunderstorms.
University of Michigan Weather One Sky Many Voices
http://groundhog.sprl.umich.edu
Learn more about a K-12 program for collaborative learning in hurricanes and other weather.
National Weather Service in Charleston, SC. Teacher
Enhancement
http://wchs.csc.noaa.gov/teacher_enhancement.htm
A list of programs for teachers interested in weather.
American Meteorological Society
http://www.ametsoc.org/AMS
References and resources for teachers interested in data
collection or science projects. Extensive listing of universities that offer meteorology programs.
Comments, suggestions, or questions regarding this
Weather Smart program should be addressed to the producer, Alan Sealls ([email protected]).
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Much of the information listed in Hurricane Facts is courtesy of Chris Landsea, and the National Hurricane Center
(http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/).
SCRIPT OF PROGRAM NARRATION
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Hurricanes are storms that come from the oceans. They
are big swirling clouds that sometimes look like doughnuts because they have a hole in the middle. They can be
awesome when you look at them from outer space but
when one comes your way, look out! They are dangerous.
Hurricanes happen in many different oceans around the
world. In some countries they are called cyclones or
typhoons. They live over water and when they move on
land they get weaker and then die.
A hurricane is a huge storm that needs warm water to
start. They are much larger than tornadoes. They are
more than a hundred miles or 160 kilometers wide. Most
hurricanes start near the equator in the summer and fall.
This is when the sun is high in the sky. The oceans get
very warm from the sunlight-over 80 degrees Fahrenheit,
or 26 degrees Celsius. The warm water rises from the
oceans into the sky and makes clouds and thunderstorms.
You probably notice that if you leave a glass of water on
a desk for a few days, the water disappears. This is called
evaporation.
As more water evaporates from the oceans more thunderstorms can form. If these thunderstorms go for a few
days they might start to slowly spin around each other.
Instead of the weather being nice and calm it is disturbed.
The warm humid air rising into the thunderstorms keeps
them going and slowly spinning around each other.
Even though we don't think about it, air is strong. It's
strong enough to hold up a person sitting on a balloon. It's
strong enough to hold up a car when it's in the tires. Air is
strong enough to knock down trees when it moves as
wind. Weather forecasters measure how strong the air is
by its pressure. They use an instrument called a barometer.
When air rises into the sky there's not as much of it left
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near the ground so the barometer shows a lower pressure. If the pressure gets lower and the thunderstorms
are still spinning together we call it a tropical depression.
A tropical depression is the first step in a hurricane. If it
gets stronger and the winds spin faster than 39 mph or 34
knots we call it a tropical storm.
The tropical storm is the second step in becoming a hurricane. Tropical storms have more rising air and lower
pressure. They make lots of rain and sometimes they
cause floods. Tropical storms grow if they stay over warm
ocean water. The more they grow, the lower the pressure
falls, and the stronger the winds blow around them.
You can show how the winds in a tropical storm get faster.
Use a ball tied on a string. Just swing it over your head a
few times and then let the string wrap around your arm.
The ball spins faster and faster, just like the wind as it gets
closer to the middle of the tropical storm.
When the winds in a tropical storm reach 74 mph or 64
knots, it becomes a hurricane. Hurricanes are made of a
whole lot of thunderstorms spinning together. They make
high winds and a lot of rain. When the winds get stronger
the air pressure inside a hurricane falls lower. Once a hurricane starts it can keep itself going as long as it has
warm water to feed it.
Even though hurricanes are big, they don't move very
fast. Hurricanes and tropical storms can live for more than
a week as they move slowly across the oceans. We watch
them on a satellite and keep track of where they are on a
hurricane tracking chart. This gives people time to get
ready for them and time to get out of the way of danger.
To know where hurricanes and tropical storms are we first
give them names. The names make it easier to tell them
apart because sometimes you can have two or three hurricanes in the ocean at the same time.
We slice the Earth up using lines across called latitude,
and lines up and down called longitude. Then we use
these lines to say exactly where the storm is. This makes
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it easy to follow hurricanes that are not over land. You can
get the location of hurricanes and tropical storms from the
Internet, TV, or a special radio that picks up weather information, called a weather radio.
