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What creates a Katrina? – Hurricane season is starting up again, and scientists are launching a major field project next month in the tropical Atlantic Ocean to solve a central mystery of hurricanes: Why do certain clusters of tropical thunderstorms grow into the often-deadly storms while many others dissipate? The results should eventually help forecasters provide more advance warning to those in harm’s way. It turns out that one of the things that causes hurricanes to grow is phyloplankton, which is an essential ingredient for the fish we eat and the air we breathe. But too much of it can lead to BIGGER storms.
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How will this affect the oil spill? – If we know what’s coming, we can be prepared: A group of Florida scientists who have developed a computer model for predicting hurricanes with unprecedented accuracy are forecasting an unusually active season coming our way this year.
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It’s well known that when hurricanes hit land, there’s a risk that tornadoes may form in the area. Tornadoes that occur from hurricanes moving inland from the Gulf Coast are increasing in frequency, reflecting an increase in size and frequency among large hurricanes that make landfall from the Gulf of Mexico. We hear news about hurricanes hitting states like Florida and Louisiana, but for some reason, they never seem to land in California. The only hurricane every to have hit California landed in 1858, and now scientists know why they’re so rare.
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Don’t say we didn’t warn you: Powerful storms crossed the central and northeastern US as Hurricane Bill became an ‘extremely dangerous’ storm in the South Atlantic. So far this year, the US tornado season has been relatively mild, but it threatened to increase in intensity today as powerful storms struck from Colorado to New York.New York’s Central Park lost over a hundred trees to 80 MPH winds, one of the strongest storms to strike the park in years. Meanwhile, Hurricane Bill increased in strength to a Category 4 storm and was expected to strengthen further as it continues to move north and west toward the US East Coast.
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