Hurricane Katrina Geography Worksheets printable pdf download

Hurricane Katrina Geography Worksheets

Weather

Name: ___________________________________________

Date: __________________________ Period: ___________

The Physical Setting: Earth Science

Lab Activity: Hurricane Katrina

INTRODUCTION: !

Hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30 every year as thunderstorms form over the hot

moist air of the Atlantic Ocean. Sometimes these storms come across the ocean, intensifying be-

fore they run into the islands of the Caribbean and coastal areas of the southeastern United States.

In 2005, Hurricane Katrina formed in the western Atlantic Ocean as a tropical depression. Warm

water provided energy for the storm system, causing it to strengthen before moving into the Gulf of

Mexico it quickly becoming a category 5 hurricane. After all was said and done, the total amounts

of damage from the storm was estimated to be $81.2 billion dollars.

OBJECTIVE: !

Students will plot latitude and longitude coordinates on a map to see the how hurricanes typically

track and the conditions that cause it to develop and die out. They will also see how the weather

variables associated with a hurricane are related.

VOCABULARY: !

Hurricane -

Safﬁr-Simpson Scale -

Storm Surge -

Storm Track -!

Southwesterly Winds -

PROCEDURE: !

1. Using the Safﬁr-Simpson Hurricane Scale below, ﬁll in the Type and/or Category Storm column lo-

cated in the Hurricane Katrina Data Chart.

2. Using the Hurricane Katrina Data Chart plot the positions of the tropical cyclone from August 24

through August 30 on the Atlantic Hurricane Tracking Chart.

Leigh-Manuell - " 1

Hurricane Katrina Geography Worksheets