Mark the location of the storm. The location is two numbers called coordinates. Coordinates are made of
degrees latitude, and degrees longitude. Coordinates are
very helpful because they let anyone on Earth know
where the storm is.
Very strong hurricanes have eyes. That doesn't mean
they can see. It means that there are no clouds in the middle of the storm and when you look at it from space you
can see a hole. The eye happens when the hurricane
winds are so strong that they blow the clouds away from
the center. In the eye of the storm the weather is actually
calm and sunny! Here's what it looks like.
We've learned a lot from scientists who fly special airplanes into the storms to take measurements. In the
United States these people are called hurricane hunters.
They have a dangerous job but it's important. They try to
learn more about tropical storms and hurricanes so that
we can have better predictions to help us be safer.
As hurricanes get close to land, weather forecasters use
radar to see the rain pattern inside of the clouds. That's
when you have to really be prepared for bad weather and
strong winds.
All hurricane winds make ocean waves higher. When hurricanes get close to the beach they send one large wave
onto the land, called a storm surge. The storm surge surprises many people because it happens fast. People who
are close to the beaches when a hurricane gets near can
drown in the storm surge. You can show how hurricane
winds make waves and a storm surge by holding a small
battery-powered fan over a pan of water. Here we see
that air is strong enough to move water when it is moving
as wind.
People get caught in floods from the heavy rains that
18
come with hurricanes. These floods can be far away from
the ocean. Some floods happen around rivers but they
also happen near low spots on the ground. The flooding
is dangerous even to people who know how to swim.
Hurricane winds pick things up, blow them around, and
cause damage. They can last a long time because the
storms move slowly. You can use the wind of a hurricane
to tell how strong it is and put it into a group or category.
Category one hurricanes have winds between 74 and
95mph which is the same as 64 to 82 knots. The higher
the category the stronger the wind. Category five hurricanes have wind over 155 mph or 134 knots. These are
the strongest hurricanes and they can cause disasters.
Winds from any hurricane can damage homes, trees, and
anything else outside. Most homes that are strong are
okay during a hurricane but weak homes and mobile
homes will have problems. Its important to listen to
instructions when hurricanes get close so that you can
stay out of danger, in a safe place.
A hurricane watch means that a hurricane is close and
might strike in two days. You and your family have to
make a plan for what you will do if the hurricane keeps
coming.
In a hurricane watch you need to clean up all the things
around your yard that might be picked up by wind, or carried away in a flood. You should help your parents put
together a hurricane disaster safety kit. Inside of it would
be things your family would need in case you lose electricity or in case you have to leave your home. Food,
water, blankets, and a first aid kit are important. Other
things you want to have are flashlights, medicine, a
Weather Radio, books to read, important phone numbers,
and money. Your parents should make sure there is gas
in the car and they may decide to board up windows to
keep the glass from breaking.
A hurricane warning means the hurricane is going to
strike. Many times you can stay in your home if you are
not too close to the water and if the building is strong.
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Find shelter in the middle of the building in a hallway or
small room without windows. Get under something strong
like a table or stairs. Some houses have a special room
for hurricane shelter called a safe room.
Mobile homes are bad to be in when a hurricane strikes.
The wind in a hurricane can turn over mobile homes or
push trees on top of them. Things falling or flying through
the air can even go through the side of a mobile home.
Your city may tell people that they have to leave their
homes and go to a hurricane shelter, or drive away from
the coastline. This is called evacuation. Evacuation
means everybody must leave. The evacuation is to keep
you from being in a dangerous place. If you stay behind
and have an emergency, no one might be able to get to
you to help.
Hurricanes are more than wind and rain. People forget
that hurricanes are made of thunderstorms. Thunderstorms in a hurricane have dangerous lightning and they
can make small tornadoes.
Floods take a long time to go away. Floods make it hard
to find clean water to drink. Floods also make snakes and
wild animals leave their homes so you have to be careful.
After a hurricane you might not have electricity for a few
days and that makes it hard for people to live and be comfortable.
