Hurricanes LEVELED BOOK • W A Reading A–Z Level W Leveled Book Word Count: 1,715 Hurricanes Written by Shaun Taylor Visit www.readinga-z.com www.readinga-z.com for thousands of books and materials. Photo Credits: Front cover: courtesy of NOAA/NEDIS; back cover, page 6: © Jupiterimages Corporation; title page: courtesy of NASA/JSC; page 3: © Marbo/Dreamstime. com; page 4: courtesy of SeaWiFS Project, NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, and ORBIMAGE; page 5: courtesy of American Red Cross/NOAA; page 14: courtesy of Barry Bahler/ FEMA; page 15 (top): © REUTERS/HO old; page 15 (bottom): courtesy of Jocelyn Augustino/FEMA; page 16 (top): courtesy of Andrea Hurricanes Booher/FEMA; page 16 (bottom): © Cameron Davidson/Photolibrary/Getty Images; page 18 (inset): © REUTERS/Molly Riley; page 18 (main): courtesy of NOAA; page 20: © REUTERS/Marc Serota; page 21: © Jim Reed/Terra/Corbis; page 22: © Warren Faidley/Corbis Editor’s note: Cyclones that form in the tropics are called different names in different parts of the world. In the Atlantic Ocean they are called hurricanes, in the Pacific Ocean, typhoons, and in the Indian Ocean, severe tropical cyclones. This book will use the word hurricane to describe them all. Hurricane names 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 Andrea Arthur Ana Alex Arlene Alberto Barry Bertha Bill Bonnie Bret Beryl Chantal Cristobal Claudette Colin Cindy Chris Dean Dolly Danny Danielle Don Debby Erin Edouard Erika Earl Emily Ernesto Felix Fay Fred Fiona Franklin Florence Gabrielle Gustav Grace Gaston Gert Gordon Humberto Hanna Henri Hermine Harvey Helene Ingrid Ike Ida Igor Irene Isaac Jerry Josephine Joaquin Julia Jose Joyce Karen Kyle Kate Karl Katia Kirk Lorenzo Laura Larry Lisa Lee Leslie Melissa Marco Mindy Matthew Maria Michael Noel Nana Nicolas Nicole Nate Nadine Olga Omar Odette Otto Ophelia Oscar Pablo Paloma Peter Paula Philippe Patty Rebekah Rene Rose Richard Rina Rafael Sebastien Sally Sam Shary Sean Sandy Tanya Teddy Teresa Tomas Tammy Tony Van Vicky Victor Virginie Vince Valerie Wendy Wilfred Wanda Walter Whitney William Written by Shaun Taylor Hurricanes Level W Leveled Book Illustrated by Cende Hill © Learning A–Z Correlation Written by Shaun Taylor LEVEL W Illustrations by Cende Hill Fountas & Pinnell S All rights reserved. Reading Recovery 40 DRA 40 www.readinga-z.com www.readinga-z.com A Hurricane Is Coming! “This just in from the National Hurricane Center in Miami. A hurricane watch is in effect for the Florida east coast from Florida City north to Flagler Beach, including Lake Okeechobee. Hurricane Frances is about 555 miles east- southeast of Palm Beach and is moving toward C-130 Hurricane Hunter the west-northwest at about 14 miles per hour.” Table of Contents The message crackles over a radio at a small Florida cafe. The patrons look outside at a warm, A Hurricane Is Coming!..................... 4 sunny day and then out to sea for any signs What Is a Hurricane? ....................... 6 of the approaching storm—there are none. However, the television shows a satellite image How Hurricanes Form ...................... 9 of a gigantic, spiraling storm. A dotted line shows Where Hurricanes Form ................... 13 the hurricane’s path and a shaded wedge shows where the hurricane might hit the coast. How Hurricanes Are Classified ............. 14 The people in the How We Study Hurricanes ................. 18 cafe have already been How We Predict Hurricanes . 20 hit with one hurricane this season, and they How to Prepare for Hurricanes ............. 21 know they must prepare. Conclusion ............................... 22 Some buy more plywood to board up windows. Explore More ............................. 22 Others get supplies at Glossary ................................. 23 the grocery store, such as water, food, and batteries. Hurricane Frances just north Index .................................... 24 of the island of Puerto Rico Hurricanes • Level W 3 4 What Is a Hurricane? Do You Know? We have all According to the experienced wind National Hurricane Center, and rainstorms, the word “hurricane” comes from the name but what makes a Hurican, the Caribbean hurricane different? god of evil. Islands in the Hurricanes are Caribbean Sea are often gigantic, circular in the path of hurricanes. storms that can be hundreds of kilometers wide. When they occur High waves from the September 1945 hurricane flood in Miami in the Pacific Ocean, they are called typhoons. In the Indian Ocean, they are called severe tropical The next morning, the wind speed picks up, cyclones. In the Atlantic Ocean, they are called and the sky clouds over. Some people farther hurricanes. No matter what they are called, winds down the coast evacuate, or leave their homes to over hundreds of kilometers per hour, inches of go to