A hurricane is stronger or weaker than a storm. The most powerful hurricanes, tornadoes and typhoons. The most powerful hurricanes in Russia

A cyclone originating over the ocean is called either a tropical storm, a typhoon, or a hurricane. But how are they different?

tropical storm called a cyclone in which the wind speed does not exceed 117 km/h (or 30 m/s). As soon as the wind in a tropical storm exceeds this indicator, it begins to be called a Hurricane or Typhoon. What's the difference between them? No!

Hurricane or in English hurricane- named after the Mayan wind god Huracan. A hurricane is usually called a tropical cyclone in the South and North America.

Typhoon- this is the name of a cyclone in the Far East and Southeast Asia.

Tropical cyclones can cause not only extreme downpours, but also large waves on the sea surface, storm surges and tornadoes. Tropical cyclones can form and maintain their strength only over the surface of large bodies of water, while over land they quickly lose strength. That is why coastal areas and islands suffer the most from the destruction they cause, while areas inland are relatively safe. However, heavy rains caused by tropical cyclones can cause significant flooding a little further from the coast, at a distance of up to 40 km. Although the effect of tropical cyclones on humans is often very negative, significant amounts of water can end droughts. Tropical cyclones carry a large number of energy from tropical latitudes towards temperate latitudes, which makes them an important component of global atmospheric circulation processes. Thanks to them, the difference in temperature in different parts of the Earth's surface is reduced, which allows the existence of a more temperate climate on the entire surface of the planet.

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Unbridled natural phenomena. It is impossible to prescribe the rules of conduct for a tornado or hurricane, to direct a typhoon or a tornado along the right path. There are even scientific developments of this weapon, against which humanity is powerless.

But, until now, these phenomena have not been fully studied, which is why they are dangerous. And, and for all living things.

website - Let's dream together about indomitable and unbridled tropical destroyers.

Christopher Columbus first mentioned this in his notes back in 1495.

A tropical cyclone is formed due to pressure changes over water surfaces. Humid and hot air rushes upward, condenses, and thereby receives incredible energy, moving in a spiral. And it pours out onto the ground in the form of precipitation.

They occur mainly in tropical latitudes, hence the name.

It is believed that W. Shakespeare “legitimized” the spelling of the word hurricane.

The largest hurricane can be compared in size with the state

1. These unbridled phenomena are capable of producing so much energy in one day that this is quite enough to light the streets of a large metropolis for several years.
2. One small "buoy" dumps 9 trillion liters of precipitation per day (shower and rain).
3. The hurricane dumps tens of tons on the beaches. Many waterfowl who died under the influence of the enormous pressure of the elements had their eyes gouged out.
4. The direction of its rotation depends on the hemisphere in which it originated. In the South, they rotate in the direction of the clock and, accordingly, in the North, in the opposite direction.
5. More powerful cyclones and typhoons occur in the North, with the movement "against".

Downpours, tornadoes, huge waves and storm surges retain their power only over the surface of the seas, oceans and large bodies of water. When approaching land, they instantly lose their strength and subside.

If you make associations: a tornado is as wide as a hot dog, and a hurricane is as wide as a football field in a stadium

1. If we consider only the last 200 years, there were almost 2 million human casualties from such disasters around the world.
2. Hurricanes and typhoons “reach” beaches when its center crosses the coastline.
3. The largest hurricane can be compared to the size of a state. Up to 1000 km in diameter. Average size up to 350 km.
4. Such phenomena never occur at the equator. This happens because they need the Coriolis force for rotation (inertial force), and in this place it is the weakest on the planet.
5. Oddly enough, but these are an important and integral part of the weather system of our planet. Typhoons, tornadoes and hurricanes transport huge masses of hot, humid air from the tropics to the poles. Balancing humidity and temperature in the Earth's atmosphere. In their absence, part of the animal world would simply die out from heat and drought.

“Hurricanes are like people. Every storm has the characteristics of a living creature..." Desmond Bagley

The eye is the center of the cyclone

Why are hurricanes given female names?

Until 1953, they were given names completely haphazardly. By numbers or by the first letters of the alphabet. After this year, the World Meteorological Organization decided to give them easy-to-pronounce female names.

