TyphoonTan

= **Gabby D & Elizabeth H ** Tan Class = =Introduct ion = =Typhoons are cyclones that occur west of the international dateline over tropical or subtropical waters. Depending on location, they may also be called a hurricane or a cyclone. (1) Typhoons are severe tropical storms that take place in the Northwestern Pacific Ocean. (4) They move from right to left in the Northern Hemisphere. Within themselves, they rotate clockwise, inwardly, as a result of the Coriolis Effect. (8) The winds blow inwardly because air moves from areas of high pressure to areas of low ressure and the center of a typhoon is low pressure. Because of this, the eye of a typhoon has warmer air, because warm air has a lot of energy, which causes it to spread out and be less dense, and have low pressure. (8) The eye of the storm is surrounded by the eyewall, which is a band of rain and thunderstorms. (8) Typhoons accompany almost every type of cloud because of the varying conditions within the typhoon as well as location. Around the eye, cumulus and cumulonimbus clouds are most common because they are the densest, most humid clouds, capable of containing all the rising humid air from the wet, less dense air beneath. (8) With typhoons come very strong winds and lots of clouds and precipitation, justifying the Chinese heritage of the word; taifun, or "great wind."  (5) = =Dangers = =A Tropical Cyclone must have maximum sustained winds of at least 55 mph and measure more than a 10 on the Beaufort scale to be classified as a Typhoon. (4) The Beaufort Scale is a way to measure winds and the damage they cause. As the scale shows, even a 10 on the Beaufort scale is seldom experienced on land but the winds can still cause damage to trees and structures. A 12, which is known as being Hurricane (or Typhoon) strength leads to violence and destruction of land, property, and lost lives. (6) **Even if a typhoon does not reach land, it can result in shipwrecks offshore for people unfortunate enough to be out at sea during one. **These kinds of storms also, typically, offer the threat of flooding when they hit land. Costly floods caused by severe rainfall is not uncommon, especially when the heavy winds push moisture-filled tropical air up a steep mountain slope, causing precipitation from orographic lifting. It was recorded that during a typhoon in the Phillipines, the area experienced 88 inches of rainfall. Typhoons are known to cause damage to coastal areas from large ocean waves. The most severe waves occur in places such as the Bay of Bengal or the Gulf of Mexico where land almost surrounds water. Strong sustained storm winds push water into coastal areas which cause tides to rise up to 10 or 15 feet more than normal; this is called a storm tide. There also may be a rise in sea level near the center of a typhoon of more than 20 feet. This is known as a hurricane wave, and can cause serious damage to small islands and continental shorelines. Hurricane waves have caused some of the worst severe storm disasters in history. They can be a series of waves, or more commonly one giant wave with little or no warning, but can be expected to occur to the immediate right of the storm's center. (8) In addition to this widespread damage normally caused by these types of storms, many scientists predict that because of increasing global temperatures and melting polar ice caps, warmer waters will more frequently provide the ideal conditions for Hurricane, Typhoon, and Cyclone formation. This may lead to more of these storms, which could even be stronger and cause more damage, and take even more lives.(4) = =Conditions of Formation = =﻿A Typhoon forms from a Tropical cyclone in about 3 stages. The first stage begins over ocean waters above 26.5 degrees (celcius) and at least 50 meters deep. (4) The heated waters cause evaporation to occur, with water vapor rising and cooling form clouds and ultimately precipitation. (3) When the water vapor condenses, latent heat is released, therefore the air becomes warm and moist. (5) The second stage is caused by a low pressure system beginning to pull in the clouds which then start to rotate because of the coriolis effect. The last stage is when high winds and precipitation occur, leading to the formation of a typhoon. The humidity in the air is used as "fuel" for the Cyclone. (4) Cyclones  will most likely grow over warm waters and weaken over cold waters because of the amount of humidity in the air. (5) You can see in the righthand picture the structure of a cyclone, with the "eye" of the storm in the center, which is a cloud-free circular region with relativly light winds. The high velocity winds surrounding the eye, also known as the eye wall, are maintained by the differences in horizontal pressure from the eye to the outer part of the storm. The strongest winds usually blow towards a center of subtropical high pressure. The center of typhoons shows very little to no cooling, while the air temperature above a typhoon can be warmer by up to 5°C. Typhoons experience all kinds of clouds, from cumulonimbus, to cirrostratus. (8) <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 14px;">After the Cyclone has fully developed, it may increase or decrease in size but when it reaches land it will likely lose most of its energy because it no longer has the water to supply humid air and the path of the Typhoon is obstructed by mountains and other land structures. (3) =
 * <span style="color: #008080; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 210%;"><span style="color: #000000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 80%;"><span style="color: #000000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 80%;"><span style="color: #000000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 80%;">﻿ ﻿ ﻿ Typhoons **


