One of the most amazing and powerful classroom demonstrations I have seen on hurricane intensity is shown in the animated Hurricane 2006 online demonstration. Students and teachers will appreciate the easy ability to slide an interactive Saffir-Simposon scale button showing the wind speeds of a hurricane. Using Internet technology, the Associated Press has built this short and uncomplicated tool for analyzing hurricane strength.
Perhaps, one of the hardest concepts for students to imagine is the true power and intensity of the winds in a hurricane. This is especially true for those students who live in areas not prone to hurricanes or tornadoes. Everyone can recognize when the winds get particularly strong, but what exactly are the effects of a 100 mph wind? Many cannot fathom this idea. Now, this animated tropical cyclone scale shows the image of a house being destroyed by differing wind speeds. In addition, it includes a storm surge video animation that includes statistics on storm surge heights. Famous hurricanes like Katrina, Andrew, Wilma, and Camille are discussed in the clips.
Another exciting aspect of this tool is the inclusion of history data on Atlantic hurricanes with custom animations for years and intensity. The paths of just about every Atlantic hurricane are illustrated on a map. Years range from 1851 to 2004 and includes a statistics graph that shows the total number of hurricanes per year in that range. The graph could easily be printed for more analysis if a teacher lesson plan called for the addition of a math integration activity.
Overall, this tool is simple in it's design and powerful in its message. I recommend every teacher to try it.