US military weather forecasters did this jokingly, in honor of the indomitable temper of their mothers-in-law and wives. This tradition has become part of the system. Currently, they are sometimes used male names. Cyclones Bob, David and Frederick have already been sent to a “well-deserved rest”.

1. There are 6 separate lists of hurricane names. Special rule: each list is used only for 1 year, and is repeated every 7th. The most destructive and destructive names are removed from the list to prevent their recurrence.
2. The largest in terms of destruction was Katrina. Caused more than US$100 million in damage.

Conditions for the occurrence of cyclones

Such natural phenomena simply cannot arise in the middle of a lake. To thrive, they need certain conditions:

• The depth of the reservoir is at least 60 m
• The water temperature in it is from 27°C
• The higher the temperature, the more destructive and powerful the hurricane

Video

Like human curiosity and the desire to film, does not stop from the deadly danger of a tsunami.

What is the difference between a tornado and a hurricane

Hurricanes can last for several days. And with a tornado, the elements rage from a couple of tens of minutes to several hours.

If we draw associations: a tornado is as wide as a hot dog, and a hurricane as a football field in a stadium.

1. Tornadoes are predominantly caused by hurricanes. Hurricane Andrew (1992) produced 62 tornadoes, and Hurricane Beulah (1967) produced a whopping 141. A tornado can start even a week after a hurricane.
2. There is an unusual consequence - the Fujiwara phenomenon. When two or more cyclonic vortices revolve around each other and a common core. This creates a more powerful and powerful tropical vortex.

Up to 10 tropical storms form annually. Of these, only 6 turn into a hurricane

1. A tornado has speed and far exceeds the strength of a hurricane. Like a sprinter: the distance is shorter and the speed is greater. A hurricane's speed exceeds 30m/sec.
2. The eye is the center of the cyclone. The air drops down there and the weather is very calm and clear. "Eye" has correct form circumference and diameter up to 370 km (maximum).
3. Around the “eye” there is a ring of thunderclouds. They are called a wall. It causes the most destructive consequences.

The same natural phenomenon such as a storm or tropical cyclone in different parts oceans have their own names:

1. Up to 10 tropical storms form annually. Of these, only 6 turn into a hurricane.
2. Five of them hit the shores of the United States.
3. An attempt was made to influence the strength and direction of the elements. A project called Stormfury was organized (1962-1983). Aircraft were sent to the center of the cyclone, which emitted silver iodides. It was assumed that they would cause the supercooled water in the storm to freeze, and the structure of the cyclone would be destroyed.

Small natural disasters were stopped in this way. But later it turned out that for the most part there is not such a large amount of supercooled water in the clouds and, by and large, this is a waste of money.

Based on the damage and destruction caused, Patricia was named the most powerful destructive hurricane on the planet.

Currently, this service is engaged in monitoring and forecasting the intensity of incipient cyclones.

The most powerful hurricane in the world

Based on the damage and destruction caused, Patricia was named the most powerful destructive hurricane on the planet. He attacked Mexico in October 2015. Periodically, the wind created gusts of up to 400 km/h.

What is more destructive: earthquake or hurricane?

If we compare the destructiveness and consequences of earthquakes and cyclones, then the following happens every year in the world:

• 500,000 vibrations of the earth's crust with victims of up to 100,000 people
• 85 typhoons, hurricanes and tornadoes with much less consequences

Scientists blame global warming, human factors and natural repeating cycles for the increasing number of such cases.

Only time will tell what awaits us.

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Hurricane in the broad sense of the word, it is a strong wind with a speed of over 30 m/s. A hurricane (in the tropics of the Pacific Ocean - a typhoon) always blows counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere of the Earth, and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere.

This concept covers both the breeze, and the storm, and the hurricane itself. This wind with a speed of over 120 km/h (12 points) “lives”, that is, moves on the planet, usually for 9-12 days. Forecasters give it a name to make it easier to work with it. A few years ago these were only women's names, but after much protest by women's organizations, this discrimination was abolished.

