Hurry! There's A Hurricane Coming! (Part 1)

Hey Everyone!

What is going on or should I say what is "swirling" on? ;p

I hope this past week has been wonderful for you all and that you are accomplishing whatever it is you've been wanting to get done. I'm still struggling to be productive, but as long as you're achieving what you've set your mind too, that's all that matters here.

Today is June 13th, 2018 and on this Weather Wednesday, we will be discussing Hurricanes. This blog is part 1 of a three part series. Part 1 will focus on the formation of a hurricane, part 2 will focus more in detail the characteristics of a hurricane, while part 3 will go over how you can become prepared when it comes to dealing with the storm. With that being said, let's get into the "eye" of the storm.

Hurricanes; powerful forces of mother nature would should not be taken lightly. What exactly are they though and how do they form? Where do they come from and how do they get their names? These are just a few of the questions which I will answer for you in this three part series.

Origins of a Hurricane:

Hurricanes, typhoons, tropical cyclones...whatever name you may hear, they all denote the same thing. The difference between all three is just the location in which the storms form. Storms forming in the Atlantic & Northeastern Pacific oceans are called hurricanes, storms forming in the northwestern part of the Pacific ocean are called typhoons, and storms forming in the Indian ocean are called tropical cyclones.

World Map

With that in mind, when it comes to the recipe for a hurricane, there is really only one thing that is needed...warm ocean waters. Through a series of steps, here is how a hurricane forms:

1) The warm air over the ocean rises causing lower air pressure (storms) to form below.
2) Higher air pressure then comes in to mix with that lower air pressure causing more warm air to form and rise.
3) As the warm air masses continue to rise, they begin to cool off & the water which is inside of them begin to form clouds.
4) Adding wind into the mix, this whole system begins to spin & grow.
5) As the storm strengthens, an eye forms in the center of it & a hurricane is born.

Hey everyone, my name is Hurricane Isabel!

For a visual representation of what we just discussed, please watch this video brought to you by Meteorologist Ginger Zee of ABC News:

The Atlantic hurricane season officially started on June 1st, so if you live anywhere on the coast of the United States, start preparing now. It is never too early to prepare for a hurricane. 

As always, thank you for the support & I hope to see you back here for part 2 where we will discuss how these storms get their names along with how they are classified. 

Your Future Meteorologist,
Aric Ilbeig

"We may not be able to change the world, but we can change somebody's world for a moment" -Unknown