Research Paper On Hurricane Irene

Hurricane Irene was a massive, and destructive hurricane, traveling many miles from the coast of Africa, reaching the eastern shores of the United States and northern Canada. The hurricane destroyed houses, and nearly injured several innocent people, creating mass tornados following in and around its path. The major dates of Irene’s occurrence span from August 20th to August 29th 2011. Precipitation solely from the storm reached over 17 inches in some places where the storm was at its height, with a range of 6-15 inches of rain in the majority of place (weather.gov). At its most intense locations, hurricane Irene created 120 mile per hour winds and was deemed a category 3 hurricane, however throughout its duration it was considered a tropical
Around the 15th of August, a wave noticeably larger than normal had developed (national weather service), accompanied by various thunderstorms and extremely low pressures. Within a mere four days the hurricane itself began to form. Warm, moist, air commenced through the strong movements of the wind and wave action forming a rising cloud. As the air spun faster and faster due to that of the Earth’s rotation, the hurricane’s spiral had now formed. Irene was not officially deemed a hurricane until it reached Puerto Rico, after escalation through and around the Caribbean. Winds went from a sturdy 50 miles per hour, to nearly 80 miles per hour by the time the storm hit Puerto Rico (wunderground) and they eye of the storm had legitimately developed. For several hours on August 23rd, Irene intensified and was considered a category 2 hurricane. Winds had risen to 100 miles per hour, yet slowly tapered down to the 90s before continuing to pick up speed. Moving up the coast, being pushed by the northward winds, the storm made its way to the United States. Although Irene had not made contact with land until the 27th (noaa), the wind speed had reached its max of 120 miles per hour just east of the Florida coast