Hurricanes are one of the most powerful natural forces. In terms of their harmful effects, they are not inferior to such terrible natural disasters as earthquakes. This is explained by the fact that they carry colossal energy. The amount of it released by an average hurricane in one hour is equal to the energy of a nuclear explosion of 36 Mgt.

Hurricane wind destroys strong and demolishes light buildings, devastates sown fields, breaks wires and knocks down power and communication lines, damages highways and bridges, breaks and uproots trees, damages and sinks ships, causes accidents in utility and energy networks in production . There were cases when hurricane winds destroyed dams and dams, which led to large floods, threw trains off the rails, tore bridges from their supports, knocked down factory chimneys, and washed ships ashore.

Hurricanes and stormy winds in winter often lead to snow storms, when huge masses of snow move from one place to another at high speed. Their duration can be from several hours to several days. Snowstorms that occur simultaneously with snowfall, at low temperatures or with sudden changes in temperature are especially dangerous. Under these conditions, a snowstorm turns into a true natural disaster, causing significant damage to regions. Houses, farm buildings and livestock buildings are covered with snow. Sometimes the snowdrifts reach the height of a four-story building. Over a large area long time Due to snow drifts, the movement of all types of transport stops. Communication is disrupted, the supply of electricity, heat and water is cut off. Human casualties are also common.

In our country, hurricanes most often occur in the Primorsky and Khabarovsk territories, Sakhalin, Kamchatka, Chukotka, Kuril Islands. One of the strongest hurricanes in Kamchatka occurred on the night of March 13, 1988. Glass and doors were broken in thousands of apartments, the wind bent traffic lights and poles, roofs were torn off hundreds of houses, and trees were knocked down. The power supply to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky failed, and the city was left without heat and water. The wind speed reached 140 km/h.

On the territory of Russia, hurricanes, storms and tornadoes can occur at any time of the year, but most often in August and September. This cyclicality helps forecasts. Forecasters classify hurricanes, storms and tornadoes as extreme events with a moderate propagation speed, so most often it will be possible to announce a storm warning. It can be transmitted through the channels of civil defense: after the sound of the siren "Attention everyone!" you need to listen to local radio and television.

The most important characteristic of a hurricane is its wind speed. From the table below. 1 (on the Beaufort scale) the dependence of wind speed and the name of the modes is visible, which indicates the strength of the hurricane (storm, storm).

Hurricane sizes vary widely. Usually its width is taken to be the width of the zone of catastrophic destruction. Often this zone is supplemented with an area of ​​storm force winds with relatively little damage. Then the width of the hurricane is measured in hundreds of kilometers, sometimes reaching 1000.

For typhoons (tropical hurricanes in the Pacific Ocean), the destruction strip is usually 15-45 km.

The average duration of a hurricane is 9-12 days.

Often the downpours that accompany a hurricane are much more dangerous than the hurricane wind itself (they cause flooding and destruction of buildings and structures).

Table 1. Name of wind regime depending on wind speed

Storm is a wind that is slower than a hurricane. However, it is quite large and reaches 15-20 m/s. Losses and destruction from storms are significantly less than from hurricanes. Sometimes a strong storm is called a storm.

The duration of storms is from several hours to several days, the width is from tens to several hundred kilometers. Both are often accompanied by fairly significant precipitation.

In the summer, heavy downpours accompanying hurricanes often, in turn, cause such natural phenomena as mudflows and landslides.

Thus, in July 1989, the powerful typhoon “Judy” swept from the south to the north of the Far Eastern region with a speed of 46 m/s and heavy rainfall. 109 settlements were flooded, in which about 2 thousand houses were damaged, 267 bridges were destroyed and demolished, 1,340 km of roads, 700 km of power lines were disabled, and 120 thousand hectares of farmland were flooded. 8,000 people were evacuated from dangerous areas. There were also human casualties.

Classification of hurricanes and storms

Hurricanes are usually divided into tropical and extra-tropical. Tropical are called hurricanes that originate in tropical latitudes, and extratropical- in extratronic ones. In addition, tropical hurricanes are often divided into hurricanes that originate over Atlantic ocean and over Quiet. The latter are usually called typhoons.

There is no generally accepted, established classification of storms. Most often they are divided into two groups: vortex and flow.

