Hurricane Ida hits Louisiana
- Hurricane Ida, one of the most powerful storms ever to hit the USA, has made landfall in the Louisiana state of the United States.
- It is an extremely dangerous Category 4 storm.
- 16 years ago, a similar category 4 hurricane Katrina had hit the United States and killed more than 1800 people.
Hurricane:
- A hurricane is a kind of tropical cyclone that occurs in the Atlantic Ocean and the northeastern Pacific Ocean.
- Generally hurricanes occur from June to November.
How it forms:
- Hurricane works like giant engines that use warm, moist air as fuel.
- It form over warm ocean waters near the equator.
- The warm, moist air over the ocean rises upward from near the surface and because this air moves up and away from the surface, that causes an area of low air pressure near the surface.
- Air from surrounding areas with higher air pressure rushes into the low pressure area and becomes warm and moist and rises, making the surrounding air swirl.
- When the warm air rises and cools off, the moisture forms clouds. This system of clouds and winds continues to grow and spin.
- Storms that form north of the equator spin counterclockwise and that form south of the equator spin clockwise.
- It happened because of earth's rotation on its axis (Coriolisis force).
Categorization of cyclone:
- It is categorized on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.
| Category | Wind Speed | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Category 1 | 74-95 mph | Minimal |
| Category 2 | 96-110 mph | Moderate |
| Category 3 | 111-129 mph | Extensive |
| Category 4 | 130-156 mph | Extreme |
| Category 5 | 157 or higher mph | Catastrophic |
Name of cyclones in different regions:
- Typhoons: in the China Sea and Pacific Ocean.
- Hurricanes: In the West Indian islands in the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean.
- Willy-willies: In north-western Australia and
- Tropical Cyclones: In the Indian Ocean Region.