Hurricane History, Cricket Song, and Other Late Summer Lore

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Hurricane history: Astronauts aboard Apollo 7 took this photo of Hurricane Gladys in the Gulf of Mexico on October 17, 1968 at an altitude of 99 nautical miles.
Hurricane history: Astronauts aboard Apollo 7 took this photo of Hurricane Gladys in the Gulf of Mexico on October 17, 1968 at an altitude of 99 nautical miles.
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As rule of thumb, count the number times a cricket chirps in 13 seconds, then add 40 to obtain the temperature in degrees Fahrenheit.
As rule of thumb, count the number times a cricket chirps in 13 seconds, then add 40 to obtain the temperature in degrees Fahrenheit.
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By the reckoning of many, the harvest moon is the full moon closest to the autumn equinox because farmers were able to carry on harvesting at dusk by the light of the moon.
By the reckoning of many, the harvest moon is the full moon closest to the autumn equinox because farmers were able to carry on harvesting at dusk by the light of the moon.

Nature’s grandest storms, hurricanes, are heat engines that feed off the warmth of the ocean. Because ocean temperatures are at their highest in the late summer months of August and September, they are prime for the most powerful of the mighty storms called “Atlantic” hurricanes.

Hurricane History

If you live anywhere within a hundred miles or so of Atlantic or Gulf of Mexico coastal waters, knowing some basics about hurricanes and hurricane safety could make the difference between life and death.

By definition, a tropical cyclone must have sustained winds of at least 74 mph to be classified as a hurricane. Even a hurricane with winds no stronger than this can be life threatening in certain circumstances. But a hurricane’s “disaster potential” is measured on the five-level Saffir/Simpson Scale. On that scale, a hurricane may have sustained winds as high as 95 mph and yet still be considered a “category 1” storm, the weakest of the five categories!

The greatest killer and destroyer in a hurricane is most often the “storm surge.” This is the mass of ocean water piled high by the winds. In the strongest hurricanes, the height of the storm surge can exceed 20 feet. For such storms, massive evacuation of all low-lying residential areas within five to 10 miles of the shore is often required.

  • Published on Aug 1, 1994
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