The United States experiences periods of catastrophic weather occurrences, especially between June and November. In “How Do Hurricanes Form? A Step-Step Guide”, Plumer and Arrieta-Kenna indicate that people get bombarded with different meteorological terms during this period. Terms such as “Tropical storm, Tropical depression, Category 3 hurricanes, Category 4 hurricanes” are invidiously used (3). However, in research from Plumer and Arrieta-Kenna, these terms characterize different weather events.
The most important aspect is for the population to understand the diverse phases of a hurricane, step by step. Plumer and Arrieta-Kenna seek to describe the different phases of the hurricane by using the case of Hurricane Irma, which struck in 2017. It commenced as a wave off the African coast. It kept becoming bigger, causing major destruction on numerous Caribbean islands and finally hitting the U.S coast of Florida as a Category 4 storm (2). Plumer and Arrieta-Kenna use their knowledge of the development of a hurricane to prompt the reader’s feelings to make them understand the differences in terms used by meteorologists. They begin by describing the initial stage of a hurricane in the form of a tropical disturbance. A systematized thunderstorm commotion characterizes the first stage. The activity stretches for 100 miles and keeps this character for over 24 hours (RedCross). The tropical disturbances usually begin as storms in the course of the summer that move westward off the coast of Africa in the form of “tropical waves.” The attention of meteorologists is usually drawn to tropical disturbances that show signs of further development, after which they start to observe their progression keenly (14).
Plumer and Arrieta-Kenna continue to build on the logic of a hurricane by introducing the second stage, which they call a cyclone or tropical depression. In a logical progression, they introduce a spinning element into the tropical disturbance. Spinning takes place in a region where the tropical disturbance bounces into low pressure. According to Plumer and Arrieta-Kenna, other favorable conditions for forming a cyclone include warm water with temperatures not less than 80°F. Adequate moisture must also be manifest, and the local winds need to be arranged in a manner that facilitates spinning (4a). The readers are taken to the next stage of developing a hurricane, which entails a decline in pressure allowing more air into the cyclone that engenders strong winds. The additional power and speed of wind exceeding 39 mph create a tropical storm. Irma reached this stage on August 30, 2017, in the far eastern Atlantic.
Finally, Plumer and Arrieta-Kenna introduce the term hurricane, which embodies the fourth stage of development. A hurricane occurs when a tropical storm passes over a region with warmer temperatures, and winds maintain their speed. In the process, pressure at the center of the tropical storm decreases, and the winds accelerate, creating the form of a circle that appears like an eye. Once the winds hit and sustain a speed of 74 mph or more, the tropical storm qualifies to be called a hurricane. The hurricane is then classified based on the damage they cause and the speed of the wind. The Saffir-Simpson Scale is used to classify hurricanes, with category 1 signifying less intensity (wind speed of 74 – 95 mph) and category 5 being the most extreme (wind speed of 155 mph and above) (3a) (NHC/NOAA). Irma attained wind speeds of 185 mph, earning it a category five classification. The hurricane is scaled down to a tropical storm once the wind speeds drop to below 74 mph.
Works cited
NHC/NOAA. “Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.” Nhc.Noaa.Gov, Web.
Plumer, Brad, and Ruairí Arrieta-Kenna. “How Do Hurricanes Form? A Step-by-Step Guide.” Vox, 2017, Web.
RedCross. “Hurricane vs. Typhoon.” Redcross.Org, Web.