Hurricanes and tropical storms are dangerous but there is
always time to get ready for them. For all the bad things
that they do, they actually help the Earth. They are part of
the water cycle. Hurricanes lift water from the oceans and
carry it to places that might need rain. We use the rain for
clean water to drink, and plants and other animals use it
too. The wind and rain of hurricanes cleans the air and
helps to keep parts of the Earth from getting too hot.
If you live near the ocean and the forecast says that a hurricane may start, listen to instructions, and always be
safe, now that you are weather smart.
20
Let's take a hurricane quiz to see how much you've
learned. Answer these questions true or false.
Number one- Hurricanes happen in the winter and spring.
Number two- Hurricanes can flood rivers and roads.
Number three- Hurricanes are smaller than tornadoes.
Number four- The weather in the eye of a hurricane is
calm.
Number five- Hurricanes always start over land.
Number six- Hurricanes last more than a day.
Number seven- Warm water helps a hurricane keep
going.
Number eight- A weather radio can tell you where a hurricane is.
Number nine- Hurricanes happen in different oceans
around the world.
Number ten- A mobile home is safe in a hurricane.
21
1
Name ___________________
Weather Smart: Hurricanes
Video Quiz
Directions: Write true or false after each statement.
1. Hurricanes happen in the winter and spring.
________
2. Hurricanes can flood rivers and roads.
________
3. Hurricanes are smaller than tornadoes.
________
4. The weather in the eye of a hurricane is calm.
________
5. Hurricanes always start over land.
________
6. Hurricanes can last for more than a day.
________
7. Warm water helps a hurricane keep going.
________
8. A weather radio can tell you where a hurricane is.
________
9. Hurricanes happen in different oceans around the world.
________
10. A mobile home is a safe place to be in a hurricane.
©2001 Alan Sealls
_______
Published and Distributed by United Learning
All rights to print materials cleared for classroom duplication and distribution.
2
Name ___________________
Weather Smart: Hurricanes
Hurricane Vocabulary Word Search
Directions: Draw a line through each word that you find.
M
R
O
T
S
L
A
C
I
P
O
R
T
E
G
Y
N
F
I
R
S
T
A
I
D
S
S
Y
J
Q
C
O
O
R
D
I
N
A
T
E
S
E
P
D
W
N
I
S
E
N
A
C
I
R
R
U
H
H
I
I
E
S
Q
A
N
R
R
Z
Y
M
G
P
O
V
N
G
S
U
X
F
W
E
R
L
K
N
V
O
G
D
R
E
X
P
E
E
O
T
E
V
I
D
N
N
V
E
R
V
E
P
G
T
R
L
H
N
I
S
I
A
M
P
B
A
E
L
R
Y
D
E
T
S
A
N
K
E
E
S
T
C
N
Y
U
N
C
H
A
F
R
D
W
D
A
B
U
U
O
K
S
R
G
S
E
A
T
U
C
O
V
E
R
A
L
I
D
I
T
R
W
A
X
O
D
A
N
R
O
T
C
T
L
E
O
X
U
F
L
O
O
D
I
N
G
E
Y
C
R
O
I
N
S
W
I
R
L
O
L
W
A
T
C
H
M
K
U
Words are forward, backward, and diagonal.
category
coordinates
cover
cyclone
depression
disaster
drown
©2001 Alan Sealls
emergency
evacuate
eye
first aid
flooding
hurricane
lightning
safe room
safety
shelter
spin
supply kit
surge
swirl
tornado
tropical storm
typhoon
warning
watch
weather radio
wind
Published and Distributed by United Learning
All rights to print materials cleared for classroom duplication and distribution.
3
Name ___________________
Weather Smart: Hurricanes
Discussion Questions
Directions: Answer the following questions as directed by your teacher.
1. Where on Earth do we find hurricanes?
2. What kind of weather is needed for hurricanes to start?
3. What different ways can we measure hurricanes?
4. How do hurricanes help the Earth?
5. What time of the year do hurricanes happen?
6. What are some of the dangers of hurricanes?
7. How strong can the winds in a hurricane be?
8. How long do you think a hurricane lasts?
9. Where are safe places to be when a hurricane strikes?
10. What would Earth be like if we didn't have hurricanes?
©2001 Alan Sealls
Published and Distributed by United Learning
All rights to print materials cleared for classroom duplication and distribution.
