American state suffering from hurricanes. Tornado in the USA. "Tornado Alley" in the USA. Elements of the USA. Tornadoes
Photo: NOAA NWS National Hurricane Center
Hurricane Irma, which struck the Caribbean islands and Florida, is called the strongest in the Atlantic on record, moreover, it brought terrible destruction and led to dozens of deaths. It is possible that his name will never again be used by meteorologists to name hurricanes in the future, so as not to remind people of the tragic events.
The Voice of America spoke about how and why hurricanes get their names.
Why do hurricanes need names?
Initially, the name is given to a storm that later weakens or develops into a hurricane. Nameless storms and hurricanes would make life much more difficult for meteorologists, researchers, ship captains, rescue workers, and... ordinary people. Names facilitate communication, which means they increase the level of security. This is why the World Meteorological Organization created special list names for the elements, which is updated every year.
What were hurricanes called before the naming system came into being?
Hurricanes were often named after saints. For example, the hurricane that reached Puerto Rico on July 26, 1825, St. Anne's Day, was called St. Anne. Sometimes the name was chosen to be the name of the area that suffered the most. And sometimes the name was dictated by the shape of the hurricane. This is how Hurricane Pin got its name in 1935.
How many names are on the list
Every year, 21 names are included in the list - the number of all letters in the alphabet, except Q, U, X, Y and Z - they are not used. The names are used in order: the first storm of the season is called by a name that begins with A, the second with B, and so on.
What to do if all the letters in the alphabet are gone?
This happens extremely rarely: usually the number of tropical storms and hurricanes does not exceed 21. If this does happen, the Greek alphabet comes to the rescue. Hurricanes are named Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, etc.
When are hurricanes called by female names, and when by male names?
At first, hurricanes were exclusively “women.” Military meteorologists began assigning female names to natural disasters during World War II. In 1953, this method was officially approved. But since 1978, after a lawsuit, the situation has changed: hurricanes began to be given male names.
How many names have meteorologists already “used up” this year?
For the Atlantic Coast, the list of hurricane names for 2017 is: Arlene, Bret, Cindy, Emily, Franklin, Harvey, Irma, Jose, Katya, Lee, Maria, Ophelia, Philip, Rina, Sin, Tammy, Vince and Whitney. Florida and Georgia are currently experiencing the effects of Hurricane Irma. Storms Jose and Katya have already formed in the Atlantic and received their names. That is, 9 more names from the 2017 list remained unused.
Can a hurricane's name "retire"?
Maybe if the elements were too destructive. In this case reuse the same name may be too painful for those affected. For example, there will no longer be a hurricane named Katrina. It was removed from the list of names and will never be used again. There is a possibility that the same fate awaits the names Harvey and Irma.
The last few hurricanes that have occurred in the United States have clearly demonstrated that even such a powerful superpower is completely powerless before the forces of nature. What kind of phenomenon is this, are there methods to combat it, and what hurricanes have become the most famous in the United States?
How and where a hurricane forms
A hurricane is usually called a strong storm that is formed as a result of the evaporation of water from the ocean. The most favorable conditions for this are in the hurricane belt, which stretches from the coast West Africa before Gulf of Mexico. That's why hurricanes in the USA are most common, but this phenomenon is not uncommon in other countries.
When a hurricane forms, water vapor rises and twists into a spiral. This spiral draws in more and more moisture, forming a funnel. Spiral-shaped stripes of cloud clusters gather and rise to a height of 15-16 km. The hurricane moves at a speed of 20 km/h, but at the same time it continues to suck moisture from the ocean, gradually increasing in size and strength. Purely theoretically, a hurricane can grow until it encounters an area with low temperatures or land on its path. Among all, hurricanes in the United States differ in size, for example, Hurricane Francis grew to the size of the state of Texas. And in 1935 Labor Day Hurricane had a diameter of 13 km, but the wind speed in the area of effect was as much as 300 km/h.
What are hurricanes called?
It must be said that in Latelyhurricanes in the USA They take place not only in the south, they take over the entire country as a whole. It was once customary to give hurricanes female names, and this tradition continues today. But the list of names assigned to the most powerful hurricanes turned out to be exhaustive. For 2005, 21 names were prepared, and already in October the 22nd hurricane formed in Atlantic Ocean. As a result, the letters of the Greek alphabet were called upon to help. So far, only Alpha and Beta have been used, but it is far from certain that soon residents of the Gulf Coast countries, together with weather forecasters, will not learn several more greek letters. Forecasts that are based on long-term observations give the most disappointing predictions. In the next 10 years, storms and hurricanes in the North Atlantic in the United States will only become more active.
