Large scale atmospheric disturbances

Question 1

Risks from high winds

Answer 1

Irma 2017 had sustained winds of 180mph

Cyclone Yasi 2011 had 150mph winds

Question 2

Categorising with wind speed

Answer 2

74mph sustained winds to be considered a hurricane
Category 1 - 74-95mph
Category 2 - 96-110mph 
Category 3 - 111-129mph
Category 4 - 130-155mph
Category 5 - 156mph+

Question 3

Rainfall hazards

Answer 3

Typhoon Mangkhut 2018- landslide killed 32 in an evacuation centre
10 inches of rain across much of Nicaragua and Honduras from Mitch in 1998- triggered landslides which flattened 25 villages and led to 11,000 deaths. Many of the deaths due to devastating flash floods
Cyclone Nargus, 2008, in Burma flooded a lot of agricultural land- supply of rice fell and there were food shortages

Question 4

Hazards from storm surges

Answer 4

1mb pressure fall, 1cm sea level rise
89% of cyclone related deaths in Bangladesh are from storm surges.
19ft high storm surges in New Orleans due to Katrina in 2005. Insufficient funding meant the levees were not adequate.

Question 5

Facts about hurricane monitoring

Answer 5

Since 1943, 53 have died after 6 planed have gone down whilst on a hurricane hunter flight.
Global Hawks is an unmanned plane that can fly for 26 hours
Doppler radar can collect images from up to 500km away
High altitude satellites can scan half the planet at any time

Question 6

Preparedness

Answer 6

NOAA has a checklist for hurricanes about thing to have- average cost of $350 for ten days in the US
Awareness week in May 2018
Amari Pari in Bangladesh works via radio stations
Building codes in Florida

Question 7

Protection

Answer 7

Yasi, 2011- 29,000 evacuated and only 1 deaths despite being Australia’s most costly cyclone.
10,000 at the Superdrome during Katrina
10,000 in shelters in Bangladesh during Masahen, 2013.