To what extent are the impacts of tropical storms more than just environmental (30 marks) A hurricane is an intense, rotating oceanic weather system that possesses maximum sustained winds exceeding 79mph. It forms and intensifies over tropical oceanic regions. They cause devastating effects in any areas that they make landfall and can cause governments billions of pounds to repair damages. Hurricanes form and intensify over oceanic regions. They require sea-surface temperatures of at least 26°C and the influence of the earth’s rotation to initiate a spinning circulation (Coriolis effect).
There can be deaths, also, but only 5% of tornado deaths are caused by Weak Tornadoes. The next type is Strong Tornado. Significant Tornadoes (F2), which travel from 113 to 157 miles per hour and Severe Tornadoes (F3), which travel from 158 to 206 miles per hour, are classified as Strong Tornadoes. Theyusually last for about more than 20 minutes and can cause extensive damages: roofs of well-constructed buildings can be ripped off, trains can be overturned, and even large old trees can be uprooted and snapped. Not only properties and nature are damaged, but also human.
They strengthen when water evaporated from the ocean is released as the saturated air rises, resulting in condensation of water vapor contained in the moist air. There are several similarities between hurricanes and tornadoes. First of all, both are unpredictable, incredibly devastating and can easily kill. Other than that, both are made up of very strong and fast wind which is more than 100 mph. Furthermore, both of them rotate all around.
Within the Loop Current there is warm water that extends fairly deeper than the water surrounding it. Hurricanes usually churn up slightly cooler water allowing for some weakening of the storm; however a hurricane moving over the Loop Current churns up warmer water that extends deeper into the ocean. Camille's extraordinary strength could be blamed in part due to the assumption that it tracked directly up the axis of the Loop Current. After landfall, Camille dropped torrential rains on the southern states with anywhere from 2 to 11 inches of rain. Camille eventually strengthened somewhat as it moved more inland bringing major destruction to the state of Virginia with damage to property and life.
Tornadoes actually travel faster than hurricanes, moving close to 250 mph. Most hurricanes move up to 111 miles per hour or less. A major difference between hurricanes and tornadoes is that hurricanes have a wider diameter than tornadoes. People affected by a hurricane will not be able to step outside of the hurricane and view it. People who are affected by a tornado can see the entire tornado come and go.
The downside to the central highlands though are multiple thunderstorms that cause incredible damage due to lighting strikes. The capital, Antananarivo, receives almost all its average annual 1.4 meters of rainfall between the months of November and April. The dry season is nice and sunny but can be cooler in the morning time. Frost is common at the highest elevations in Madagascar and provides some of the clearest blue skies to view in the world. The west coast is much drier than the central highlands and east coast due to the winds losing humidity by the time they reach this side of island.
They are born from tropic waters that affect quite a few across the world but in the Gulf of Mexico they tend to wreak particular havoc. These storms have potential for mass devastation through storm surges that flood the coastline often taking lives and possible contamination of water supplies, heavy rain which contributes to flooding situations and high winds coupling with tornadoes that destroy property, Storm surges are among one of the worst factors of a hurricane. Often, at the time, people do not even realize the impacts a storm surge can have and do not head authorities warnings to evacuate the coastline, which can result in a high death toll. As Jay Barnes notes in his research: As a hurricane churns across the open sea, the combined effects of the storm’s lowered barometric pressure and strong, inward-spiraling winds create a deep, swirling column of water beneath the ocean’s surface. This effect causes the sea level to rise in the vicinity of the storm, creating a dome of water that may be a few feet high in the center and a hundred miles wide.
They create huge media attention as the rate of change from what would have been considered as ‘normal’ conditions is very high, for example an earthquake can turn an entire city to ruins and kill hundreds of people in just minutes. They have a limited areal extent and usually have a low predictability. However improvements in science and technology are slowly increasing the predictability of the occurrence of these events but the impact it will have is more difficult to determine. Other examples of catastrophic hazards include tsunamis and volcanoes. Chronic hazards are less newsworthy than catastrophic hazards but because their effects are cumulative over time but the effect can be just as, if not more severe.
2. Heavy thunderstorms accompanied by lightening that is often brighter, bluer, and more vicious than lightening from any other type of storm. 3. In fact, a former manager of the Weather Service of United Airlines, believes that lightening might be one of the best ways of detecting a tornado in a thunderstorm
Hurricanes and their impact on the environment The effect of hurricanes on the environment is catastrophic. The loss of life and damage to property and the environment has far reaching implications, for persons that survive these disasters. According to Remote Sensing Using Satellites,(n.d.)”A hurricane is an intense, rotating oceanic weather system that possesses maximum sustained winds exceeding 119km/hr (74 mph). It forms and intensifies over tropical oceanic regions”. Hurricanes normally develop in the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico and the North Pacific Ocean.