Hurricanes
BY LORRAINE BERTAN, CULTURE
COMMITTEE
Most of us remember Hurricane Sandy,
which struck New York on October
29, 2012. It was the deadliest, most
destructive and strongest hurricane of the 2012
season. It destroyed 650 thousand homes, was
responsible for 72 deaths in the United States and
left 8.5 million people without power.
It began its life as a tropical storm in the
Caribbean on October 12, 2012, and quick-ly
gained strength to become a Category 1
Hurricane as it passed over Jamaica, with winds
over 80 mph and moved north to New York
Harbor with winds over 90 mph and the full
moon tides create a 14 foot wave surge which
flooded parts of the subway system.
What are the conditions required for hur-ricanes
to form? The ocean water should be
80 degrees Fahrenheit, presence of moist air,
converging winds and thunderstorms passing
over the ocean. During the summer and fall, the
ocean temperatures are highest and heat from the
sun produces water vapor through the process of
evaporation. When water vapor condenses in the
atmosphere, it releases heat energy, the process
of condensation. This heat energy helps to power
the hurricane. Warm air rises, producing the low
pressure areas associated with hurricanes. Heat,
moisture and low air pressure are the driving
forces of the hurricane. The process of conden-sation
releases heat energy, and the process of
evaporation absorbs heat energy.
Examples of the release of heat during evapo-ration
is the cold feeling after leaving the shower
and the chill after leaving the pool when water
is evaporating from your skin. The cooling
effect of garden fountains is a result of the
evaporation of water. Before the development
of air-conditioning, shop keepers would spray
their entrance areas with water to cool it off and
entice customers.
As the water vapor condenses into clouds
forming over the ocean, the build-up of heat
strengthens the low pressure area, and a wind
system forms. In the northern hemisphere the
winds in a hurricane or low pressure area cycle
counter clockwise, and in the southern hemi-sphere
the winds cycle clockwise, a result of
the Coriolus effect. The winds strengthen the
absorption of water vapor from the ocean, and
more heat is released to power the hurricane.
The wind velocity increases toward the center
of the hurricane, creating an “eye wall,” the most
dangerous part of the hurricane, surrounding the
lowest pressure are of the hurricane, the calm
“eye” which covers about 19-40 miles. Hurricanes
form over the warm water of the Caribbean,
the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean.
Hurricane Sandy formed over the Caribbean near
Nicaragua. It reached
Category 3 strength as
it passed over Cuba, turned west and lost some
strength, and arrived in New York as a Category 1
Hurricane. The planetary wind systems move the
hurricanes. Hurricanes are low pressure storms,
known as tropical cyclones. In other parts of the
world they may be called “typhoons”. There are
five categories for evaluating hurricanes:
Category 1 Winds 74-95 mph (Minor
damage)
Category 2 Winds 96-110 mph
(Extensive damage - uproot trees and break
windows)
Category 3 Winds 111-129 mph
(Devastating - break windows and doors)
Category 4 Winds 130-156 mph
(Catastrophic damage - tear off roofs)
Category 5 Winds 157 mph or higher
(Level courses and destroy buildings)
The most hurricane prone areas of the United
States are Florida, Texas, North and South
Carolina, Louisiana, Alabama , Georgia and
Mississippi. Florida’s Gulf of Mexico’s Atlantic
Ocean location makes it a prime target for hur-ricanes.
Mexico also experiences hurricanes.
September is the high season for hurricanes
because the water temperature is at its highest
at that time. California, Oregon and Washington
do not experience hurricanes because the North
Pacific Ocean is colder than the Caribbean, and
heat powers hurricanes. Hurricanes, known
as cyclones or typhoons, devastate Southeast
Asian countries like Vietnam, Thailand, and
the Philippines. Australia, in the southern
hemisphere, occasionally experiences cyclones,
another name for hurricanes in different areas
of the globe.
How have hurricanes affected the geology of
NASA satellite image of the Moriches Inlet
New York? The recreational beaches of New
York City and Long Island are known as the
Outer Barrier, and the waters separating the
Outer Barrier from the mainland are known
as lagoons. Jamaica Bay, Hewlett Bay, Great
South Bay, etc., are examples of lagoons. The
barrier islands are most vulnerable to hurri-canes.
Hurricanes make their first landfall on
the barrier islands since the area is low lying
and subject to flooding.
On September 9, 1938, a hurricane formed
over the coast of Africa, quickly becoming a
Category 5, and hit Long Island on September
21, 1938, downgrading to Category 3, and pro-ducing
massive destruction and 682 fatalities
throughout Long island and New England. The
breaking of the barrier beaches into islands
separated by inlets resulted. The hurricane
broke through Hampton Bays, creating the
Shinnecock Inlet and Shinnecock Canal, which
now provide boaters with access to the Atlantic
Ocean.
Despite the destruction caused by hurricanes,
they help regulate planet temperature through
heat transfer, and the tropics would be much
warmer and the polar regions colder. Since heat
is such an important part of hurricane forma-tion,
what can we expect in terms of hurricane
frequency and strength as global warming
increases?
The word “hurricane” comes from the
Taino people who inhabited the Caribbean
and Florida. Their name was “huraca” and
it refers to the “evil spirit of the wind.”
Shakespeare’s “Tempest” was inspired by the
hurricane which attacked colonial Virginia
on September 6, 1667.
August 2020 ¢ NORTH SHORE TOWERS COURIER 37