Image via WikipediaMaybe you live in an area that experiences hurricanes or maybe you just love storm chasing and watching hurricanes develop. No matter what your intentions are, you can be a hurricane tracker right in your own home. All you need is the right software and some background knowledge about tropical storms and categorization of hurricanes.
Perfect Software
If you have a computer then you can find software available to track hurricanes from your own home. Software is made now for you home computer that is sophisticated and extensive. It is pretty comparable to the software used by professionals. You can pick up the smallest of tropical storms and watch as they develop into a hurricane or as they die out and fade away, no longer posing a risk.
Such software provides color coded maps that are easy to read and understand. The programs even allow you to set up the software to use with your cell phone. It will send alerts to your cell so you are always on top of developing storms.
You can do all the technical aspects of plotting storms and tracking paths. You can predict what a tropical storm may do and watch as it develops. Software takes all the guess work out of the process and allows you to just track storms without all the confusion, complex complications or even the need for expert knowledge.
Types of Storms
Storms go through phases as they develop into a hurricane. Understanding each phase of a storm will help you to better understand what is happening as you track hurricanes. Having some basic storm knowledge will allow you to be a good hurricane tracker.
A storm starts as a tropical disturbance or tropical wave. At this stage it is just an unorganized area of thunderstorms with very little or no wind circulation happening in an organized manner. The storm moves to the stage of tropical depression once there is proof of closed wind circulation in the center and winds are sustained at 20-34 knots.
The next stage is a tropical storm. At this point the storm is experiencing sustained winds of 35-64 knots. Finally, the storm becomes a hurricane when the maximum wind speed is sustained at 64 knots.
Categorizing
Another helpful area of information is learning about the categorizing of hurricanes. Hurricanes are categorized from a Category One to a Category Five, with each category becoming more severe of a storm.
A Category One hurricane is considered a minimal hurricane. This type of hurricane has winds of 64-83 knots and a storm surge of 3 to 5 feet. At this stage the hurricane causes damage many to trees and foliage, unanchored homes and other poorly constructed items.
A Category Two hurricane is a moderate hurricane. It has winds of 84 to 96 knots and a storm surge of 5 to 8 feet. Damage is more considerable and includes damage to foliage, trees, poor construction, roofing and some exterior facades. There may also be some small flooding.
A Category Three hurricane is an extensive hurricane. It has winds of 97 to 113 knots and a storm surge of 9 to 12 feet. Damage is more severe. There is plenty of structural damage and flooding.
A Category Four hurricane is an extreme hurricane. It has winds of 114 to 135 knots with a storm surge of 13 to 18 feet. Damage is extensive to structures with complete destruction to mobile homes and other unsecured buildings. There is flooding in many areas.
A Category Five hurricane is the most severe and considered a catastrophic hurricane. Wind speeds are 135 knots with a storm surge of 18 feet or higher. The damage is major, causing damage to almost anything in the path of the storm with extensive flooding.
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