HurricanesA Reading A–Z Level W Leveled Reader

Word Count: 1,715

Visit www.readinga-z.com for thousands of books and materials.

www.readinga-z.com

LLEEVVEELLEEDD RREEAADDEERR •• WW

Written by Shaun Taylor

HurricanesLevel W Leveled Reader© 2005 Learning Page, Inc.Written by Shaun TaylorIllustrations by Cende Hill

ReadingA–ZTM

© Learning Page, Inc.

All rights reserved.

Learning Page1630 E. River Road #121Tucson, AZ 85718

www.readinga-z.com

Hurricanes

www.readinga-z.com

Written by Shaun TaylorCorrelationLEVEL W

Fountas & Pinnell SReading Recovery 26

DRA 44

Editor’s note: Cyclones that form in the tropics are called different namesin different parts of the world. In the Atlantic Ocean they are calledhurricanes, in the Pacific Ocean, typhoons, and in the Indian Ocean,severe tropical cyclones. This book will use the word hurricane todescribe them all.

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007Arthur Ana Alex Arlene Alberto AndreaBertha Bill Bonnie Bret Beryl BarryCristobal Claudette Charley Cindy Chris ChantalDolly Danny Danielle Dennis Debbie DeanEdouard Erika Earl Emily Ernesto ErinFay Fabian Frances Franklin Florence FelixGustav Grace Gaston Gert Gordon GabrielleHanna Henri Hermine Harvey Helene HumbertoIsidore Isabel Ivan Irene Isaac IngridJosephine Juan Jeanne Jose Joyce JerryKyle Kate Karl Katrina Kirk KarenLili Larry Lisa Lee Leslie LorenzoMarco Mindy Matthew Maria Michael MelissaNana Nicholas Nicole Nate Nadine NoelOmar Odette Otto Ophelia Oscar OlgaPaloma Peter Paula Philippe Patty PabloRene Rose Richard Rita Rafael RebekahSally Sam Shary Stan Sandy SebastienTeddy Teresa Tomas Tammy Tony TanyaVicky Victor Virginie Vince Valerie VanWilfred Wanda Walter Wilma William Wendy

Photo Credits:Cover, title page, pages 3, 4, 5, 16 (bottom), 17, 18: © NOAA; back cover, page 6:© ArtToday; page 14: © PIERRE DUCHARME/Reuters/CORBIS; page 15 (top),16 (top): © Reuters/CORBIS; page 15 (bottom): © Bettmann/CORBIS; page 20: © National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) © Reuters/CORBIS; page 21:© Jim Reed/CORBIS; page 22: © Royalty-Free/CORBIS

Hurricane names

43

Table of Contents

A Hurricane Is Coming! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

What Is a Hurricane? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

How Hurricanes Form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Where Hurricanes Form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

How Hurricanes Are Classified . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

How We Study Hurricanes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

How We Predict Hurricanes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

How to Prepare for Hurricanes . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Explore More . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

A Hurricane Is Coming!

“This just in from the National HurricaneCenter in Miami. A hurricane watch is in effectfor the Florida east coast from Florida City northto Flagler Beach, including Lake Okeechobee.Hurricane Frances is about 555 miles east-southeast of Palm Beach and is moving towardthe west-northwest at about 14 miles per hour.”

The message crackles over a radio at a smallFlorida cafe. The patrons look outside at a warm,sunny day and then out to sea for any signs of the approaching storm—there are none.However, the television shows a satellite imageof a gigantic, spiraling storm. A dotted lineshows the hurricane’s path and a shaded wedgeshows where the hurricane might hit the coast.

The people in the cafehave already been hitwith one hurricane thisseason, and they knowthey must prepare. Somebuy more plywood toboard up windows.Others get supplies at thegrocery store, such aswater, food, and batteries. Hurricane Frances just north

of the island of Puerto Rico

C-130 Hurricane Hunter

65

What Is a Hurricane?

We have allexperienced wind andrainstorms, but whatmakes a hurricanedifferent? Hurricanes aregigantic, circular stormsthat can be hundreds ofmiles wide. When theyoccur in the Pacific Ocean, they are calledtyphoons. In the Indian Ocean, they are calledsevere tropical cyclones. In the Atlantic Ocean,they are called hurricanes. No matter what theyare called, winds over hundreds of miles perhour, inches of rain, and high seas cause death,and sometimes billions of dollars in damage.

Hurricanes have adistinct structure that can be seen on satellite photos.Clouds extend out asspiraling arms for hundredsof miles around the center.The center of a hurricane is called the eye. Windsbecome more and moreintense from the edge of the storm to the eyewall.

