Question

Describe the formation and travel direction (and why) of a North Atlantic hurricane that might impact North America

Answer 1

ANSWER:

There are two main reasons for this disparity.

(1) The first is that hurricanes in the North America (or) Northern Hemisphere form at subtropical latitudes and tropical & then tend to move toward the west-northwest. In the North America, such a motion often brings the hurricane into the vicinity of the East Coast of the U.S. In the Northeast Pacific, the same west-northwest track carries hurricanes farther offshore, well away from the U.S. West Coast.

(2) The second factor is the difference in water temperatures along the U.S. East and West coasts. Along the East Coast, the Gulf Stream provides a source of warm (above 80 degrees Fahrenheit, or 26.5 degrees Celsius) waters, which helps to maintain the hurricane. Along the West Coast, however, ocean-surface temperatures rarely rise above the lower 70s F. (the low 20s C.), even in the middle of summer. Such relatively cool temperatures do not provide enough thermal energy to sustain a hurricane's strength. So the occasional Northeast Pacific hurricane that does track back toward the U.S. encounters the cooler waters of the Pacific, which can quickly reduce the storm's strength.

----------------------------------------------***---------------------------------------------------