Hurricane Isabel Approaches

Hurricane Isabel Approaches



Where will Hurricane Isabel go? One of the stronger storm systems of modern times appears headed for one the more populated seaboards on planet Earth -- the east coast of the USA. Hurricane Isabel, pictured yesteday as it passed east of the Bahamas, has flirted with category 5 status, the most powerful hurricane category.Hurricanes are huge swirling storms with cloudsystems typically larger than a state. Tropical cyclones, called hurricanes inEarth's Western Hemisphere and typhoons in the Eastern Hemisphere, get their immense energy from warm evaporated ocean water. As this water vapor cools andcondenses, it heats the air, lowers pressure and hence causes cooler air to comeswooshing in. Winds can reach over 250 kilometers per hour and become very dangerous. Much remains unknown abou cyclones, including how they are formed and the exact path they will take.