TrackingHurricane Katrina Introduction



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Name: ______________________ Date: ________ Class Period: ________


TrackingHurricane Katrina
Introduction: The 2005 hurricane season was the most active season on record resulting in 27 named storms. Hurricane Katrina was the eleventh named storm and would end up being the sixth most powerful Atlantic hurricane ever recorded and the third most destructive hurricane to make landfall in the US. Katrina formed in the western Atlantic Ocean as a tropical depression over the Bahamas on August 23, 2005. Warm water and moisture laden air provided enough energy for the storm system to strengthen and eventually become a tropical storm, then a hurricane. Once Hurricane Katrina moved into the Gulf of Mexico it strengthened rapidly becoming a category 5 hurricane. However, before it reached landfall it had weakened to a category three hurricane. Despite this, it was still strong enough to cause severe damage to the Gulf coast region in eastern Louisiana and the Louisiana/Alabama state line. Most notably it breached the levees in New Orleans leaving 80% of the city under water. Over 1800 people were killed as a result of this storm as well as causing an estimated $81.6 billion dollars in damages.

In this lab, you will use data from Hurricane Katrina to study some weather conditions common to all hurricanes. You will also plot on a map showing the path of Hurricane Katrina.


Materials: Sharpened Pencil, Hurricane Tracking Map
Procedure

  1. Plot the latitude and longitude for each date on the map of the Western Atlantic provided to show the path of the hurricane.

  2. Number each point in order along the path of the hurricane making it easier to locate the where the hurricane was for each given date.

  3. Connect each point with a line and draw arrows on the line indicating the direction the hurricane was moving.

  4. Answer all the questions about Hurricane Katrina following the data table.



Selected Data For Hurricane Katrina


Latitude (oN)

Longitude (oW)

Date and Time

Wind Speed (knots)

Pressure (millibars)

Status

23.2

75.5

08/23/21z

30

1007

Tropical Depression

24.7

76.7

08/24/15z

35

1006

Tropical Storm

26.2

78.7

08/25/09z

45

1000

Tropical Storm

26.1

79.9

08/25/21z

65

985

Hurricane-1

25.3

81.5

08/26/09z

65

987

Hurricane-1

24.6

83.6

08/27/03z

90

965

Hurricane-2

24.4

84.4

08/27/09z

100

945

Hurricane-3

25.0

86.2

08/28/03z

100

939

Hurricane-3

25.1

86.8

08/28/06z

125

935

Hurricane-4

26.9

89.0

08/28/21z

145

902

Hurricane-5

28.8

89.6

08/29/09z

130

915

Hurricane-4

30.2

89.6

08/29/15z

110

927

Hurricane-3

31.9

89.6

08/29/21z

65

960

Hurricane-1

33.5

88.5

08/30/03z

50

973

Tropical Storm

36.3

87.5

08/30/15z

30

985

Tropical Depression

38.0

86.0

08/30/21z

25

991

Tropical Depression

39.4

84.0

08/31/03z

25

994

Tropical Depression

41.1

81.6

08/31/09z

15

996

Tropical Depression

Analysis Questions

  1. Identify the wind speed and air pressure on August 28th at 21:00z. Be sure to include the correct units.

a) wind speed = ______________________


b) air pressure = ______________________


  1. In general, how did wind speed change (a) before August 28th at 21:00z and (b) after August 28th at 21:00z?

a) _________________________________________________________________


b) _________________________________________________________________

  1. In general, how did air pressure change (a) before August 28th at 21:00z and (b) after August 28th at 21:00z.

a) _________________________________________________________________


b) _________________________________________________________________


  1. Based upon your answers from questions 3 and 4, what is the general relationship between changes in air pressure and wind speed in a hurricane?

___________________________________________________________________


___________________________________________________________________


  1. a) In what direction from Miami, FL was Hurricane Katrina on August 25th at 21:00z.

___________________________________________________________________


b) What happened to the air pressure and wind speed as Hurricane Katrina Moved over Florida?
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________


  1. New Orleans, LA was one of the most notable cities destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, yet cities located farther inland received much less damage. Why?

___________________________________________________________________


___________________________________________________________________


  1. From 9:00z on August 26th to 21:00z on August 28th, Hurricane Katrina strengthened significantly. According to the map, where was Katrina located at these times? What did this area provide to the storm to help strengthen it so much?

___________________________________________________________________


___________________________________________________________________

©Mr. Bealer’s Earth Science Lab Manual for the 2006-2007 school year. Solvay High School, Solvay, NY 13209. Permission given to all certified teachers to use or modify for their students in non-for-profit activities.




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