The next morning, the wind speed picks up,and the sky clouds over. Some people fartherdown the coast evacuate, or leave their homes togo to safer areas. Winds reach hurricane strength,bending over palm trees as if they are made ofrubber. The wind rips roofs off buildings, andflying objects become deadly. High waves andrising water flood low-lying areas on the coast.Falling trees break power lines. Some residentswho were not evacuated sit in the darkness oftheir homes listening to the storm’s progress ontheir battery-powered radios. Finally, the stormmoves inland, and the wind slows down; butdrenching rains and flooding remain. The nextday the sun comes out, and people begin thecostly cleanup.

Do You Know?According to the

National Hurricane Center,the word “hurricane”comes from the nameHurican, the Caribbeangod of evil. Islands in theCaribbean Sea are oftenin the path of hurricanes.

Eye of a hurricane

High waves from the September 1945 hurricane flood Miami.

87

As hurricanes approach shore, the combinationof high winds and low air pressure actually raisesthe level of the sea around the storm higher thannormal. Scientists call this a storm surge. It extendsfor miles around the center of a hurricane andfloods any low, coastal land. Flooding caused by astorm surge is a major source of property damagefrom hurricanes.

The eyewall is where winds rushing toward thecenter suddenly turn upward. The upward-movingair rapidly cools, and rain begins to fall. Most of therainfall occurs in the eyewall. Sometimes rainfallreaches 20 millimeters (0.78 in.) of rain per hour,which can dump about 15–30 centimeters (6–12 in.)on one area over several days.

Yet, inside the eye, it’s often calm and sunny.Most hurricane eyes are 30–60 kilometers (20–40 mi.) in diameter. In the eye of a hurricane,the peacefulness will not last long. Soon the eyewill move, and then the sudden force of the otherside of the storm will hit.

Fully formed hurricane

sea level on a nice day

sea level on a rainy day

sea level during a hurricane

storm surge

eyewall

eye

eyewall

bands of rain clouds

As the warm, moistair rises, it coolsand condenses,a process thatcreates clouds and releases heatenergy. Soon giantthundercloudsform.

Wind beginsto rotate, or spin,around the low-pressure area.

The wind starts blowing harder, and when itreaches about 62 kilometers per hour (39 mph), thetropical depressionbecomes a tropicalstorm. Tropicalstorms can growinto hurricanes ifthey soak up moreheat energy fromthe warm oceans theypass over. Some stormsdon’t ever gain enoughenergy to becomehurricanes.

9

How Hurricanes Form

Hurricanes form over tropical oceansworldwide. These tropical storms tend to beseasonal. They usually form in the summers of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.

The storms form when energy from the Sunheats ocean water near the equator.

Warm, moist air evaporating from the ocean is lighter than the cold, dry air above it. Thewarmer air pushes up through the cooler air,which then sinks down to take the place of thewarmer air. The process creates a low-pressurearea called a tropical depression.

Do You Know?In the Northern Hemisphere hurricane winds

rotate counterclockwise, while in the SouthernHemisphere hurricane winds rotate clockwise.

10

war

m m

oist

air

Stage

1

Stage

2

Stage

3H

L

war

m m

oist

airhigh

pressure

lowpressure

cold,dry

air cold

,dr

yai

r

H

L

windwind

thunderclouds form

H

L

windrotatesstorm

If a tropicalstorm does gainmore energy, windspeed picks upand thick spiralbands of cloudsspread out fromthe center of thestorm. When wind speeds aregreater than 119kilometers perhour (74 mph), the storm officially becomesa hurricane.

1211

Naming SystemWhen a tropical storm

officially becomes a hurricane,it is given a name. The yearlyname lists for each region of the globe reflect allnationalities becausehurricanes affect people in many countries. Here werethe names for Atlantic Oceanhurricanes for 2004:Alex Bonnie CharleyDanielle Earl FrancesGaston Hermine IvanJeanne Karl LisaMatthew Nicole OttoPaula Richard SharyTomas Virginie Walter

Generally, hurricanes in the NorthernHemisphere move west, then north, and then they turn toward the northeast. This path takeshurricanes away from the equator and away fromthe warm ocean water that fuels them. In theSouthern Hemisphere hurricanes typically travelwest, south, and then turn southeast, which alsotakes them away from warm ocean water.

As hurricanes move over cooler water and overland, they lose much of their energy. The windslows down, and the storms eventually disperse.

N

SouthernHemisphere

NorthernHemisphere

Equator

Common Paths of Hurricanes

Typhoons

Cyclones

Hurricanes

Stage

4

H

L

eye

bandsof rainclouds

eyew

all

eyew

all

How Hurricanes Are Classified

A tropical storm has sustained winds of 62–119 kilometers per hour (39–74 mph). When a tropical storm has sustained winds greater than119 kilometers per hour (74 mph) it is classified as a hurricane.

Meteorologists classify hurricanes accordingto their intensity using the Saffir-SimpsonHurricane Scale. The scale goes from 1 to 5 andhelps describe the kind of damage and dangersof each category of hurricane.

