Hurricane Frances Approaches Florida
Explanation:
A major hurricane is heading for
Florida.
Hurricane
Frances, one of the stronger storm systems of modern times,
may cross the eastern coast of Florida sometime tomorrow.
Those in the path of a
hurricane should take precautions.
For example,
NASA's Kennedy Space Center has completely
shut down.
The orbiting
GOES-12 satellite took the
above image of Hurricane Frances early yesterday.
Hurricanes are
huge swirling storms with cloud systems typically larger
than a state.
Tropical cyclones, called
hurricanes in Earth's Western Hemisphere and
typhoons in the Eastern Hemisphere, get their immense
energy from warm evaporated ocean water.
As this water vapor cools and condenses, it heats the air,
lowers pressure and hence
causes cooler air to come swooshing in.
Winds can reach over 250 kilometers per hour and become
very dangerous.
Much remains unknown about cyclones, including
how they are formed and the exact path they will take.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