4
Name ___________________
Weather Smart: Hurricanes
Hurricane Safety Checklist
____ water
____ knives and forks
____ toothbrush
____ radio
____ drinking cups
____ money
____ medicine
____ tools
____ chairs
____ extra keys
____ eyeglasses
____ flashlight
____ cellular phone
____ first aid kit
____ can opener
____ canned food
____ books to read
____ blankets
____ baby care items
____ batteries
____ games
____ extra clothes
©2001 Alan Sealls
Published and Distributed by United Learning
All rights to print materials cleared for classroom duplication and distribution.
5
Name ___________________
Weather Smart: Hurricanes
Hurricane Quiz
Directions: Circle the words that make the sentences correct.
1. Hurricanes get their energy from cold air / warm water.
2. All hurricanes have winds that are over / under 75 miles per hour.
3. The category of a hurricane tells you how old / strong / long it is.
4. When too much rain falls from hurricanes, you get floods / clouds.
5. When a strong hurricane gets close, you might have to evacuate / go outside.
6. The eye of the hurricane is where the weather is stormy / calm / cold.
7. Hurricanes winds make small / large waves.
8. The job of a hurricane is to move people / water from one place to another.
9. Most hurricanes happen when the oceans are very cold / warm / dry.
10. Compared to a tornado, a hurricane is much smaller / larger.
©2001 Alan Sealls
Published and Distributed by United Learning
All rights to print materials cleared for classroom duplication and distribution.
7
Name ___________________
Weather Smart: Hurricanes
Hurricane Andrew, August of 1992
Date
16th
17th
18th
19th
20th
21st
22nd
23rd
24th
25th
26th
27th
North
11.2
13.6
16.3
19.8
23.2
25.3
25.6
25.4
26.2
28.5
31.5
34.4
West
37.4
46.2
53.5
59.3
62.4
65.9
71.1
77.5
85.0
90.5
91.1
86.7
Pressure Wind
1009
35
1002
45
1001
50
1011
45
1014
50
1000
65
961
105
930
145
943
130
937
140
995
40
1000
25
Strength
Tropical Depression
Tropical Storm
Tropical Storm
Tropical Storm
Tropical Storm
Tropical Storm
Hurricane
Hurricane
Hurricane
Hurricane
Tropical Storm
Tropical Depression
• North is the first part of the coordinates. It tells you how many degrees north of the equator to
look.
• West is the second part of the coordinates. It tells you how far west of Greenwich, England, to
mark the location.
• The pressure is in millibars, in the eye of the storm. One millibar is the same as .0295 inches of
mercury.
• Wind is measured in miles per hour. One mph is equal to .9 knots or 1.6 kilometers.
©2001 Alan Sealls
Published and Distributed by United Learning
All rights to print materials cleared for classroom duplication and distribution.
12
Name ___________________
Weather Smart: Hurricanes
Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale
The Saffir-Simpson Scale tells you how strong a hurricane is.
Category
Wind
ONE
74-95mph
TWO
THREE
96-110mph
Damage
Mostly damage to mobile homes, trees
and bushes. A little flooding.
Mobile homes are damaged. Parts of
roofs are damaged. Boats may break
loose.
Mobile homes are destroyed. Houses
111-130mph near the coastline are flooded. Lots of
damage to trees and neighborhoods.
FOUR
131-155mph
Flooding goes farther inland. Homes
lose roofs. Evacuation is needed.
FIVE
155mph
Everyone evacuates. Major flooding
near shore. Many houses are
destroyed by wind or flooding.
and stronger
1 mph is equal to .9 knots or 1.6 kilometers per hour
©2001 Alan Sealls
Published and Distributed by United Learning
All rights to print materials cleared for classroom duplication and distribution.
13
Name ___________________
Weather Smart: Hurricanes
Tracking Follow-up
You may use all of the tracking charts, Saffir-Simpson Scale, and graphs to help you answer
these questions.
