The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1933-06-08

10 Lie HOIllI VI hOA 1AASesoot SAOo&5
j many continue westward int,
! Mexico, Central America, d
/ Texas. Hurricanes have followed
a great variety of paths, however
and some of them have pursued
erratic courses.
Tine Of The Year
| The hurricane season extends
roughly from June to November,
though the majority of such
storms have occurred in August,
September, and October.
Wind Circulation
The tropical storm, or hurri-
cane, is vast whirlwind, more
or less circular in form, with rela-
lively light winds on it's outer
i boundaries but increasing in
violence toward the center.
Around the center the winds move
in q direction opposite to the
hands of clock lin the Northern
Hemisphere so that the OBJ
server, facing the storm center,
feels the wind blow from his left
to his right. In many fully de-
veloped hurricanes there is a
calm center called the ''eye of
the storm in which there are
light, fitful winds. The diameter
of this calm area ranges from 5
to 20 miles. Immediately sur
rounding this relatively calm CEN
ter are located the most violent
winds Of the hurricane.
Progressive Movement
The progressive or forward
movement of the hurricane is
separate and distinct from the
circulatory movement of wind
about the center. While the
velocity of winds in the fully de-
veloped hurricane may reach 100
to $50 miles an hour or more, the
entire wind system advances at a
comparatively slow rate, averag-
ing about IL miles an hour, and
occasionally remains stationary,
or nearly so, for a day or two.
The hurricane may be likened to
a top which spins rapidly but
changes position slowly.
Does Storm Come Back?
When the calm center, or "eye''
of the storm passes over q place,
the calm is preceded by winds of
great violence from one diree-
| ton and followed by winds Of
nearly equally violent from the
Iopposite direction. Thus, If the
hurricane approaches from the
east, the wind blows first from
q northerly direction and after
passage of the calm center, hurri-
cane winds come from q southerly
direction. This calm center gives
rise to the belief that the storm
came back" whereas it was only
the opposite side of the whirl.
Ignorance of the calm-centeI
characteristic has resulted in
death or injury to many people,
because, believing the storm over,
they leave places Of protection
and thus expose themselves to
violent winds which begin abrupt
~ after the calm center passes.
Tides
AS q hurricane advances toward
the coast, the tide rises, slowly
at first and then more rapidly,
as the center of the storm APP
proaches. AS the hurricane CEN
ter nears the coast, the highest
tides are near to and on the right
of the line of advance of the
center. Along the Gulf and
South Atlantic coast the tide at
tending hurricane seldom rises
more than 10 or ~ feet above the
normal, but the overflow in coast
al areas and the heavy seas are
the causes of considerable dam
age to property and loss of life.
In fact, hurricanes have caused
far more deaths from drowning
than from flying debris and
wrecked buildings.
Premonitory Signs
One of the first signs of the
approach of a tropical storm is the
sea swell II appears at sea as n
long. unbroken, wave, the time
interval between erests consider
ably longer than in waves usually
observed. AS the storm approaches
the seas become heavier and rough
er. the tide rises above its normal
height. The barometer, which
Is often higher than normal at
first, begins to fan slowly bat
steadily and. as the storm APP
proaches, falls with great rapid
ity. The winds, light and irreg-
ular, set in from a direction 20
the left OF the observer facing
the storm center. Gradually
the winds increase. coming in
gusts. the sky becomes clonded.
and showers and rain squalls be-
yin, followed BY the steady down
pour and violent winds of the
hurricane,
These signs may be misleading
% the unframed observer. who