Tracking A Hurricane

Learner Outcomes

By completing this activity, the learner will:

• observe hurricanes on radar maps and satellite images.
• describe hurricane location, strength and development.
• organize, graph and analyze hurricane data and patterns.
• use image analysis techniques to predict changes in hurricanes.
• prepare presentations describing previous, current, and forecasted hurricane conditions.

Exploration

• What meteorological conditions support the development of hurricanes?
• Begin tracking an Atlantic or Carribean hurricane as it approaches the United States.
• What do scientists think about the hurricane's
• Strike Probabilities?
• PossibleStrength?
• Threat to life and property?

Experiment

• Collect data on the hurricane for 3 - 5 days.
• Twice daily satellite images: choose from any of the following sites:
Atlantic Ocean: (one) (two) (three) (four) (five) (six)
Pacific Ocean: (one) (two) (three) (four) (five)
• Reports from weather stations & cities along the the storm track.
• Email reports submitted by teachers and students along the storm track.
• Organize your data.
• Create a folder called hurricane.
• Satellite images
• Inside the hurricane folder, create a folder called hurricane_images.
• Place all the satellite images in hurricane_images.
• Order the satellite images by date and time then rename them as hurricane01, hurricane02, hurricane03, and so on.
• Convert all of the hurricane images to TIFF format using GifConverter (MAC) or Paint Shop Pro (PC).
• Save the images as hurricane01.TIFF, hurricane02.TIFF, and so on.
• Weather reports
• Inside the hurricane folder, create a folder called hurricane_reports.
• Place all weather reports in hurricane_reports.
• Sort the weather reports by weather station/city.
• For each station/city, order the reports by date and time and rename them.
• Text-based reports --- miamiT01, miamiT02, and so on.
• Graphics-based reports --- miamiG01, miamiG02, and so on.
• Email reports
• Inside the hurricane folder, create a folder called hurricane_observations.
• Place all the email messages in hurricane_observations.
• Sort the observations by city/school.
• For each city/school, order the observations by date and time and rename them denverE01, denverE02, and so on.
• Make a master list of all your files
• Analyze your data
• Start Scion Image (PC) or NIH Image (Mac) version 1.59 or later.
• Select Open from the File menu, open the hurricane_images folder, and select the Open All option in the dialog box.
• Select Windows to Stack in the Stack menu.
• Select Animate from the Stack menu. The numbers 1-9 across the top of your keyboard control the speed of the animation.
• Write a paragraph describing the animation and the features of the hurricane that it shows.
• Based on the weather reports from each city/station, create a series of graphs showing the passage of the storm.
• Daily Hi/Lo temperatures
• Precipitation
• Wind velocity and direction
• Add notes to each graph based on the email reports from each city/school.
• Predict the path of the hurricane for the next three days.
• Create a map that demonstrates the previous and a projected path of the hurricane .
• From your graphs, predict the temperature, wind velocity, and landfall location.
• Compare your predictions with actual reports and propose reasons for any differences.
• Summarize your findings and reactions by writing a press release for the local radio station or produce a weather report presentation with visuals and graphs for a television report.

Extensions

• Determine the scale of your image.
• Use NIH Image to determine the distance that the center of the hurricane moves in 24 hours.
• Calculate the hurricane's speed.
• Predict the exact time the leading edge of the hurricane will reach land and associated wind speed.
• Predict the strength of the hurricane.
• Keep track of hurricanes throughout the hurricane season using a classroom map. (more archives here)