Conditions Required For A Hurricane Flashcards
What are the 4 essential conditions for hurricane formation
26 degrees sea temperature for at least top 60m of water
High humidity
Seasonality (late June to November)
Latitude 5-20N/S of the equator
Why is 26 degrees sea temp required
This is required to heat the air above
Why does the air above need to be heated (form of clouds)
Which leads to the air rising, cooling , with humidity increasing. Dew point is then reached. Condensation occurs with water droplets forming around a nuclei, then the water droplets grow in size (collision theory)
What clouds are formed
forming large CUMULONIMBUS thunderstorm clouds
Why is the latitude of 5-20N/S of the equator required
Here the coriolus spin effect can help clumped thunderstorms start to spin to build up required speed of 74mph for category 1 hurricane
What is the required speed for a category 1 hurricane
74 mph
What time of year is hurricane season
Between late June and November
Why is hurricane season between late June and November
At this time of year the sea water has retained heat from the strong summer insulation due to the laws of thermodynamics
What does the heat retained by the laws of thermodynamics result in
This will result in very strong conventional uplift heating
Why is high humidity required for hurricane formation (what does it help drive)
High humidity allows the air in quickly and helps drive the latent heat engine found in hurricanes
What happens when thunderstorms pour out their rain
Latent heat is given off and the storm heats up, further lowering surface pressure and drawing more surface air in
What are the type of thunderstorm clouds formed called
cumulonimbus clouds
What is the force needed to start the spin of the hurricane
Coriolis effect
What direction does a hurricane move
East to west (westerly direction)
What is the wind speed of a category 1 and category 5 hurricane
Category 1: 74mph wind speed
Category 5: 155mph wind speed
