• Tropical Depression
• Tropical Storms
• Tropical Cyclones
  • Typhoon
  • Cyclone
  • Hurricanes

II.  Conditions Needed to Generate Hurricanes  

• warm waters
• low wind shear
• preexisting near surface disturbance
  • easterly waves
• moist layer in troposphere
• rapid cooling of atmosphere with height
• ~500 km from equator
  • coriolis force

III.  General Characteristics of Hurricanes 

• Saffir-Simpson Scale
• low atmospheric pressure
  • warm air with lots of water vapor
• rotation, counterclockwise in northern hemisphere
• 100's of kms wide
• eye of hurricane
• transfer of heat from oceans to atmosphere
  • latent heat

IV.  Tracking Hurricanes

• motion a function of existing weather conditions, coriolis force
  • subtropical high
  • jet stream
• make measurements with airplanes
• models use statistical and/or dynamic input

V.  Storm Damage

• rip tides
• storm surge, winds
  • greatest on east side of storm
• coastal erosion