Can you imagine flying through the center of a hurricane?

Library ISBN 978-0-7660-3050-3
Grades 5-up

That is what hurricane scientists do. They use aircraft to fly into the eye of a hurricane, measuring the speed, direction, temperature, pressure, and humidity of the winds on either side of the eye. Several passes are made from one side of the storm to the other at different heights to get an idea as to the strength of the winds. As we are well aware on the East Coast, hurricanes can dump a lot of rain as they progress.

The difference between a hurricane and a tropical storm is the speed of its winds. Once winds reach 74 miles per hour, the storm becomes classified as a hurricane.

By the way, the word "hurricane" comes from Hurican, the name of a mythical Caribbean god of evil.

Interested in learning more about hurricanes and other storms? Check out Storm Scientist by Timothy Gaffney.

Here Comes Hurricane Earl!

With Hurricane Earl heading up the East Coast of the United States, we thought it would be interesting to learn more about these storms.

Hurricanes develop in the North Atlantic Ocean, the northeastern Pacific Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico, or the Caribbean Sea. Typhoons are storms that develop in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, near Japan and the Philippines. Storms that develop near Australia and the Indian Ocean are called cyclones. These are all tropical cyclones, and are used to describe "any storm over the tropical oceans that spins in a circle around a center of low pressure." They are known by different names, depending on where they form.

Hurricanes: The Science Behind Killer Storms discusses Hurricane Katrina, explains how hurricanes are tracked, gives tips for staying safe during one of these storms, and more. This title is part of The Science Behind Natural Disasters series.

Hurricanes: The Science Behind Killer Storms

With powerful gusts of wind, sheets of rain, and a deadly storm surge of water, the massive hurricane flooded large swaths of New Orleans. In Hurricanes: The Science Behind Killer Storms the authors examine with step-by-step detail how these natural disasters develop, the scientific methods used to track and predict them, and the measures families should take to protect themselves.

Part of The Science Behind Natural Disasters series, written by Alvin and Virginia Silverstein, and Laura Silverstein Nunn. Each title is 48 pages, full color illustrations, ISBN 978-0-7660-2971-2.
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