Thus, in 2003, 17 powerful tropical storms formed. And of the ten most powerful hurricanes that swept off the US coast, four occurred quite recently. These are natural monsters “Katarina”, “Ivan the Terrible”, “Rita” and “Wilma”, the most famous hurricanes in the United States at the moment.
The most powerful hurricanes in the USA
In 2002, due to the approach of Hurricane Lily, the American flight control center from Houston was forced to transfer control to the International space station. She was in Korolev, near Moscow, and control was transferred for several days. Two years later, hurricanes in the United States were replenished with a typhoon called Rita, which passed near Houston, and the situation repeated itself. At the same time, two nuclear reactors were shut down in Texas. A month later, Hurricane Wilma shut down nuclear reactors in Florida, and the spaceport at Cape Canaveral ceased operation. As you can see, US hurricanes were very powerful, but all these records were broken by a typhoon called “Catarina”.
As a result of a natural blow to the state of Louisiana, almost all of New Orleans went under water. During the hurricane, wind speeds reached 300 km/h. The death toll exceeded a thousand people, and almost all oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico were destroyed. This subsequently led to higher oil prices. Hurricane Katarina has been called the world's costliest natural disaster since it caused more than $35 billion in damage to the country.
The previous record holder was Hurricane Andrew, which in 1992 cost the USA at 17 billion dollars, that is, half the price. It must be said that medium-strength hurricanes in the United States leave behind approximately $300 million in damage.
Why does the US suffer from hurricanes?
The main reasons for such a number of hurricanes in the United States are the onset of a new cycle, global warming, and use against the United States. climate weapons. They even say that this way the planet cleanses itself of people who have already thoroughly spoiled the environment.
There is a certain logic in the theory of climate warming. Indeed, the strength and duration of a hurricane depend on the temperature of the water in the ocean: the higher the degree, the stronger the hurricane (it has been proven that a hurricane intensifies by 5% with an increase in temperature of one degree). But according to statistics, over the past 30 years the destructive power of hurricanes has increased by 50%. And from this it follows that either the relationship between the power of a hurricane and warming is calculated using a more complex mathematical formula, or hurricanes in the USA pass for another reason.
The cyclical nature of hurricanes is a more plausible version. It has been noticed that periods of calm are followed by periods of activity. IN last time Such destructive hurricanes occurred in the United States in the 1930s, and another outbreak of activity was observed in the last decade. This means that the Atlantic Ocean is right now at the peak of the next cycle. It follows that the next cycle will begin at the end of the 21st century.
Is it possible to fight hurricanes in the USA?
Ross Hoffman, an American meteorologist, proved that the slightest obstacle in the way will help greatly weaken or even destroy hurricanes in the United States. Scientific experiments are also carried out. If, for example, silver iodite crystals are sprayed into the clouds, the wind will significantly decrease, and if water is dried in the clouds of a hurricane, the whirlwind will stop by itself. Experiments were carried out with helium in Florida. It is known that this substance can absorb 3,000 times its weight in water.
But the most realistic way remains hurricane prediction. Scientists from University College London claim that such a system already exists. This is a computer model that can predict the behavior of hurricanes in the United States based on meteorological data. In cases with hurricanes that had already occurred, the system predicted cataclysms in 74% of cases.
Following Irma, a new hurricane, Jose, is approaching the Caribbean. On the islands of San Barthelemy and Saint Martin, which have already been literally destroyed by the elements, the maximum level of danger has again been declared. The same situation is on south coast Florida.
Miami. Images like from a film about a post-apocalypse: empty streets, boarded up doors and windows. Rare residents from among those who decided not to leave dare to make a trip to the store, if they are lucky enough to find one that is still open.
Showcases with fresh meat and filled to capacity with seafood. They don’t take it - it spoils too quickly. After a hurricane, you will most likely have to live without electricity for several days. And only a few remain at home; most have moved to shelters. There are about four hundred shelters open in Florida, mostly in school buildings. They will be able to accommodate more than 50 thousand people. Even homeless people are brought there. Miami police said that if necessary, people will be taken from the street by force. But almost everyone agrees to go voluntarily.
At Zoo Miami, only large animals remain in enclosures. All young animals and rare birds transported to a fortified bunker. More than two hundred cats and dogs were flown from local animal shelters to Ohio.
While some are trying to escape from Irma, others are managing to make money on its name. Cakes with the image of a hurricane and the caption “Irma, go away” appeared in supermarkets. Buyers' opinions were divided. Some considered this blasphemy, others say that a little humor in this situation would not hurt.
But those who have already been hit by a hurricane have no time for jokes. Irma has been raging in the Caribbean since mid-week. It claimed dozens of lives. It flooded Haiti, cut off power to Puerto Rico and literally destroyed part of the islands that are in the possession of France, Great Britain and the Netherlands.