Category One hurricanes have winds of 119–153kilometers per hour (74–95 mph). They causelittle damage to buildings and minor damage to vegetation.

1413

Where Hurricanes Form

Central America, islands in the Caribbean, and the East Coast of the United States are hit by hurricanes almost every year. Rarely dohurricanes hit the U.S. West Coast. Atlantic Oceanhurricanes get started southeast of the CaribbeanSea. In the Pacific Ocean typhoons most often hitAsia and Indonesia. In the Indian Ocean, severetropical cyclones affect Australia, the Middle East,parts of Asia, and the eastern coast of Africa.During hurricane season (which can last sixmonths or more), meteorologists keep a carefulwatch on tropical depressions and tropical stormshundreds of miles offshore to see if any willbecome hurricanes. Damage from Charley, a Category One hurricane

Zone ofhurricaneformationNorth

America

SouthAmerica

Africa

Equator

N

Tropic of Capricorn

Tropic of Cancer

PacificOcean

AtlanticOcean

Category Fourhurricanes havewinds of 211–249kilometers perhour (131–155 mph).They causebuilding walls tocollapse and majorerosion of beaches.Areas lower than 3 meters (10 ft.) above sea level may be flooded,requiring massive evacuation of residential areasas far as 9 kilometers (6 mi.) inland.

Category Five hurricanes have winds of greaterthan 249 kilometers per hour (155 mph). The strongest hurricanes cause extensive damageto houses and industrial buildings. Massive

evacuation of residentialareas on low groundwithin 8–16kilometers(5–10 mi.) ofthe shorelinemay berequired.

Category Two hurricanes have winds of 154–177kilometers per hour (96–110 mph). They tearaway roofingmaterial,damage doorsand windowsof buildings,and uprootplants. Boatsin unprotectedareas oftenbreak awayfrom docks.

Category Three hurricanes have winds of 178–209kilometers per hour (111–130 mph). They causestructural damage to small buildings and destroymobile homes. Areas lower than 1.52 meters (5 ft.) above sea level may be flooded as far as 13 kilometers (8 mi.) or more inland.

15 16

Damage from Alicia, a Category Three hurricane in 1969

Flooding from Floyd, a Category Twohurricane, stranded these pigs on a roof.

In 1969 Camille, a Category Five hurricane,became the most intense storm to strike theU.S. mainland in modern history.

In 1992, Andrew, a Category Fourhurricane, became the costliestdisaster in U.S. history.

1817

How We Study Hurricanes

We use satellites to locate and track tropicaldepressions, tropical storms, and hurricaneswhile they are far out at sea. Satellites orbitinghigh above Earth take frequent pictures of ahurricane. Scientists study the differences in the pictures to measure changes in a storm’smovement and intensity. High clouds withinstrong hurricanes show up on pictures fromsatellites as colder than the surrounding area.

The most dramatic hurricane study tool is the“Hurricane Hunter.” This is a specially designedaircraft that flies into the eye of a hurricane to make directmeasurements of temperature,moisture, windspeed, and direction.

His

tori

c S

torm

sTh

e m

ost d

estru

ctiv

e hu

rric

anes

hav

e be

en p

ower

ful a

nd s

low

mov

ing.

Man

y ha

ve d

estro

yed

maj

or c

ities

in th

eir

path

s. H

ere

are

som

e fa

mou

s hu

rric

anes

, typ

hoon

s, a

nd c

yclo

nes.

Nam

eO

cean

(Are

as M

ost A

ffect

ed)

Year

Dea

ths

Cal

cutta

*In

dian

(Ind

ia)

1864

70,0

00

Gal

vesto

n*A

tlant

ic (U

nite

d St

ates

)19

006,

000

–8,0

00

Vera

Paci

fic (J

apan

)19

585,

000

Bang

lade

sh*

Indi

an (B

angl

ades

h, In

dia)

1970

300,

000

–500

,000

Thel

ma

Paci

fic (P

hilip

pine

s)19

915,

101–

8,00

0+

Mitc

hC

arib

bean

19

9811

,000

(C

arib

bean

, Cen

tral A

mer

ica)

*No

actu

al n

ame

give

n. L

abel

ed b

y ar

ea w

orst

hit.

Sour

ce: h

ttp:/

/hur

rican

es.n

oaa.

gov

C-130 Hurricane Hunter

Dam

age

from

hur

rican

e M

itch,

a C

ateg

ory

Five

sto

rm

2019

How We Predict Hurricanes

Computers are used to predict hurricanemovements. Thousands of measurements aretyped into super-computers to predict where astorm will go. As computers improve, we will beable to more accurately predict where hurricaneswill hit land. This will save lives and reduceunnecessary evacuations. But computers willnever be 100 percent accurate because weathersystems are chaotic and areoften difficult to predict.

