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09/07/24 11:40 AM IST

Hurricane Beryl

In News
  • Hurricane Beryl became the earliest storm on record during the Atlantic hurricane season to have reached the highest Category 5 classification.
Formation of Hurricanes
  • Hurricanes, or tropical storms, form over warm ocean waters near the equator.
  • When the warm, moist air from the ocean surface rises upward, a lower air pressure area is formed below.
  • Air from surrounding areas with higher air pressure rushes into this low pressure area, eventually rising, after it also becomes warm and moist.
  • As warm, moist air rises, it cools down, and the water in the air forms clouds and thunderstorms.
  • This whole system of clouds and winds gains strength and momentum using the ocean’s heat, and the water that evaporates from its surface.
  • Storm systems with wind speeds of 119 kmph and above are classified as hurricanes.
  • Hurricanes are classified using the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale into five categories (Category 1 to Category 5) based on their sustained wind speeds.
  • While Category 1 hurricanes bring winds of 119 to 153 kmph, Category 5 hurricanes, which are the strongest, have winds of 252 kmph or higher.
  • Storms that reach Category 3 and higher are considered major hurricanes due to their potential to inflict significant damage.
Category 5 Hurricane
  • The hurricane season in the Atlantic begins in June and lasts until November. Generally, the first major hurricanes do not form until September.
  • This is because till that time, the ocean is not warm enough either at the surface, or deeper down to fuel such strong hurricanes.
  • Since last year, ocean temperatures in the Atlantic — and across the world — have mostly been in record-breaking territory.
  • Not only are sea surface temperatures rising, ocean heat content (OHC) — a measure of the amount of heat present in ocean water — is also soaring, which is a bigger worry.
  • Scientists are still debating over how exactly climate change impacts hurricanes.
  • There is agreement, however, that at the very least, climate change makes hurricanes more prone to rapid intensification — where maximum wind speeds increase very quickly
  • The frequency and magnitude of these rapid intensification events in the Atlantic seems to have spiked between 1971 and 2020.
  • Therefore, as the world and its oceans continue to become warmer, scientists are concerned that even more powerful hurricanes could form in the near future.
Source- Indian Express

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