And now another one is raging in the Caribbean strong hurricane- "Jose". But the wind speed there is currently slowing to 85 miles (135 kilometers) per hour.
Texas and the Gulf Coast continue to feel the effects hurricane harvey, which brought with it severe floods.
The Weather Channel compiled a list 10 worst hurricanes(and the floods they caused) in US history, including those that have not yet been given names.
Hurricane in Galveston, September 1900
Hurricane in Miami, September 1926
The storm hit Miami at a time when South Florida residents were not as prepared for the storm as they are now. The storm killed 372 people and drowned about 150 more when water broke the Moore Haven Dam in several places, according to the Red Cross.
Hurricane in South Florida, September 1928
A Category 5 hurricane raged near West Palm Beach. Due to heavy rainfall, Lake Okeechobee overflowed its banks, flooding the surrounding area to a depth of more than 10 feet. About 2,500 people drowned and more than 1,700 houses were flooded.
Hurricane Labor Day, September 1935
The storm hit the Florida Keys with winds of up to 185 mph and 20-foot waves. The hurricane killed 408 people, most of them World War I veterans who worked construction in the area, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Long Island Hurricane, September 1938
This storm and winds of up to 180 miles per hour killed 256 people on Long Island on its way to New England. Homes were destroyed in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut. Damage totaled $306 million.
Hurricane Camille, August 1969
Camille struck the Mississippi coast, causing waves up to 24 feet high. More than 140 people died in cities along the Gulf Coast, and another 113 died in flooding in Virginia.
Hurricane Andrew, August 1992
Andrew was a short but fierce storm that struck South Florida with the strength of a Category 5 hurricane. Then the hurricane downgraded to category 3 and reached Louisiana. 65 people were killed, 127,000 homes were damaged and destroyed, and damage amounted to $26 billion.
Hurricane Charlie, August 2004
The main force of the storm was in Florida and South Carolina. 10 people were killed, and property damage from the destruction is estimated at $15 billion.
Hurricane Katrina, August 2005
Katrina, a Category 3 hurricane, killed about 2,000 people and caused $100 billion in damage, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Water broke through levees and flooded 80% of New Orleans, Louisiana.
Storm Sandy, October 2012
Why are hurricanes named? According to what principles does this happen? What categories are assigned to such elements? What are the most destructive hurricanes in history? We will talk about all this in our article.
How are hurricanes formed?
Such natural phenomena originate in tropical zones in the middle of the ocean. A prerequisite is an increase in water temperature to 26 o C. The moist air that comes into contact with the sea surface gradually rises. Upon reaching the desired height, it condenses and releases heat. The reaction makes others rise air masses. The process becomes cyclical.
Streams of hot air begin to rotate counterclockwise, which is due to the movement of the planet around its own axis. An abundance of clouds are forming. As soon as the wind speed begins to exceed 130 km/h, the hurricane takes on a clear outline and begins to move in a certain direction.
Hurricane categories
A special scale for determining the nature of the damage after was developed by researchers Robert Simpson and Herbert Saffir in 1973. Scientists based the selection of criteria on the size of storm waves and wind speed. How many categories of hurricanes? There are 5 threat levels in total:
- Minimal - subject to destructive influences small trees and shrubs. Minor damage to coastal piers is observed, small vessels are being torn from their anchors.
- Moderate - Trees and shrubs receive significant damage. Some of them are uprooted. Prefabricated structures are severely damaged. Marinas and piers are being destroyed.
- Significant - prefabricated houses suffer damage, large trees fall, roofs, doors and windows are torn off from permanent buildings. Within coastlines Serious flooding is observed.
- Huge - bushes, trees, billboards, prefabricated structures soar into the air. Houses are being destroyed to the ground. Capital buildings are subject to serious destructive influences. The height of water in areas where areas are flooded reaches three meters above sea level. Floods can travel 10 kilometers inland. There is significant damage from debris and waves.
- Catastrophic - a hurricane sweeps away all prefabricated structures, trees and bushes. Most buildings receive critical damage. Serious damage is caused to the lower floors. The effects of the disaster are visible more than 45 kilometers inland. There is a need for mass evacuation of the population living in coastal areas.
How are hurricanes named?
The decision to name atmospheric phenomena was adopted during World War II. During this period, American meteorologists actively monitored the behavior of typhoons in Pacific Ocean. Trying to prevent confusion, researchers gave the manifestations of the elements the names of their own mothers-in-law and wives. At the end of the war, the United States National Weather Service compiled a special list of hurricane names that were short and easy to remember. Thus, the compilation of statistical data for researchers has become significantly easier.