Some researchers believe it ispossible to stop hurricanes fromforming or to redirect them.One possible way to do this isby seeding clouds in broadareas where hurricanes areborn. During seeding, airplanesspray a fine mist of salt powder,which helps water condense out of the air. Thiswould create many small clouds that would useup the energy that might be tapped by a singlelarge storm to become a hurricane. The problemis that in order to be effective, clouds would haveto be seeded over areas the size of Texas. No oneyet has come up with a plan that would preventa hurricane from forming.

Doppler radar also helps track storms.Weather forecasters on television news programsuse it to show local rainfall. Wide-range Dopplerradar shows a hurricane’s wind speed as itapproaches land.

Doppler radar stations send out short burstsof energy waves. Rain and clouds reflect thesewaves back to the station. Rain and cloudscoming toward land from a hurricane reflect back different waves than rain and cloudsheaded away from land. A computer analyzes the differences in the waves to create a model of a storm. Scientists use the model to show thespeed and direction of a storm.

Cloud seeding

A storm headed away from land

A storm headed toward from land

radarstation

radarstation

energy waves

energy waves

2221

Conclusion

Hurricanes are an awesome display ofnature’s power. Satellites can tell us much aboutthese storms, such as the direction a hurricane is moving and what areas need to be evacuated.We may be able to predict the path of hurricanes,but it is unlikely that we will ever be able to stopthem. We can protect ourselves by planningwhere and how we build our homes, by keepingemergency supplies, and being prepared toevacuate if necessary.

Explore MoreOn the Internet use www.google.com to find out more

about topics presented in this book. Use terms from thetext, or try searching for glossary or index words.

Some searches to try: hurricanes, storm surge, ortyphoons.

How to Prepare for HurricanesThese steps can help protect lives and property

during a hurricane.

• Keep emergency supplies such as a first aid kit,flashlight, drinking water, and canned food.

• Keep a battery-powered radio to listen to if the powergoes out. Follow the instructions you receive over theradio with each elevated warning.

• Keep your car’s gas tank full in case you need toevacuate.

• If you are in the path of a hurricane and you havetime, protect your house by nailing plywood overwindows. Tie down loose objects outside.

• Have a family evacuation plan. Include in the planwhen to leave, where to go, how you will get there,and what to do if your family becomes separated.

• Leave as soon as you are ordered to evacuate.

Index

Africa, 13air pressure, 8Asia, 13Atlantic Ocean, 6, 13, 17Australia, 13battery (-ies), 4, 5, 21Caribbean, 6, 13, 17Central America, 13, 17classify, 14damage, 6, 8, 14–16death, 6, 17direction, 18, 19, 22Doppler radar, 19energy, 9–12, 19evacuate, 5, 16, 21, 22eye, 6, 7, 18eyewall, 6, 7flood(s)(-ing), 5, 8, 15hemispheres (Northern

and Southern), 9, 12Hurricane Hunter, 18Indian Ocean, 6, 13, 17Indonesia, 13Middle East, 13

24

name, 6National Hurricane

Center, 4, 6Pacific Ocean, 6, 13, 17path, 4, 12, 17, 21, 22predict, 20, 22protect, 21, 22rain(fall), 5–7, 19Saffir-Simpson

Hurricane Scale, 14satellite, 4, 6, 18, 22seeding, 20severe tropical cyclone,

6, 13speed, 5, 11, 14–16, 19storm surge, 8, 22structure, 6tropical depression,

9, 10, 13, 18tropical storm(s), 9–14, 18typhoon, 6, 13, 22United States, 13, 16, 17wind(s), 5, 11, 14–16, 18, 19

23

tropical a low-pressure weather system withdepression sustained cyclonic winds of less than 62

kilometers per hour (39 mph) (p. 9)

tropical a low-pressure weather system with storm sustained cyclonic winds of 62–119

kilometers per hour (39–74 mph) (p. 10)

Glossary

air pressure the pressure of air in the atmosphere (p. 8)

Caribbean referring to the native people of theislands of the Caribbean Sea (p. 6)

chaotic random, without an orderly pattern (p. 20)

condenses to change from gas to liquid or from onesubstance to a denser form (p. 10)

disperse to break up or scatter (p. 12)

evacuate to move people out of danger (p. 5)

eye the center of something, such as ahurricane (p. 6)

eyewall the wall of clouds and rain around the eyeof a hurricane (p. 6)

hurricane a formal warning that hurricane watch conditions are possible in the area of the

watch (p. 4)

intensity the degree of force or strength (p. 14)

satellite a vehicle that orbits the Earth (p. 4)

storm surge a quick rise of the ocean’s level, caused bystrong winds and a drop in air pressureduring a hurricane (p. 8)

structure the relationship of parts in how somethingis constructed (p. 6)

sustained to keep up without stopping (p. 14)

tropical of, or occurring in, the tropics (p. 9)