The Hurricane Train is Coming to A Neighborhood Near You

September 3, 2008 at 2:37 pm (Blogroll, environment, society, weather)
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Is something really crazy in the world of weather, or has the Hurricane Storm god unleashed its fury as a wake up call? Grab your gas cans and get ready because “the future is uncertain, and the end is always near.”~ Jim Morrison, the Doors.

Even before Hurricane Gustav put in his appearance in the Gulf, tropical storms, including Hannah, were brewing in the steamy Atlantic hurricane cauldron. Now, Hurricane Hannah is being followed by Hurricane Ike and close behind, Hurricane Josephine. The storms are relatively ”weak’ right now, but hurricanes can intensify quickly once they enter the shallower and warmer waters off the coast. So far, four storms have been ticked off the hurricane names list already, and it’s only the first week of September!

Will any of these storms compare to Hurricane Katrina in terms of strength and destruction? That remains to be seen, as NOAA’s weather forecasters and the Air Force’s Hurricane Hunters are busily gathering data for their sophisticated forecasting programs. Fortunately, Hurricane Gustav inflicted only a few billion dollars in damages, yet there remains plenty of recovery work to be done in New Orleans and throughout Louisiana. The government’s attention is now shifting towards the east coast, where Hurricane Hannah is soon to unleash her fury. What will the cost of recovery from Hannah, Ike, Josephine and the others yet to come?

Naturally, that figure is unknown, since it depends on a wide variety of factors. The actual loss from this year’s hurricane season won’t be known until it’s finally over. The wild card factor is what the impact will be upon the nation’s struggling economy if the oil drilling rigs and refineries take a hit any time this year. While oil prices are falling at the present time, good news for the consumer, they could return to a much higher level in short-order if any of the approaching storms inflict sufficient damage to those strategically important oil states.

Want to become an informed expert on the subject of Hurricanes? Read these articles and find the facts behind the science that the forecasters are looking for.

What Causes a Hurricane?

http://www.helium.com/tm/620278/describe-hurricanes-begins-relationship

Origin of the Word Hurricane.

http://www.helium.com/tm/845638/there-possible-origins-hurricane

 

The Hurricane Hunters

http://www.helium.com/items/1009512-the-hurricane-hunters

 

Anatomy of a Hurricane

http://www.helium.com/items/1107020-hurricane-hurricanes-hurricane-Camille-navy-hurricane-hunters-typhoons-willy

 

Life Cycle of a Hurricane

http://www.helium.com/items/1164181-hurricane-hurricanes-most-powerful-hurricanes-hurricane-windshurricane-path

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Hurricane Names for 2008

July 3, 2008 at 8:30 pm (Blogroll, Politics, romance, society, weather)
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It’s a brave, new hurricane season and hurricane Bertha is gestating off the coast of Africa. Bertha is a great name for a hurricane, nothing remarkable about it and it’s not likely to be one of the recently memorable hurricanes like Katina, Rita, Andrew, or Camille. But what’s in a hurricane’s name?

Have you ever wondered about the naming rationale used by the folks at the National Hurricane Center? The only information that the National Hurricane Center provides is that the name should be short, distinctive, given (whatever that means) and not prone to communications error. So, let’s take a look at this years list.

The list begins with Arthur and Bertha. Next in line comes Cristobal, Dolly, Edouard, Fay and Gustav. Then we see Hanna, Ike, Josephine, Kyle, Laura, Marco and Nana. Closing out the season we will see Omar, Paloma, Rene, Sally, Teddy, Vicky and Wilfred. Nice folks, if you like.

Out of 21 names, I would guess that 15 are of European, mostly English, linguist origin. Four are Hispanic, and the rest seem to be middle eastern origin. So why should anyone look at this list and the meaning behind the names? Of course the list of names represents both male and female genders, although most names from other nationalities are male. Must be too much trouble to invoke the name of a female not of Euro descent.

Well, first of all, the word itself, “Hurricane” is of Native American, possible Carib or Mayan origin. So where are the distinctive Native American names? Maybe they just aren’t aware of any names beyond Tecumsch, Geronimo, Pocahontas, Sitting Bull, or Crazy Horse. Furthermore, where are the African-American or Muslim names, female or male?

The folks at the National Hurricane Center don’t like to change their list of hurricane names. In fact, they are prepared six years in advance and are rotated every so often. I wonder if they can be convinced to change their perspective and include the names of all nationalities and races. Or are they reserving the names of the most powerful storms on earth for themselves?

If you would like to learn more about the history of naming or how hurricanes are formed, jog on over to Hurricane or Hurricanes For interesting articles.

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The Formation of Hurricanes

March 15, 2008 at 5:14 pm (Blogroll, society)
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The ghost of Hurricane Katrina is going to be haunting our nation for years to come. The Gulf Coast and especially the Crescent City, New Orleans have much to be concerned about. Rebuilding these devastated areas is taking great effort and consuming valuable economic resources. Thousands of people and their families will never forget, nor should they, how the government failed to protect them and then assist them in recovery. Not to blame the government entirely, because there is a strong element of human pride, poverty, and the human condition that also contributed to the toll taken on the people of the Gulf. Regardless of the arguments over it however, hurricanes will return year after year, and with every hurricane season the good people of the Gulf Coast and New Orleans will pray that the coming storm will pass them by. The images and the ravages of Hurricane Katrina, Camille, Albert, and many others will serve to remind us that every year these storms are sure to return when the oceans begin to heat up under the blaze of the summer sun. The Maya and Carib people considered these storms Gods because of their destructive power.

Hurricanes are perhaps the most fearsome and devestating natural force we will  ever encounter. Learn more about the formation and early encounters with hurricanes in these two articles. The article Hurricane explores the origin of the word for these monster storms, and the article Hurricanes explores how hurricanes are formed.

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