Specific rules for naming hurricanes appeared in the 50s of the last century. At first, the phonetic alphabet was used. However, the method turned out to be inconvenient. Soon, meteorologists decided to return to a proven option, namely, the use of female names. Subsequently, it became a system. How hurricanes are named in the United States has also been learned in other countries around the world. The principle of choosing short, memorable names began to be used to identify typhoons formed in all oceans.
In the 1970s, the process for naming hurricanes was streamlined. Thus, the first major natural phenomenon of the year began to be designated as the shortest, sweetest female name by the first letter of the alphabet. Subsequently, names were used by other letters according to their sequence in the alphabet. To identify the manifestations of the elements, a wide list was compiled, which included 84 female names. In 1979, meteorologists decided to expand the presented list to include male names of hurricanes.
"San Calixto"
One of the largest hurricanes in history, it was named after the famous Roman martyr bishop. According to documented information, a natural phenomenon swept across the Caribbean islands back in 1780. As a result of the disaster, about 95% of all buildings were damaged. The hurricane raged for 11 days and killed 27,000 people. A crazy storm destroyed the entire British fleet stationed in the Caribbean.
"Katrina"
Perhaps Hurricane Katrina in America became the most discussed in history. A natural disaster with a cute female name caused devastating consequences in the territories near the Gulf of Mexico. As a result of the disaster, the infrastructure in and Louisiana was almost completely destroyed. The hurricane killed about 2,000 people. The states of Florida, Alabama, Ohio, Georgia, and Kentucky were also affected. As for its territory, it was subjected to a serious flood.
Subsequently, the disaster led to a social catastrophe. Hundreds of thousands of people were left homeless. The cities that suffered the most destruction became the epicenter of mass crime. Statistics on theft of property, looting, and robberies have reached incredible numbers. The government managed to return life to normal only a year later.
"Irma"
Hurricane Irma is one of the most recent tropical cyclones with extremely destructive consequences. A natural phenomenon formed in August 2017, near the Cape Verde Islands in the Atlantic Ocean. In September, the hurricane received a category five threat. Settlements located in the south suffered catastrophic destruction Bahamas. More than half the population lost their housing.
Then Hurricane Irma reached Cuba. Soon the capital, Havana, was completely flooded. According to meteorologists, waves up to 7 meters high were recorded here. Heavy wind gusts reached speeds of 250 km/h.
On September 10, a natural disaster reached the coast of Florida. Local authorities had to urgently evacuate more than 6 million people. The hurricane soon moved to Miami, where it caused severe destruction. A few days later, Irma's category dropped to its minimum level. On September 12 of this year, the hurricane completely disintegrated.
"Harvey"
Hurricane Harvey in the United States is a natural phenomenon that formed on August 17, 2017. tropical cyclone caused flooding in the southern and eastern parts. The consequence was the death of more than 80 people. After the catastrophic destruction in Houston, cases of theft and looting increased significantly. City authorities were forced to impose a curfew. Public order became controlled by the military.
Elimination of damage after Hurricane Harvey in the United States required the allocation of $8 billion from the budget. However, according to experts, it is not necessary to fully restore the infrastructure in the affected areas. populated areas, more significant financial injections will be required, estimated at approximately 70 billion.
"Camilla"
In August 1969, one of the largest cyclones in history formed, which was named Camilla. The epicenter of the strike was in the United States. Natural phenomenon, which was assigned the fifth category of danger, hit the state of Mississippi. The incredible amount of rainfall led to widespread flooding of areas. Researchers were never able to measure the maximum wind force due to the destruction of all meteorological instruments. Therefore, the real power of Hurricane Camille remains a mystery to this day.
As a result of the disaster, more than 250 people went missing. About 8,900 residents of Mississippi, Virginia, Louisiana and Alabama were injured varying degrees gravity. Thousands of houses were under water, buried under trees and covered by landslides. Material damage to the state amounted to about $6 billion.
"Mitch"
Hurricane Mitch caused a real disaster in the late 90s. The epicenter of the disaster was in the Atlantic Basin. In Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua, the largest number of buildings and roads were destroyed. Died big number of people. According to official data, the disaster took the lives of 11,000 people. A similar number of people were included in the lists of missing persons. A significant part of African territories has turned into continuous mud swamps. Cities began to suffer massively from shortages drinking water. Hurricane Mitch raged for a whole month.
"Andrew"
Andrew also deserves a place on the list of the strongest hurricanes in history. In 1992, he walked throughout the entire territory, affecting the states of Florida and Louisiana. According to official data, the disaster caused $26 billion in damage to the United States. Although experts say that this amount is significantly underestimated, and the real losses are 34 billion.