Hurricane Isabel Approaches
Where will
Hurricane Isabel go?
One of the
stronger storm systems of modern times appears headed
for one the more populated seaboards on planet Earth --
the east coast of the
USA.
Hurricane Isabel,
pictured yesteday as it passed east of the
Bahamas,
has flirted with
category 5 status, the most powerful
hurricane category.
Hurricanes are
huge swirling storms with cloud
systems typically larger than a state.
Tropical cyclones, called hurricanes in
Earth's Western Hemisphere and
typhoons in the Eastern Hemisphere,
get their immense energy from warm evaporated ocean water.
As this water vapor cools and
condenses, it heats the air,
lowers pressure and hence causes cooler air to come
swooshing in.
Winds can reach over 250 kilometers per hour and become
very dangerous.
Much remains unknown about
cyclones, including how they are
formed and the exact path they will take.