Name ______________________________ Period: _____________ Date:

______________
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Hurricane Tracking LAB

Materials needed:
Lab Handout
Hurricane tracking maps (2)
Hurricane data (2)

Procedure:
Part 1 : Define the vocabulary

Planetary Wind:

Air Mass:

Air Pressure:

Millibars:

High Pressure:

Low Pressure:
Part 2: Plotting hurricane path

1.) Using a pencil, plot the position of Hurricane Katrina by latitude and longitude
from day to day on the Atlantic Basin Hurricane Tracking Chart at the back of
this LAB. Label it Hurricane Katrina.

2.) Next to each plot neatly and lightly record the date.

3.) Do the same for the second hurricane on a separate graph.

Part 3: Plotting hurricane air pressure and wind speed.

Below are two graphs one on top of the other line up by date.

1.) Using the data from Hurricane Katrina chart given from the first hurricane
plot the
air pressure on the top graph and wind speed on the bottom graph below.
Questions:

1.) What is the relationship between air pressure and wind speed as shown above in the
graph?

2.) What happened to the wind speed when the hurricane was over land?

3.) Explain why you think the wind speed changed when over land?

4.) What happened to the wind speed for Hurricane Katrina on 8/24 & 8/29?

Why?

Below is an image of all hurricane tracks from 1851-2005.

5.) In what general compass direction do most hurricanes move initially?

6.) In what compass direction are the hurricanes that end up in the Northern Atlantic
Ocean moving as they die out?

7.) At what latitude do hurricanes appear to change directions?

8.) Looking at your data in this LAB what do you think warm, moist, stormy air is
associated with a HIGH or LOW pressure?

9.) Trace the paths of the hurricanes in the charts in this LAB, which way do the paths
veer? Straight, left or right?