Process Essay: The Four Parts Of A Hurricane

Parts of a Hurricane

There are four major parts of a hurricane: the eye, eyewall, rain bands, and the outflow. The eye is the center of the hurricane. It is the calmest aspect of a hurricane because there are no high, damaging winds. In fact, the winds speeds are around 15mph. The eye is generally 20 to 40 miles across and is an important indicator about the formation of a hurricane because it is generally the most prominent aspect of a hurricane on radar and satellite images. In contrast, the eyewall is most dangerous part of a hurricane since it contains the heaviest rains and strongest winds. It is made of convective thunderstorms that form a “ring” around the eye. These walls are constantly changing, indicating changes in wind speed and storm intensity. Such changes make it difficult to predict the strength of a forming storm. The rain bands are spread out bands of clouds and thunderstorms that spiral out of the eyewall. They accompany heavy periods of rain and wind and are the outermost part of a hurricane. The winds in the rain bands decrease as

The development of a tropical depression into a hurricane requires heat form the ocean’s surface. Warm water heats the air above the ocean which leads to a drop in air pressure. The drop in air pressure brings about strong winds which leads to more water vapor present, which makes a hurricane stronger because of the conviction at the storm’s center. This is the positive feedback loop that exists within a hurricane, making it stronger with each movement. For this reason, hurricanes that pass over cold water start to lose their momentum and power, leading to the downgrading their status to a tropical storm. Studies have shown that since global warming is increasing the temperature of the oceans, hurricanes are getting more and more intense, posing a greater threat for irreparable damage (Hurricane Genesis,