The Tropical Cyclone Tracker is an interactive web simulation designed to show the paths of famous hurricanes. Tracking a hurricane is an excellent way to teach the development of tropical cyclones. This interactive tool will allow you to see famous hurricanes and their wind speed increases prior to landfall in the United States. A color-coded Saffir-Simpson scale hurricane category rating diagram helps you to truly visualize these violent storms from start to finish.
Difficulty: Easy
Time Required: Under 10 Minutes
Here's How:
- Go to the Tropical Cyclone Tracker.
- At the bottom of the hurricane simulation tool, you will see a gray box with various web-based tools. Famous hurricanes such as Hugo, Andrew, Gilbert, Camille, and Mitch are listed and can be immediately clicked on.
- As you start a hurricane simulation, you will see the path change colors. The Saffir-Simpson scale color keys are listed in the upper right corner. Notice the ways the hurricane develops from a tropical depression to a full-blown category 5 hurricane.
- The path of the hurricane is in a grid system of latitude and longitude. One suggestion is for teachers to copy or print the web page in black and white so students have a copy of a hurricane tracking worksheet for use in a library or research environment.
- The hurricane simulator covers all hurricanes from 1950-2003. Choose alternate years to count the number or intensity of various hurricanes. Once an alternate year is chosen, another series of names will appear to the right of the year button.
- The simulation can be slowed down or paused by using the tools in the lower right corner. As the simulation is paused, the exact latitude, longitude, and time are displayed in the upper left corner. This allows for an excellent tool for classroom hurricane tracking lessons.
- Wind speed for every step of the development of the hurricane is listed in knots and miles per hour in the left corner. The pressure is also listed in millibars (mb). Again, this data can be paused for collecting data and using scientific analysis to track the path of a tropical cyclone.
What You Need:
- An computer internet connection