 * <span style="color: #008080; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">Historical Examples **
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">Typhoon Tip occurred in October 1979 in the Northwestern Pacific Ocean. It is the most intense typhoon in recorded history, reaching winds of 190 miles-per-hour. What makes Tip so unique was that it had the lowest pressure ever observed; 870 millibars. It grew to roughly the size of half of the United States, 1,350 miles across. (2) Its internal pressure of 870 millibars is the lowest recorded on earth. It had a wind radius of 30 knots extending over 600 miles. Typhoon Tip also had one of the highest temperatures at its eye; 86°F (or 30°C.) The strongest typhoons form over the Western Pacific (such as Typhoon Tip) because of the long trip over warm waters, resulting in an even larger low pressure eye at it's center. Typhoon Tip started as a [[image:http://www.islandnet.com/~see/weather/graphics/photos0910/typhoontip-2.jpg width="236" height="142" align="right" caption="Typhoon Tip on October 12, 1979 in the Northwestern Pacific Ocean (11)"]]Tropical Storm, but when it passed 28 miles south of Guam, by October 10th, the sea surface temperature and the upper air level temperature were just right for Tropical Storm Tip to become a typhoon. (7) In fact, Typhoon Tip was so severe, it can be classified as a supertyphoon. It traveled from the Northwestern Pacific Ocean, near Guam to Southern Japan, where it reached land and lost power. Typhoon Tip occured from October 9th to October 19th, 1979 reaching it's peak on October 12th. The severe rain resulted in flooding and the strong winds, causing destruction in Guam, although Tip technically passed 28 miles south of Guam. The rain also flooded parts of the Luzon mountains in the northern Pihilippines. (7) Also affected, were sailors at sea, many of whom were shipwrecked by the huge waves coming off of Tip. Although Typhoon Tip was only over land towards the end of it's existence, it managed to leave destruction in it's wake. **

=<span style="color: #008080; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">Safety = =<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 80%;">How do you prepare for and stay safe during this type of weather? <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">When Typhoon season begins in June, it is advised to check supplies to make sure there are working batteries in the flashlights, the shutters cover the windows completely, the emergency contact information is updated, and there is a hurricane/ typhoon handbook available. If a typhoon watch is announced, make sure to have some money, extra blankets and candles in case the power goes out, and that all cars have gas in them in case a typhoon warning is issued. If a typhoon warning is posted, close the shutters, cover the pool, and fill jugs with water in case the power goes out. If an evacuation is necessary, lock the doors and leave as soon as possible. (1) Travel inland because typhoons die the further inland they reach, because they don't have water to fuel them. = =<span style="color: #008080; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">Sources = =<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 80%; line-height: 22px;">List all the sources used in proper format. = =<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 80%;">﻿1. "FAQ : HURRICANES, TYPHOONS, AND TROPICAL CYCLONES" __Hurricane Research Division.__ 18 Nov. 2010. @http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/tcfaq/tcfaqHED.html. =


 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">2. "Notable Tropical Cyclones." __National Weather Service.__ 21 Nov. 2010. <span class="wiki_link_ext">@http://www.srh.noaa.gov/jetstream//topics/tc_notable.htm. **

==<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 80%;">3. Conan-Davis, Richard. "Cyclones ClearlyExplained.Com." ClearlyExplained.Com. 14 May 2003. Web. 21 Nov. 2010. <span class="wiki_link_ext">[]. ==

==<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 80%;">4. Ion, Alex. "Understanding the Danger: What Causes Typhoons?" <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">GreenPacks - Caring about the World We Live in. GreenPacks.org., 23 Jan. 2009. Web. 21 Nov. 2010. <span class="wiki_link_ext">[]. ==

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 80%;">Website
=<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 80%;">5. "Typhoon Facts." Thinkquest.org. Oracle Thinkquest Education Foundation. Web. 18 Nov. 2010. <span class="wiki_link_ext">[]. =


 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 32px;">6. "The Beaufort Scale." Mountwashington.org. Mount Washington Observatory. Web. 29 Nov. 2010. **
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 32px;">[]. **


 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 32px;">7. Burke, Mary Ann, ed. "Super Typhoon Tip: Shattering all records." Marine Weather Log 42.2 (1998): 4-8. NOAA. Web. 18 Nov. 2010. @http://www.vos.noaa.gov/MWL/aug1998.pdf **


 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 32px;">8. "Characteristics of Hurricanes or Typhoons." Integrated Publishing. 29 Nov. 2010. []. **


 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">9. Admin, By. "How Do Typhoons Form." Where Do Typhoons Occur. Cityportal.com, 24 Aug. 2010. Web. 30 Nov. 2010. [] . **


 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">10. Przyborski, Paul. "Typhoon Tokage." Digital image. Earth Observatory. NASA, 20 Oct. 2004. Web. 18 Nov. 2010. [] . **


 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">11. Typhoon Tip. Digital image. //The Weather Doctor//. NOAA, Oct. 2009. Web. 20 Nov. 2010. [] **


 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">12. "Mauna Kea Weather Center Glossary." Mauna Kea Weather Center - Home. 30 Apr. 2009. Web. 30 Nov. 2010. [] . **
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">13. "Typhoon Damage in Infanta Philippines 2004." Digital Image. Faith in Our Community. BBC, 2007. Web. 30 Nov. 2010. **