safer areas. Winds reach hurricane strength, rain, and high seas cause death, and sometimes bending over palm trees as if they are made of billions of dollars in damage. rubber. The wind rips roofs off buildings, and flying objects become deadly. High waves and Hurricanes have a distinct rising water flood low-lying areas on the coast. structure that can be seen Falling trees break power lines. Some residents on satellite photos. Clouds who were not evacuated sit in the darkness of extend out as spiraling arms their homes listening to the storm’s progress on for hundreds of kilometers their battery-powered radios. Finally, the storm around the center. The center moves inland, and the wind slows down; but of a hurricane is called the drenching rains and flooding remain. The next eye. Winds become more and day the sun comes out, and people begin the more intense from the edge costly cleanup. Eye of a hurricane of the storm to the eyewall. Hurricanes • Level W 5 6 sea level on a nice day eyewall eyewall eye bands of rain clouds sea level on a rainy day Fully formed hurricane storm surge The eyewall is where winds rushing toward the center suddenly turn upward. The upward-moving air rapidly cools, and rain begins to fall. Most of the rainfall occurs in the eyewall. Sometimes sea level during a hurricane rainfall reaches 20 millimeters (0.78 in.) of rain per hour, which can dump about 15–30 centimeters As hurricanes approach shore, the combination (6–12 in.) on one area over several days. of high winds and low air pressure actually raises Yet, inside the eye, it’s often calm and sunny. the level of the sea around the storm higher than Most hurricane eyes are 30–60 kilometers normal. Scientists call this a storm surge. It extends (20–40 mi.) in diameter. In the eye of a hurricane, for miles around the center of a hurricane and the peacefulness will not last long. Soon the eye floods any low, coastal land. Flooding caused by a will move, and then the sudden force of the other storm surge is a major source of property damage side of the storm will hit. from hurricanes. Hurricanes • Level W 7 8 How Hurricanes Form As the warm, moist air rises, Stage Hurricanes form over tropical oceans it cools and 2 thunderclouds form worldwide. These tropical storms tend to be condenses, a seasonal. They usually form in the summers process that H of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. creates clouds The storms form when energy from the Sun and releases heat heats ocean water near the equator. energy. Soon giant thunderclouds wind wind L Warm, moist air evaporating from the ocean form. is lighter than the cold, dry air above it. The warmer air pushes up through the cooler air, Wind begins which then sinks down to take the place of the to rotate, or spin, warmer air. The process creates a low-pressure around the low-pressure area. area called a tropical depression. The wind starts blowing harder, and when it reaches about 62 kilometers per hour (39 mph), Stage H the tropical depression high 1 pressure becomes a Stage c tropical storm. r o i l a d 3 H Tropical storms , y d low r r d warm moist air y warm moist air , can grow into pressure a ld ir o L c hurricanes if they soak up more heat energy from the warm wind Do You Know? oceans they pass over. rotates In the Northern Hemisphere hurricane Some storms don’t ever storm winds rotate counterclockwise, while in L the Southern Hemisphere hurricane winds gain enough energy to rotate clockwise. become hurricanes. Hurricanes • Level W 9 10 Stage Generally, hurricanes in the Northern Hemisphere move west, then north, and then 4 bands of rain they turn toward the northeast. This path takes H clouds hurricanes away from the equator and away from the warm ocean water that fuels them. In the Southern Hemisphere hurricanes typically travel west, south, and then turn southeast, which also eye takes them away from warm ocean water. eyewall eyewall As hurricanes move over cooler water and over L land, they lose much of their energy. The wind slows down, and the storms eventually disperse. If a tropical Naming System storm does gain When a tropical storm Common Paths of Hurricanes more energy, wind officially becomes a hurricane, N speed picks up it is given a name. The yearly and thick spiral name lists for each region Northern Hemisphere bands of clouds of the globe reflect all nationalities because spread out from hurricanes affect people the center of in many countries. Here were the storm. When the names for Atlantic Ocean wind speeds are hurricanes for 2010: Hurricanes Typhoons greater than 119 Alex Hermine Otto Igor kilometers per Bonnie Paula Cyclones Colin Julia Richard Equator hour (74 mph), Danielle Karl Shary the storm Earl Lisa Tomas officially becomes Fiona Matthew Virginie Southern Gaston Nicole Walter Hemisphere a hurricane.