Speech About Hurricanes

Introduction Good morning Bahamas, I am Chief Meteorological Officer Jane Doe of the Bahamas Meteorological Department. The Bahamas Meteorological Department is responsible for studying, predicting, and forecasting the weather and climate around the Bahamas. We also are responsible for tracking hurricanes and other weather phenomenon. Over the past few years numerous hurricanes have tremendously affected the Bahamas. Quite often Bahamians contact our department to ask questions about the weather but more specifically about hurricanes. Some of the questions frequently asked are: What is a hurricane? How are they named? How and where are they formed? What strengthens and what weakens hurricanes? What are the different types of storms associated

I will also include some of my personal experiences that I have witnessed during Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne in 2004 and Hurricane Wilma in 2005. I am quite certain that this information will be very beneficial to Bahamians by providing the proper knowledge about hurricanes and safety tips on how to survive one of nature’s most violent natural forces. What is a hurricane? How are they formed and named? “Hurricane a’ coming you better batten down! Hurricane a’ coming so big and strong. Hurricane a’ coming you better not be late! You better find shelter ‘cause it’s headed your way.” These lyrics were taken from “Hurricane” a famous song written by Bahamian artist, Phil Stubbs. According to Webster’s New Dictionary, “a hurricane is defined as a violent, tropical, cyclonic storm of the Western Atlantic” (Agnes, 2003, p. 316). Hurricanes are known for being engines of destruction because they cause an extensive amount of damage to the island landforms that they pass over. Hurricanes mainly form over warm oceanic waters 80°F or higher, from 5 to 15 degrees latitude north and south of the equator. Hurricanes

7,8 and 10). Most hurricanes form in the Atlantic Ocean because of the above mentioned conditions. When a hurricane is situated in warm water, the intensity of the storm increases because the warm water is the main source of energy along with the moist atmospheric conditions. Hurricane frequency depends heavily on what is called an El Niño. “El Niño refers to appearance of anomalously warm water along the coast of Ecuador and Peru as far south as Lima (12°S)” (Trenberth, 1997, p. 2771). An El Niño causes above average sea temperatures over a period of four consecutive months in the Pacific Ocean. When the El Niño is present this means that conditions are favorable for an active hurricane season. Hurricanes weaken when it moves away from warm tropical water. This happens because the water tends to be cooler, atmosphere is much dryer. Hurricanes also tend to weaken when they move over land because of a lack of water supply and the decreasing surface circulation due to friction. Another factor that causes hurricanes to weaken is wind shear. “Wind shear can be defined as the difference of wind speed over a short distance in the atmosphere” (Melina, 2010, para. 5). High wind shear can cause the heat from a hurricane to dissipate causing the strength of the storm to