1. When the pressure in Hurricane Andrew gets lower or higher, what does the wind do?
2. Why do you think the winds in Andrew grew stronger after August 21st?
3. What category hurricane was Andrew on August 23rd?
4. Do you think there will be future hurricanes as strong as Andrew?
5. Why do you think Andrew changed direction on August 18th and 21st?
6. Why did the winds of Andrew die down so quickly when it made landfall?
7. If you lived close to Miami, Florida, and you saw Hurricane Andrew coming, what would you
have done?
8. Was there any way to know when Andrew first started that it was going to move all the way
into the Gulf of Mexico?
9. How many different times did Hurricane Andrew cross onto land?
10. If Hurricane Andrew were coming toward you and you didn't have electricity, how could you
find out what the storm is doing?
©2001 Alan Sealls
Published and Distributed by United Learning
All rights to print materials cleared for classroom duplication and distribution.
14
Name ___________________
Weather Smart: Hurricanes
Water Feeds the Storm
You need:
water
a measuring cup
a baking pan
Put two ounces of water in the measuring cup and then pour it into the pan. Put another two
ounces of water in the measuring cup. Place the cup and pan out of the way and check on them
every day. What happens to the water? Does the water change faster in the cup or in the pan?
©2001 Alan Sealls
Published and Distributed by United Learning
All rights to print materials cleared for classroom duplication and distribution.
15
Name ___________________
Weather Smart: Hurricanes
Wind Moves the Water
You need:
water
a battery-powered fan
a cooking pan
Fill the pan to near the top with water and let the water settle. Turn on the fan and hold it close to
the top of the water. Point it at the water on a slant. What happens? Now hold the fan closer but
don't let it touch the water. Now what is happening? What does this tell us about hurricane winds
and waves?
©2001 Alan Sealls
Published and Distributed by United Learning
All rights to print materials cleared for classroom duplication and distribution.
16
Name ___________________
Weather Smart: Hurricanes
Hurricane Facts
• A low category storm can make more damage and flooding than a high category storm
if it moves slowly.
• The size of a hurricane does not tell you how strong the winds are.
• Hurricanes can be expensive. In 1998, Hurricane Georges produced almost seven
billion dollars worth of damage in the United States.
• Taping windows when a hurricane is near does not keep the glass from breaking.
• The strongest hurricane on record is Typhoon Tip. It had winds of more than 190 mph,
or 165 knots, as it moved through the northwest Pacific Ocean in 1979.
• In 1970, more than 300,000 people were killed by a tropical cyclone in Bangladesh.
• The longest hurricane on record is Hurricane John. It moved through the northwest
Pacific Ocean in 1994 and lasted 31 days.
• Most people killed in hurricanes drown in floods away from the coastline.
• A few hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico and in the Caribbean Sea have crossed Mexico
and Central America into the Pacific Ocean, and kept going.
• Hurricane names are alphabetical and the list is used over every six years.
©2001 Alan Sealls
Published and Distributed by United Learning
All rights to print materials cleared for classroom duplication and distribution.
17
Name ___________________
Weather Smart: Hurricanes
Internet Sites for Tropical Storms and Hurricanes
Hurricane Hunters
http://www.hurricanehunters.com
Learn all about the men and women who fly into hurricanes to gather storm measurements and readings. Take a virtual flight and see images from inside the eyes of hurricanes.
National Hurricane Center
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/
Find the coordinates of the latest tropical storm or hurricane. Read a list of almost every
question and answer you can think of about hurricanes. See if your name is on the list of
hurricane names for this year.
National Severe Storms Laboratory hurricane page
http://www.nssl.noaa.gov/edu/
Locate more answers to your hurricane questions.
American Red Cross hurricane safety
http://www.redcross.org/services/disaster/keepsafe/readyhurricane.html
Get more information to share with your family to be prepared for hurricanes.
NASA hurricanes and kids links
http://kids.earth.nasa.gov/archive/hurricane/index.html
See awesome pictures of hurricanes from space and learn more about how NASA is
studying these huge storms.
Sometimes the address for a website changes. When that happens, you can usually find
it again by doing an Internet search for the title of the page.
©2001 Alan Sealls
Published and Distributed by United Learning
All rights to print materials cleared for classroom duplication and distribution.