Vortex They are complex vortex formations caused by cyclonic activity and spreading over large areas.

Vortex storms are divided into dust, snow and squall. In winter they turn into snow. In Russia, such storms are often called blizzards, blizzards, and blizzards.

Squalls usually occur suddenly and are extremely short in duration (several minutes). For example, within 10 minutes the wind speed can increase from 3 to 31 m/s.

Streaming- These are local phenomena of small distribution. They are unique, sharply isolated and inferior in importance to vortex storms.

Stream storms are divided into katabatic and jet storms. With drainage, the air flow moves along the slope from top to bottom. Jets are characterized by the fact that the air flow moves horizontally or even up a slope. They most often pass between chains of mountains connecting valleys.

Tornado

Tornado (tornado) is an ascending vortex consisting of extremely rapidly rotating air mixed with particles of moisture, sand, dust and other suspended matter. It is a rapidly rotating funnel of air hanging from a cloud and falling to the ground in the form of a trunk. This is the smallest form of vortex air movement in terms of size and the highest rotation speed.

Tornado it is difficult not to notice: it is a dark column of spinning air with a diameter of several tens to several hundred meters. As he approaches, a deafening roar is heard. A tornado originates under a thundercloud and seems to hang from it when it has a curved axis of rotation (the air rotates in a column counterclockwise at a speed of up to 100 meters per second). Inside the giant air funnel, the pressure is always low, so everything that the vortex is capable of tearing off the ground is sucked in and rises in a spiral.

A tornado moves above the ground at an average speed of 50-60 km/h. Observers note that his appearance immediately causes panic.

Tornadoes form in many areas of the globe. Very often accompanied by thunderstorms, hail and downpours of extraordinary strength and size.

They occur both over the water surface and over land. Most often - during hot weather and high humidity, when air instability in the lower layers of the atmosphere appeared especially sharply. As a rule, a tornado is born from a cumulonimbus cloud, descending to the ground in the form of a dark funnel. Sometimes they occur in clear weather. What parameters characterize tornadoes?

Firstly, the size of a tornado cloud in diameter is 5-10 km, less often up to 15. The height is 4-5 km, sometimes up to 15. The distance between the base of the cloud and the ground is usually small, on the order of several hundred meters. Secondly, at the base of the mother cloud of a tornado there is a collar cloud. Its width is 3-4 km, thickness is approximately 300 m, the upper surface is at a height for the most part, 1500 m. Below the collar cloud lies a wall cloud, from the lower surface of which the tornado itself hangs. Thirdly, the width of the wall cloud is 1.5-2 km, thickness 300-450 m, the lower surface is at an altitude of 500-600 m.

The tornado itself is like a pump, sucking in and lifting various relatively small objects into the cloud. Once in the vortex ring, they are supported in it and transported for tens of kilometers.

Funnel - main component tornado It is a spiral vortex. The internal cavity is from tens to hundreds of meters in diameter.

In the walls of a tornado, air movement is directed in a spiral and often reaches speeds of up to 200 m/s. Dust, debris, various objects, people, animals rise up not in the internal cavity, usually empty, but in the walls.

The thickness of the walls of dense tornadoes is significantly less than the width of the cavity and measures a few meters. For vague ones, on the contrary, the thickness of the walls can be much greater than the width of the cavity and reaches several tens and even hundreds of meters.

The air rotation speed in the funnel can reach 600-1000 km/h, sometimes more.

The time of formation of a vortex is usually calculated in minutes, less often in tens of minutes. The total time of existence is also calculated in minutes, but sometimes in hours. There were cases when a group of tornadoes was formed from one cloud (if the cloud reached 30-50 km).

The total length of the tornado's path ranges from hundreds of meters to tens and hundreds of kilometers, and the average speed of movement is approximately 50-60 km/h. The average width is 350-400 m. Hills, forests, seas, lakes, rivers are not an obstacle. When crossing water basins, a tornado can completely drain a small lake or swamp.

One of the features of the movement of a tornado is its jumping. After traveling some distance along the ground, it can rise into the air without touching the ground, and then descend again. In contact with the surface, it causes great destruction.

