Facts about Hurricanes for kids:
Definition
Definition: A hurricane is an intense storm with
powerful winds and heavy rain that usually form in tropical areas of
the world. The word "hurricane" is derived from the Mayan god
Hurakan, who destroyed humans with great storms and floods. A
hurricane can be six miles high and 600 miles wide. Each hurricane
usually lasts for over a week. Hurricanes generally move from 10-20
miles per hour over the open ocean. Hurricanes obtain their "fuel"
by gathering heat and energy through contact with warm ocean waters.
An area of calmer weather lies in the centre of the hurricane, known
as the ‘eye of the storm’ however, winds around the eye are usually
the strongest.
Facts about Hurricanes for kids: How Hurricanes are formed
Hurricanes only form on warm ocean
waters of about 80°F in areas of low pressure (warm weather, storms
and rain).
● Inside the area of low
pressure the ocean is warm and heats the air above it. The warm
air rises until it cools and condenses forming thunder clouds
and rain, which in turn warms the surrounding air
● As the warm air rises,
more air moves in to replace it. More clouds and rain form and
more warm air is pushed upwards
● As the clouds join
together they start to spin. This is the beginning of the
hurricane which is like a spinning top
Facts about Hurricanes for kids: The Difference between Hurricanes,
Cyclones and Typhoons
Other names for a hurricane include
typhoon and cyclone. Hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones are all are
all the same weather phenomenon - the different names indicate where
the tropical storm took place.
● Tropical storms that form in the Atlantic
or Northeast Pacific (near the United States) are called
hurricanes
● Tropical storms that form near in the
Northwest Pacific (near Japan) are called typhoons
● Tropical storms that form in the South
Pacific or Indian oceans are called cyclones
In the North Atlantic or Northeast Pacific,
the hurricane season is from June 1 to November 30.
Hurricane
Katrina
Facts for kids: What caused Hurricane Katrina?
The following fact
file contains interesting facts and information on
what caused Hurricane Katrina
for kids.
Hurricane
Katrina
Facts for kids: What caused Hurricane Katrina?
Why did Hurricane Katrina happen?
Hurricane
Katrina
Cause - 1: On August 23, 2005
the temperature of the ocean off the coast of the
Bahamas hovered around 85 degrees Fahrenheit.
Hurricane
Katrina Cause - 2: An area of low pressure formed
and a spinning wheel of thunderstorms gathered strength, feeding on
the heat and moisture
Hurricane
Katrina Cause - 3: The winds hit 39 mph and Hurricane
Katrina was born
Hurricane
Katrina
Cause - 4: Katrina moved slowly at first,
increasing in speed, getting stronger and heading toward Florida
Hurricane
Katrina
Cause - 5: Hurricane Katrina was a
category 1 when it fleetingly hit the Florida peninsula on August
25, 2005, with 80 mph winds and then spun out into the Gulf of
Mexico.
Hurricane
Katrina
Cause - 6: The water in the
Gulf of Mexico hit 87 degrees Fahrenheit which caused
Katrina to grow even more intense
Hurricane
Katrina
Cause - 7: As Katrina swirled over the warm waters of the Gulf on
August 28, she grew into to a Category 5 hurricane by
August 27, with winds of 160 mph with a storm surge over
20 feet high
Hurricane
Katrina
Cause - 8: As Katrina made landfall the
intensity of the tropical storm began to decrease
without its water vapor "fuel"
Hurricane
Katrina
Cause -
9: Katrina
made landfall in Louisiana at 6:45 AM local time on
August 29, 2005 as a Category 4 hurricane, with
sustained winds of 127 miles per hour. New Orleans was
devastated
Hurricane
Katrina
Cause - 10: Katrina weakened
to a Category 3 status as it hit near Buras-Triumph,
Louisiana with sustained winds of 125 mph
Continued...
Hurricane
Katrina
Facts for kids: What caused Hurricane Katrina?
Why did Hurricane Katrina happen?
Facts
about Hurricane Katrina for kids:
What caused Hurricane Katrina?
The following fact
file continues with facts on what caused Hurricane Katrina for kids.
Hurricane
Katrina
Facts for kids: What caused Hurricane Katrina?
Why did Hurricane Katrina happen?
Facts and
Cause -
11: As the hurricane
made its second landfall on the Mississippi/Louisiana
border, wind speeds were approximately 125 mph
Facts and
Cause- 12: Katrina maintained strength
well into Mississippi, finally losing hurricane strength more than
150 miles inland near Meridian, Mississippi
Facts and
Cause - 13: It was downgraded from a
hurricane status to a tropical depression near Clarksville,
Tennessee and its effects continued across Alabama, Georgia,
Kentucky and Ohio. A tropical depression produces maximum sustained
winds below 39 mph
Facts and
Cause - 14: Rain bands from Katrina also produced tornadoes
causing further damage in areas such as Georgia
Facts and
Cause - 15: Other areas across
the United States were affected by the weather phenomena
which eventually ended on August 31, 2005 when its
remnants were last distinguishable in the eastern Great
Lakes region.
Facts and
Cause - 16: It was absorbed by
a 'frontal boundary' as less dense air rose up and over
the colder air ahead of the front. The cold and warm air
masses interacted resulting in an 'extratropical storm'
which moved rapidly to the northeast and affected
eastern Canada
Facts and
Cause - 17: The strongest winds produced by
Hurricane Katrina were over the coastal areas of
Louisiana and Florida.
Facts and
Cause - 18: Hurricanes can
create tornadoes. Thirty-three tornadoes were produced
by Hurricane Katrina over a five-day period, that mainly
affected Georgia.
Facts and
Cause - 19: The center of the
hurricane, which is called the eye, is usually calm with
low winds. Katrina's eye measured a 35 mile diameter, an
above average size for the eye.
Facts and
Cause -
20: Katrina was the
most deadliest hurricane in the United States since the
Okeechobee Hurricane that hit Palm Beach on September
16, 1928 along Lake Okeechobee and the
Galveston Hurricane
of 1900.
Hurricane
Katrina
Facts for kids: What caused Hurricane Katrina?
Why did Hurricane Katrina happen?
Facts about Hurricane Katrina
What caused Hurricane Katrina? - President George W Bush Video
The article on
what caused Hurricane Katrina provides detailed facts and a summary of one of the important events during his presidential term in office. The following
George W Bush video will
give you additional important facts and dates about the political events experienced by the 43rd American President whose presidency spanned from January 20, 2001 to January 20, 2009.
What
caused Hurricane Katrina
for kids
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What caused Hurricane Katrina for kids and schools
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Summary of what caused Hurricane Katrina?
● What caused Hurricane Katrina facts
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George W Bush from January 20, 2001 to January 20, 2009
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Fast, fun facts about What caused Hurricane Katrina?
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