Hurricanes1
Summer is over and fall has arrived- but many people to the south of us are observing another season- hurricane season. According to the Montshire Museum of Science, "hurricanes usually occur in the North Atlantic from June to November, with most of them in September." On average, between six to eight hurricanes form in the North Atlantic or North Pacific each year (Montshire). However, as many as 15 have occurred in the Atlantic in a single year. Hurricanes are powerful, whirling storms that measure several hundred miles in diameter. The winds near the center of a hurricane blow at speeds of 74 miles per hour or more (World Book, 400). Many hurricanes leave a trail of widespread death and destruction. The definition of a hurricane, according to World Book Encyclopedia, is an area of low pressure that forms over oceans in tropical regions. Such a storm in the North Pacific Ocean is called a typhoon, and one in the South Pacific or Indian Ocean is called a cyclone. Most hurricanes originate within the doldrums, a "narrow equatorial belt characterized by intermittent calms, light variable breezes, frequent squalls, and lying between the northeast and southeast trade winds" (Encarta). Hurricanes consist
"How are Atlantic hurricanes ranked?" Hurricanes99 http://www.hurricanes99.com/huricanesSSS.html, 11/10/99. "Hurricanes" World Book Encyclopedia. World Book-Childcraft International Inc. Volume 9: 400-403. "Hurricanes" Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 98. Microsoft, 1993-1997. "How are Atlantic hurricanes ranked?" Hurricanes99 http://www.hurricanes99.com/huricanesSSS.html, 11/10/99. Well, if there is information on a subject then there must have been some way to find that information out. "Since 1953, U.S. military aircraft have been flying into hurricanes to measure wind velocities and directions, the location and size of the eye, the pressures within the storms, and their thermal structure" (Encarta). A coordinated system of tracking hurricanes was developed in the mid- 1950s, and periodic improvements have been made over the years. Radar, sea-based recording devices, geosynchronous weather satellites, and other devices now supply data to the National Hurricane Center in Florida, which follows each storm virtually from the beginning. "Improved systems of prediction and communication have been able to minimize loss of life in hurricanes, but property damage is still heavy, especially in coastal regions". According to Encarta Encyclopedia, the strongest hurricane to hit the Western Hemisphere in the 20th century, Gilbert, devastated Jamaica and parts of Mexico in 1988 with winds that gusted up to 350 km/h (218 mph). "Destructive hurricanes in recent U.S. history include Agnes (1972), with $3 billion in damage and 134 deaths, Hugo (1989), with more than $4 billion in damage and more than 50 deaths, and Andrew (1992), with an estimated $12 billion in damage, more than 50 dead, and thousands left homeless" (Encarta).
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Approximate Word count = 1291
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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