Such actions are determined by two factors - the ramming impact of rapidly rotating air and the large pressure difference between the periphery and internal part funnels - due to the enormous centrifugal force. The last factor determines the effect of absorption of everything that comes in the way. Animals, people, cars, small and light houses can be lifted into the air and carried hundreds of meters and even kilometers, trees can be uprooted, roofs can be torn off. A tornado destroys residential and industrial buildings, breaks power supply and communication lines, disables equipment, and often leads to casualties.

In Russia, they most often occur in the central regions, the Volga region, the Urals, Siberia, on the coast and in the waters of the Black, Azov, Caspian and Baltic seas.

The tornado, which originated on July 8, 1984 in the north-west of Moscow and passed almost to Vologda (up to 300 km), by luck, bypassing large cities and villages, possessed monstrous, incredible power. The width of the destruction strip reached 300-500 m. This was accompanied by the fall of large hail.

The consequences of another tornado of this family, called the “Ivanovo Monster,” were terrifying. It arose 15 km south of Ivanovo and zigzagged about 100 km through forests, fields, and suburbs of Ivanovo, then reached the Volga, destroyed the Lunevo camp site and died out in the forests near Kostroma. In the Ivanovo region alone, 680 residential buildings, 200 industrial and Agriculture, 20 schools, kindergartens. 416 families were left homeless, 500 garden and dacha buildings were destroyed. More than 20 people died.

Statistics tell about tornadoes near Arzamas, Murom, Kursk, Vyatka and Yaroslavl. In the north they were observed near the Solovetsky Islands, in the south - in the Black, Azov and Caspian Seas. In the Black and Azov Seas, an average of 25-30 tornadoes occur over 10 years. Tornadoes that form on the seas very often reach the coasts, where they not only do not lose, but even increase in strength.

It is extremely difficult to predict the place and time of the appearance of a tornado. Therefore, for the most part, they arise suddenly for people; it is even more impossible to predict the consequences.

Most often, tornadoes are divided according to their structure: dense (sharply limited) and vague (unclearly limited). Moreover, the transverse size of the funnel of a vague tornado, as a rule, is much larger than that of a sharply limited one.

In addition, tornadoes are divided into four groups: dust devils, small short-acting ones, small long-acting ones, and hurricane whirlwinds.

Small, short-acting tornadoes have a path length of no more than a kilometer, but have significant destructive power. They are relatively rare. The length of the path of small long-acting tornadoes is estimated at several kilometers. Hurricane whirlwinds are larger tornadoes and travel several tens of kilometers during their movement.

If you don’t hide from a strong tornado in time, it can lift and throw a person from a height of the 10th floor, bring flying objects and debris down on him, and crush him in the ruins of a building.

The best means of escape when a tornado is approaching- take refuge in a shelter. To receive up-to-date information from the civil defense service, it is best to use a battery-powered radio: most likely, at the beginning of a tornado, the power supply will stop, and it is necessary to be aware of messages from the civil defense and emergency headquarters every minute. Very often, secondary disasters (fires, floods, accidents) are much larger and more dangerous than destruction, so constantly receiving information can protect. If you have time, you need to close the doors, ventilation, and dormer windows. The main difference from hurricane protection: during a tornado, you can only hide from disaster in basements and underground structures, and not inside the building itself.

Strong winds tear off the roofs of houses, destroy small buildings, dangerous objects fly in the air - all this creates colossal destruction, which in turn causes a huge number of victims.

How typhoons and tornadoes form

A tornado is formed by warm seas and moist winds in one of two relatively narrow belts located north and south of the equator. North America suffers from hurricanes that form in the Atlantic Ocean. Having gained enormous strength over several days, the tornado moves towards the western part towards the Caribbean Sea, then turns north. But the hurricane that formed in western Mexico is less dangerous. They travel across the Pacific Ocean and almost never touch land. And the typhoon that arose in the western part of the Pacific Ocean is very destructive. It goes towards Japan, the Philippines and Asia. Also, do not forget about the Indian Ocean, which creates tropical cyclones.

Why do hurricanes form?

