Gizmo Warm-up
You can use data collected from weather stations to study the characteristics of hurricanes. The Hurricane
Motion Gizmo has three simulated weather stations. Turn on Show weather station data. Make sure Wind,
Cloud cover, and Pressure are all checked.
The tails on each station sym...
Student Exploration: Hurricane Motion
Directions: Follow the instructions to go through the simulation. Respond to the questions and
prompts in the orange boxes.
Hurricanes and indications
Mount View Middle School (G/T Earth Science Class)
Hurricanes and indications
Overview/Gizmo
Gizmo Warm-up
You can use data collected from weather stations to study the characteristics of hurricanes. The Hurricane
Motion Gizmo has three simulated weather stations. Turn on Show weather station data. Make sure Wind,
Cloud cover, and Pressure are all checked.
The tails on each station symbol point in the direction the wind is coming from. The flags on
the tail indicate wind speed, measured in knots. (One knot is equal to 1.15 mph.) A short
line extending from the tail indicates 5 knots of wind. A longer line indicates 10 knots. A
triangular flag indicates 50 knots. Add all the flags together to get the wind speed.
The number in the station’s upper right is the air pressure, which is measured in millibars (mb).
The circle symbol indicates the
percentage of cloud cover, as
shown in the table at right.
Activity A: Get the Gizmo ready:
Hurricane ● Make sure Practice, Show hurricane, and Show
characteristics weather station data are selected.
Introduction: Hurricanes form when an area of low pressure forms over warm water. Winds blow toward the
low pressure, but are deflected by Earth’s rotation. The Coriolis effect causes winds to curve to the right in the
Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere. This results in a counterclockwise rotation
for Northern Hemisphere hurricanes and a clockwise rotation for Southern Hemisphere hurricanes.
Question: What are some characteristics of hurricanes?
1. Observe: In which hemisphere is the hurricane shown on the Gizmo? How do you know?
It is shown in the Northern Hemisphere and I know this because when the hurricane moves to
the right it is the Northern Hemisphere and when it moves to the left it is the Southern
Hemisphere.
, 2. Describe patterns: Under Show hurricane, make sure Radar is selected. Radar is used to determine
where precipitation, such as rain, is falling. Blue indicates light rainfall. Heavier rain is shown with yellow
and then orange. Red indicates the heaviest rainfall.
A. Where within the hurricane is the lightest rainfall? The outer part of the hurricane has the
lightest rainfall.
B. Where within the hurricane is the heaviest rainfall? The middle part of the hurricane has the
heaviest rainfall.
C. Describe any patterns you see in the distribution of a The rain gets heavier when it reaches the
hurricane’s rain middle
3. Observe: Under Show hurricane, select Satellite. Satellite images are taken from cameras built into
satellites orbiting Earth. These images are used to study cloud coverage over large areas, including the
clouds associated with a hurricane.
A. Which is larger, the area of rainfall or the area of cloud The area of cloud cover
cover?
B. Where is the cloud cover most dense? The cloud cover is more dense toward the
middle
C. Where is the cloud cover least dense? The cloud cover is less dense on the outer
part
4. Identify: The center of rotation of a hurricane
is called the eye. The eye of a hurricane is a
pressure and light winds.
on the hurricane at right.
✏️
core of warm, relatively calm air with low
Label the eye
5. Classify: Hurricanes are categorized based on their
wind speeds. The chart at right shows the five
categories used to classify hurricanes.
Move the hurricane so that the center of the storm is
almost directly over a weather station. Adjust the
hurricane’s position until the wind speed is
maximized.
A. What is the top wind speed, in knots? The top speed in knots is 105
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