Severe_weather_assignment

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1009

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Geography

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Feb 20, 2024

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Tornadoes and Hurricanes Complete the following assignment offline, then upload your answers to canvas by the listed due date. Note that multiple choice answers may be listed in a different order in Canvas, so make sure you are choosing correctly (each question is worth 2 points, 40 point total) 1. The table above shows the number of tornadoes reported in the US by decade. Why might the total for 2000s be so much higher than the total for the 1950s.  Better detection systems including doppler radar  Higher population to observe tornadoes  More thorough documentation of tornado events  All of these The three maps on the next page show three different ways to display U.S. tornado statistics to the public. Answer the following questions about the maps 2. On the top map which 4 states have the greatest number of tornadoes?  California, Ohio, Indiana, Texas  Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Florida  Texas, Nebraska, Kentucky, Kansas  Oklahoma, Colorado, Kansas, Iowa 3. When looking at the second map, which normalizes the tornado occurrence based on area, do the same states have the maximum tornado threat?  All four states are the same  None of the states are the same  Texas is still on the list, but the other states aren’t  One state dropped off the list 4. Which of the three maps would you consider the best at showing tornado hazard of a particular city? Why?

The Storm Prediction Center (SPC) builds convective outlook maps multiple times a day to show where severe weather is likely. After a severe weather event a storm damage map displays wind, hail, and tornado damage reports. Go to the SPC home page https://www.spc.noaa.gov/products/outlook/ to look at a severe outbreak. Scroll down to the bottom of the page, and enter the date April 27, 2011 (enter it as 20110427) in the Start and End Date fields under Retrieve Previous Outlooks. The click on Retrieve Outlooks (it may take some time to retrieve). Under Day 1 Convective outlooks click on “day1otlk_20110427_1300.html”. 5. Which area was the greatest risk for severe thunderstorms for this date, tornadoes, damaging wind, and hail?  Central Texas  Northern and central Alabama  Southern Iowa  Central Florida Open another tab and go to the SPC storm reports page at https://www.spc.noaa.gov/climo/ . Scroll down to “Storm report data for past days” then in the box type in “110427” and click “Get Data”. 6. How many tornado reports for that day (hint…look at the map legend)?  26  132  292  401 7. Which states had the most tornadoes?  Kentucky and Ohio  Texas and Oklahoma  Alabama and Mississippi  Michigan and Wisconsin Search on the internet for “Joplin Missouri 2011 tornado damage images”. Examine several of the images 8. Is it more likely that this was a weak (EF-0 or EF-1) tornado or a strong (EF-4 or EF-5) tornado?  Weak  Strong

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The map above shows the tracks and intensities of nearly 150 years of tropical cyclones. It is based on all storm tracks available from the National Hurricane Center and the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. Answer the next three questions using data from the map and the lecture. 9. What area has experienced the greatest number of category 4 and 5 storms?  Western Pacific  Southern Atlantic  Indian Ocean  Eastern Atlantic 10. Why do hurricanes not form in the very heart of the tropics near the equator?  The sea-surface temperature is too low  The Coriolis effect isn’t strong enough at the equator  The sea-surface temperature is too high  All hurricanes form at the equator 11. Explain the absence of storms in the South Atlantic and the eastern South Pacific.  The sea-surface temperature is too low  The Coriolis effect isn’t strong enough  The sea-surface temperature is too high  Lack of wind shear

12. Although observational tools and hurricane forecasts continue to improve, the potential for loss of property due to hurricanes in rapidly growing. Why might this be the case?  Increased construction of infrastructure in areas prone to hurricanes  Increased population and housing in areas prone to hurricanes  Both increased construction and population  None of these The next three questions pertain to the figure above. Assume it is late September 2028 and Hurricane Hanna, a category 5 storm, is projected to follow the path shown on the map above. Answer the following three questions: 13. At what point did Hanna receive its name?  When it became a tropical depression  When it became a tropical storm  When it became a hurricane  When it became a major hurricane 14. What is the greatest threat to life and property if the storm approaches the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex as a result of Hurricane Hanna?  Storm surge  Flash flooding  Wind  Cold

The graph above shows wind speed and central air pressure data for Hurricane Rita, which was a major storm on the Gulf Coast in 2005 (some of you probably remember it). The data are plotted from the storm’s beginning as an unnamed tropical disturbance north of the Dominican Republic on September 18 until the last remnants faded away in Illinois on September 26. Curve a is the pressure and curve b is the wind speed in knots. Use the graph to answer the three questions below. 15. Find the maximum wind speed from the graph (remember that it is in knots). Convert the maximum wind speed to kilometers per hour (kph) by multiplying by 1.85. What was the maximum wind speed in kilometers per hour?  57 kph  188 kph  287 kph  362 kph 16. Using the maximum wind speed as a guide from the last question, what was the highest category reached on the Saffir-Simpson scale?  2  3  4  5

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17. When landfall occurred, what category was Hurricane Rita (remember that you need to convert to kph by multiplying the value in knots by 1.85)?  2  3  4  5 Hurricane Katrina was the costliest hurricane in US history, with damages totaling $170 billion. It was also one of the deadliest with 1833 fatalities. More than 1 million people were displaced across the Gulf Coast region. Go to the National Weather Service Katrina Graphics archive at https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2005/KATRINA_graphics.shtml An animation showing evolution of the warning cone through the life of the storm should play so that you can evaluate the evolution of Hurricane Katrina’s track. If necessary you can stop the animation, adjust the speed, and advance the animation one frame at a time using the controls on the left side. You can look at animations of the 3- and 5-day warning cones, strike probability, and wind swaths, by selecting graphics in the upper left. Answer questions 13-16 about what you observed. 18. When was a hurricane watch issued for the Gulf coast? When was this changed to a hurricane warning?  Watch at 10 am on Aug. 27, warning at 10 pm on Aug. 27  Watch at 10 am on Aug. 27, warning at 10 pm on Aug. 26  Watch at 10 am on Aug. 27, warning at 10 pm on Aug. 29  No watches or warnings were issued 19. On what date did the eye (center) of Hurricane Katrina make landfall in Louisiana?  Aug. 27  Aug. 28  Aug. 29  Aug. 30 Find a map online and locate New Orleans, Louisiana and Gulfport, Mississippi. Most loss of life occurred in New Orleans, which has an average elevation of 1-2 feet below sea level, with some areas as low as 7 feet (2 meters) below sea level. Levies and floodwalls holding back water from the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain broke at several locations because of the heavy rainfall. Do an internet search for “Hurricane Katrina New Orleans damage pictures”. Then, do another search for “Hurricane Katrina Gulfport-Biloxi, Mississippi damage pictures.”

20. Briefly describe the differences in damage between the two locations. What phenomena do you think caused the differences in damage between New Orleans and Gulfport?

Severe_weather_assignment

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