Scientists cannot yet explain why some hurricanes are strong and cause so much trouble, while others do not gain such great power. But the main factor in their appearance is excess humidity and heat. Usually storms and storms begin at the end of summer. At this time, the water is heated to 25-28 degrees and the humidity is very high.

It all starts with the formation of small areas low pressure above the surface of the southern seas, where warm, moist air begins to rise quickly. Several tons of water vapor condense while releasing a huge amount of heat, which gives an additional impetus to the ascending air currents. And soon the whirlwind of moist winds begins around "eye of the storm" .

A tornado originates over the land of the earth. They can form anywhere and anytime. But they usually rage in Central America - from Kansas and Oklahoma to Texas. Why does the USA suffer the most from hurricanes? This is where the moisture condensation and high temperature occur.

The most destructive hurricanes and typhoons in human history

"Irene" On August 27, 2011, the American state of North Carolina was hit by this tornado. Category - 3. Then he went through other countries: Cuba, Haiti, and touched almost the entire East Coast of the United States.

October 30 typhoon "Parma" raged on the island of Lusoi (Philippines). Category – 4. 465 people died.

Late September 2009, strong typhoon "Ketsana" walked through the territory of China, the Philippines, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia. The speed of the typhoon is up to 167 km/h. In Vietnam, 16 people died and 170,000 homes were destroyed. Philippines - 464 people died, 2.5 million people were affected by this typhoon. Laos – 16 people, Cambodia – 17 people.

Late August early September 2008 strong hurricanes in Cuba "Ike" and "Gustav" destroyed a huge number of houses, up to 100,000. 4 people died. It was the most powerful hurricane in Cuba in 60 years.

Night of May 3, 2008 tropical cyclone "Narenz"has had a devastating impact on Myanmar. The cyclone created a huge flood that inundated a large area of ​​the area. 138,000 people died.

August 23-30, 2005 "Katrina" the most destructive hurricane in American history. Completely destroyed the city of New Orleans in the state of Louisiana. 1836 people died.

October 1998 Central America hurricane "Mitch" destroyed cities and settlements. 11,000 people died.

On September 19-20, 1974, a terrible natural disaster occurred in the Republic of Honduras. Hurricane with wind force up to 200 km/h "Fifi", super-fast and destructive, with powerful downpours. Destroyed and flooded almost everything. 10,000 people died.

On the night of November 13, 1970, a typhoon in the eastern part of Pakistan formed a huge wave of up to 8 meters, which hit the coast of Pakistan. This is one of the largest and most destructive disasters in history. It is not known how many victims there were, ranging from approximately 500,000 to 1 million people. Cities and villages were destroyed.

Hurricane scale

In 1970, Herbert Saffira and Robert Simpson developed a scale to determine hurricane categories. Category 1 to 5, minimal to catastrophic.

In 1806, the English admiral Francis Beaufort proposed a scale for measuring wind. From 0 calm to 12 hurricane.

Hurricanes in Russia

In June 1983, in Anapa there was a strong tornado that passed through the city. The tornado did not destroy the entire city, it seemed to go through a zigzag. It tore slate from the roof of houses, uprooted trees (the tree was about a meter in diameter, a height of three or four storey building). It rained heavily, flooding the city and nearby villages. There was a strong storm at sea, which damaged the embankment. In the Varvarovskaya gap (this is between the village of Varvarovka and the village of Sukko), a car was blown into the sea, in which there were 2 people. People died. I can’t say for sure whether the car was filled with people or not.

In 1984 in middle lane Russia had a very strong hurricane. At this time, the wind force reached up to 27 m/s.

On the night of June 20-21, 1998, a hurricane raged in Moscow. 8 people died. The wind force was up to 31 m/s.

On October 8, 2003, a hurricane raged in the central part of Russia; a bus with people was overturned in the Tula region, 4 people died.

On July 16, 2004, 6 people died from strong winds in the Irkutsk region and Ust-Buryat Autonomous Okrug.

On January 6, 2005, there was strong wind and heavy rain in St. Petersburg. The water in the reservoirs rose by two meters.

On March 3-4, 2006, a wind formed in the south of Russia and the North Caucasus, the speed of which reached up to 35 m/s or up to 120 km/h.

