HURRICANES
Introduction
Hurricanes are an interesting natural disaster that effect many people each year. Many people are wondering hurricanes, how they form, what they are, the damage they cause and how they travel. I hope you enjoy it and learn a lot about it!
What are hurricanes?
A hurricane is a swirling group of clouds that spin around. Hurricanes are the strongest, largest and most powerful storms in the world! A hurricane can spread up to 1,600 kilometres (1,000 miles) across. It can also release as much energy every second as the nuclear bomb dropped in Hiroshima, Japan in 1945.
Where do hurricanes form?
All hurricanes form over ocean and there are only oceans in the world where they form and develop. They only form in the Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean and the North and South Pacific Ocean. In the Atlantic Ocean they call them Hurricanes but in the Indian Ocean they call them Cyclones and also they call them Typhoons when they form over the North and South Pacific Ocean.
Damage!
Hurricane Hugo cut and island in two and swept a fishing boat 8 kilometres (five miles) inland leaving it in a forest. During hurricane Camille the storm flushed alligators and hundreds of poisonous snakes out of creeks and swamps. More than 40 people died from snake bites. Hurricane Andrew caused one of the largest storms on record. It destroyed 75,000 fully grown trees.
Travelling
The spinning movement of the earth makes the storm clouds and winds spin in the same direction. In the northern hemisphere hurricanes and typhoons spin in an anticlockwise direction while in the southern hemisphere cyclones spin in a clockwise direction. The hurricane moves quite slowly across the ocean: its top speed is about 50 kilometres (30 miles) per hour. Hurricane John lasted for 29 days and travelled 8,000 kilometres. Did you know that if earth stopped spinning the oceans would fly off into space!
Thanks for reading my information report about hurricanes!
