Hurricane Isaac has pounded the Gulf Coast area and New Orleans.  Seven years ago today, Hurricane Katrina made landfall in this area.  New Orleans suffered tremendous devastation that included a massive loss of life and property damage due to flooding.  The waters of Lake Pontchartrain topped the levees and lead to the tremendous damage from which New Orleans continues to recover. 



Currently, on August 28, 2012, the levees are in jeopardy and the waters have topped the barriers in one parish in New Orleans. 

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/audio/201208291706.mp3

This podcast from NOAA provides details about what is currently occuring in the landfall area. 

Isaac Goes Ashore!

Hurricane Isaac goes ashore in the state of Louisiana and drops several inches of rain on the area.  The levees in one parish have been breached and the National Guard is in rescue mode as the residents are threatened by flood water.

Isaac is a large, slow moving hurricane and at last report was moving at only 7 miles per hour.  This gives the storm the ability to unleash a torrential rainfall on the areas and cause flooding that a faster moving storm may not have caused. 

A Little Late on Isaac!

Hurricane Isaac formed in the Atlantic and is now hovering over the Gulf Coast states dropping a great deal of water.  New Orleans, Louisiana is a major area of focus as the storm makes landfall in the immediate area. 
























http://www.livescience.com/22704-hurricane-isaac-path.html

and from NOAA

Tools to Study Hurricanes

Scientist and meteorologists use a lot of equipment and processes to provide information about hurricanes, how they form, their characteristics, and forecasts about where the storm may go. In May, 2011, Hunters Creek Elementary fifth grade students visited a hurricane hunter airplane. The students enjoyed a discussion with a meteorologist from NOAA, local emergency readiness officials, and a tour of the airplane. During the tour, the students spoke with onboard meteorologists and the planes's pilot.

The Hurricane Hunter airplanes are very sophisticated aircraft assigned to fly into hurricanes to gather data about the storm. They release data gathering canisters containing sensors that relay information back to the meteorologists and scientists onboard the plane. These instruments are called dropsondes.  They are weather sensors that measure atmospheric pressure, temperature, and humidity.  The dropsonde uses a GPS to also help determine the wind in and around a hurricane.  As the probes fall through the storm at nearly 35 miles per hour it relays data back to the aircraft.  Over 50 dropsondes are released into a hurricane during each flight.




A dropsonde operator places the instrument inside a tube and sends it down a chute where it is released from the bottom of the aircraft.  A parachute opens to allow the instrument to float down while collecting and transmitting their data.

Stanitski, Diane Marie and John J. Adler, Teacher in the Air, Dr. Diane's Flight with the NOAA Hurricane Hunters.  National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2006. 

Dropsonde image from: rvanews.com

Hurricane Katrina 2005

Hurricane Katrina slammed into Louisiana's Gulf Coast on 2005.  This satellite imagery shows how the hurricane moved across the Gulf of Mexico and eventually made landfall in the Louisiana/Mississippi area.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5EAQ5UjWxY

What is a hurricane?

A hurricane is an intense, rotating oceanic weather system that possesses maximum sustained winds exceeding 119 km/hr (74 mph). It forms and intensifies over tropical oceanic regions.  This kind of storm has several names.  Depending upon where you live, this tropical storm can be called a:

• "hurricane" (the North Atlantic Ocean, the Northeast Pacific Ocean east of the dateline, or the South Pacific Ocean east of 160E)
• "typhoon" (the Northwest Pacific Ocean west of the dateline)
• "severe tropical cyclone" or "Category 3 cyclone" and above (the Southwest Pacific Ocean west of 160°E or Southeast Indian Ocean east of 90°E)
• "very severe cyclonic storm" (the North Indian Ocean)
• "tropical cyclone" (the Southwest Indian Ocean)

Thanks to NOAA for help with this information.  The NOAAA website address is:  http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/tcfaq/A1.html