On August 11, 2006, in the Chita region, due to the Baikal cyclone, strong winds with heavy rain of up to 17 m/s came, killing 15 people.

On June 2, 2007, in Bashkiria, Tatarstan, Mordovia, the Volga-Ural republics and the Chelyabinsk region, strong hurricane winds hit 30 m/s, killing 3 people.

How to behave in a tornado

• If a storm catches you on the street, you need to hide in the nearest building as quickly as possible. If this is not possible, then stay away from dangerous objects. Injuries can also be caused by broken glass windows and pieces roofing iron, road signs and other dangerous objects.
• While in the building, you need to stay away from windows. Safe places during a hurricane are places interior rooms buildings, first floors brick houses, basements and cellars.
• It is very dangerous to encounter hurricanes in open areas. It's hard to find shelter here. In such a situation, you need to look for places where you can hide. For example: canvases, holes, anything where you can hide from a hurricane is suitable. You need to lie down in the depressions and try to press yourself closer to the ground.
• A hurricane is not only a strong wind, but also a heavy torrential downpour accompanied by thunder and lightning. Here, too, you need to be careful to avoid the danger of encountering lightning. In open areas, you cannot hide under single trees. There is a belief that lightning rarely strikes birch and maple trees.

Universal hurricanes

Hurricanes and tropical cyclones are described in great detail here. Of course, I could not describe everything about hurricanes, tornadoes, typhoons, tornadoes, storms and tropical cyclones. This is an entire encyclopedia consisting of more than 1000 pages. I wanted to understand for myself the cause of these destructive elements. We have strong winds in our region, but my classmate Zalina told me that they have no winds in Ingushetia. And only in Krasnodar did she encounter such a natural element for the first time. And I always wondered: “Are there really places where there are no strong winds, but only a light breeze?”

What do you think about this? Have you encountered a hurricane? Write, I will be glad to see your comments!

I think this is not the final article on natural disasters. I also wanted to write about forest fires and tsunamis. Be sure to subscribe to blog updates so as not to miss the release of a new article!

Our planet is beautiful, and people consider themselves rightful masters on it. They changed her face like nothing before the beginning of human life. But there are forces that simply cannot be controlled, even with the most high tech. These include hurricanes, storms, tornadoes, which constantly destroy everything that is dear to people. And it is impossible to stop it. You can only hide and wait for the end of nature’s wrath. So how do these phenomena occur and what consequences do the victims face? The answers to these questions have long been given by scientists.

Hurricane

A hurricane is a complex weather phenomenon. His main characteristic is a very strong wind with a speed of more than 30 meters per second (120 km/h). Its second name is typhoon, which is a huge whirlwind. The pressure in the very center is reduced. Forecasters also clarify that a hurricane is a tropical cyclone if it formed in South or North America. The life cycle of this monster lasts from 9 to 12 days. At this time, he moves around the planet, causing damage to everything he comes across. For convenience, each of them is assigned a name, most often a female one. A hurricane is, among other things, a huge clot of energy, which in its power is not inferior to an earthquake. One hour of the vortex's life releases about 36 megatons of energy, as in a nuclear explosion.

Causes of hurricanes

Scientists call the ocean the constant source of this phenomenon, namely those areas that are located in the tropics. The likelihood of a hurricane increases as you approach the equator. There are many reasons for its appearance. It could be, for example, the force with which our planet rotates, or differences in temperature between layers of the atmosphere, or differences in atmospheric pressure. But these processes may not be the beginning of a hurricane. Another of the main conditions for the formation of a typhoon is a certain temperature of the underlying surface, namely water. It should not be below 27 degrees Celsius. This shows that in order for a hurricane to form at sea, a combination of favorable factors is needed.

Storm

A storm is also characterized by strong winds, but its speed is lower than that of a hurricane. The speed of wind gusts in the storm is 24 meters per second (85 km/h). It can pass both over the water areas of the planet and over land. It can be quite large in area. The duration of a storm can be a couple of hours or several days. At this time there is very heavy rainfall. This leads to additional destructive phenomena such as landslides and mudflows. This phenomenon is located at a level lower than a hurricane on the Beaufort scale. A storm at its most extreme can reach force 11. The storm that was recorded in 2011 is considered the strongest. It passed over the Philippine Islands and caused thousands of deaths and millions of dollars worth of destruction.

