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Narrator: 27 storms are Arlene to
Zeta. Lets exam what made conditions so
favorable for Atlantic storm formation in 2005.
We begin with the ocean;
these are sea surface temperatures for the 2005
hurricane season, changing through time as the calendar advances.
Warm water powers hurricanes, orange and
yellow areas, shows zones with water warmer than 82
degrees; the threshold favorable for hurricane development.
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Lets start the season again,
this time adding clouds back into the picture.
Atlantic-based hurricanes typically form between June
and November. Hurricanes often start as
atmospheric disturbances of the coast of West Africa. Once out
into the warm summer waters of the Mid-Atlantic, some ripples
begin to rotate and feeding of off warm water strengthen into
hurricanes. Hurricanes require warm water to heat
air above the ocean causing a drop in air pressure. Lower
air pressures sucks more water vapor into the storm, causing
storms to strengthen. As hurricanes pass over warm water
they leave trails of relatively cooler water so called,
cold water trails. Numbers displayed over storms
tracks indicate hurricane category changes.
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Strong shearing winds in the troposphere can disrupt this
process weakening young storms, but measurements indicate
that there was very little shearing wind activity in 2005 to
impede storm formation. Hurricanes are rare
phenomena; only about 80 or 90 appear worldwide
every year.
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Storms
stalked the Atlantic Ocean and Easter Seaboard from June
until early winter in 2005 and the record books are
groaning under the strain of such a busy year. Consider this list of
superlatives. An average year produces roughly 10
storms, 27 named storms formed in 2005.
An average year produces 6 hurricanes,
15 formed in 2005. An average year
produces two major hurricanes. Seven formed in
2005 on average one category 5
hurricane forms every three years. In 2005
there were three Katrina, Rita, and Wilma.
Wilma was the most intense Atlantic hurricane ever recorded,
Katrina fourth, Rita sixth. But Katrina
was the most destructive hurricane ever to hit the United States. The
total losses from storms in 2005 include more than
1.200 lives and potentially more than 100
billion dollars.
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This visualization shows some of the
actual data that NASA and NOAA satellites measured this season.
Data used to predict the paths and intensities of hurricanes.
Satellite data play a vital role in helping us
understand the land, ocean, and atmosphere systems
that have such dramatic effects on our lives.
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