Geography Quest: Hurricane Tracking Edition

We are coming into the end of the 2013 hurricane season, but there is still enough activity out there to track a storm. Have you ever tracked a hurricane by map?

Determine the Optimum Conditions for Hurricane Formation

• Weather Wiz Kid has a page on Hurricanes which explains what they are and how they are formed.
• Create-a-Cane from NOAA allows you to virtually create the ideal conditions to form a hurricane.
• The Coriolis Effect– Watch the video below to find out how the Coriolis Effect determines where hurricanes are formed. Takes me right back to my graduate class in oceanography!
• Locate on a map where most Atlantic hurricanes are formed. Does this area meet the ideal conditions?
• Based on the information in the video, where do you think cyclones and typhoons are formed in the Pacific and Indian Oceans?

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aeY9tY9vKgs&w=853&h=480&rel=0]

Track a Hurricane with a Hurricane Tracking Map

• Hurricane Tracking Chart– for the Atlantic Basin
• Use the chart and meteorological websites to keep track of tropical depressions, tropical storms, and hurricanes.
• If you have a mobile device, it might be fun to find a hurricane tracking app. You can follow the storms that way as well.

That is a challenge should you choose to accept it. While the Atlantic hurricane season has been quiet this year, the cyclone season in the Pacific has not been. Enjoy a look at hurricane formation and tracking.

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