Classification of storms and hurricanes

Hurricanes are divided into two types:

Tropical - those that originated in the tropics;

Extratropical - those that originated in other parts of the planet.

Extratropical ones are divided into:

• those that originated in the Atlantic Ocean region;
• those that originate over the Pacific Ocean (typhoons).

There is no generally accepted classification of storms yet. But most weather forecasters divide them into:

Vortex - complex formations that arise due to cyclones and cover a large area;

Stream storms are small storms of a local nature.

A whirlwind storm can be snowy, dusty or squally. In winter, such storms are also called blizzards or blizzards. Squalls can occur very quickly and end just as quickly.

A flow storm can be a jet or a katabatic storm. If it is a jet, then the air moves horizontally or rises along a slope, and if it is a runoff, then it moves down a slope.

Tornado

Hurricanes and tornadoes very often accompany each other. A tornado is a vortex in which air moves from bottom to top. This happens at extremely high speed. The air there is mixed with various particles such as sand and dust. This is a funnel that hangs from a cloud and rests on the ground, somewhat similar to a trunk. Its diameter can vary from tens to hundreds of meters. The second name for this phenomenon is “tornado”. As it approaches, a terrible roar is heard. As the tornado moves, it sucks in everything it can tear off and lifts it up in a spiral. If this funnel appears, then it is a hurricane of terrible proportions. A tornado can reach speeds of about 60 km/h. It is very difficult to predict this phenomenon, which worsens the situation and leads to large losses. Hurricanes and tornadoes have claimed many lives throughout the history of their existence.

Beaufort scale

Hurricanes, storms, tornadoes are natural phenomena that can occur anywhere on Earth. In order to understand their scale and be able to compare them, a measurement system is needed. For this, the Beaufort scale is used. It is based on a visual assessment of what is happening and measures the wind strength in points. It was developed in 1806 for his own needs by a native of England, Admiral F. Beaufort. In 1874 it became generally accepted and has since been used by all weather forecasters. It was further clarified and supplemented. The points in it are distributed from 0 to 12. If 0 points, then this is complete calm, if 12 is a hurricane, bringing with it severe destruction. In 1955, the USA and England added 5 more points to the existing ones, that is, from 13 to 17. They are used by these countries.

Why is a hurricane scary?

One of the most dangerous meteorological phenomena can be called a hurricane. The wind moves at great speed in it, causing great harm people and their property. In addition, these air currents carry mud, sand and water with them, resulting in mudflows. Huge downpours cause floods, and if it happens in winter, snow avalanches often come down. A strong wind destroys structures, pulls out trees, overturns cars, demolishes people. Very often, fires and explosions occur due to damage to electrical networks or gas pipelines. Thus, the effects of a hurricane are dire, making them very dangerous.

Hurricanes in Russia

Hurricanes can threaten any part of Russia, but most often they occur in the Khabarovsk and Primorsky Territories, Kamchatka, Sakhalin, Chukotka or the Kuril Islands. This misfortune can happen at any time, and August and September are considered the most dangerous. Forecasters try to foresee such repetition and warn the population about the danger. Tornadoes may also appear in the area Russian Federation. The waters and coasts of the seas, Siberia, the Urals, the Volga region and the central regions of the state are most susceptible to this phenomenon.

Actions of the population in case of a hurricane

Every person should understand that a hurricane is a deadly phenomenon. If there is a warning about it, you need to act quickly. First of all, strengthen everything that can be torn off the ground, remove flammable items and stock up on food and clean water a couple of days in advance. You also need to move away from the windows; it is better to go to where there are none at all. Electricity, water and gas equipment should be turned off. Candles, lanterns and lamps are used for lighting. To receive weather information, you need to turn on the radio. If you follow these recommendations, your life will not be in danger.

Thus, hurricanes are distributed all over the globe, which makes them a problem for all people. It should be remembered that they are extremely dangerous, so you must strictly follow all instructions in order to save your life.