Hurricane Katrina Satellite Diary: The Evolution of a Monster Storm

Name: _________________________________       Date: _____________

Over the last days of August 2005, Hurricane Katrina brought scenes of unimaginable horror and destruction to the Gulf Coast states of Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi. The storm is the deadliest to strike the United States since a hurricane tore through Galveston, Texas in 1906. The loss of life and property is staggering. It will take years for the region to recover from Katrina's violence.

Days before these scenes of chaos raged on the ground, NOAA satellites were already watching and tracking Katrina as it grew from a small, disorganized storm in the Atlantic Ocean to a monstrous Category 5 storm in the Gulf of Mexico. In this activity, you'll explore a series of satellite pictures that will help you see how Katrina became one of the most ferocious storms to ever hit the United States.

1. To begin, take a look at this overview of Katrina's Track from August 23 through August 30. Use the scroll bar to move back and forth between the tracking map and the chart of Storm Coordinates below the map to answer the following questions.
   
   
   
   
2. Look at the Storm Category chart in the upper left corner of the tracking map. What category was Katrina when it first appeared on the tracking map in light blue?
   
   
   
   
3. While classified in that category, Katrina's maximum wind speed was ______ mph and its barometric pressure was _______ millibars.
   
   
   
   
4. What category did Katrina evolve to next (in light green)?
   
   
   
   
5. While classified in that category, Katrina's maximum wind speed was ______ mph and its barometric pressure was _______ millibars.
   
   
   
   
6. Katrina became a _________________ hurricane (in yellow) just before hitting Florida. Its wind speed was now ______ mph and its barometric pressure was _______ millibars.
   
   
   
   
7. Looking at the map, where was Katrina as it strengthened from a Category 2 hurricane to a Category 5 hurricane?
   
   
   
   
8. During this time, its maximum wind speed grew from _______ mph to ______ mph and its pressure dropped from ________ millibars to _________ millibars.
   
   
   
   
9. Explain how its location could have such a huge effect on its speed and pressure.
   
   
   
   
10. What conclusion can you draw about the relationship between hurricane strength and barometric pressure?
    
    
    
    
11. Next, examine what Katrina looked like on August 24th from a satellite's view while still a tropical storm in the Atlantic Ocean east of Florida. Describe the shape of the storm. Is there an eye or well-organized spiral bands?
    
    
    
    
12. A few days later, Katrina had grown to a maximum Category 5 hurricane. How does it structure compare to the way it looked as a Category 2 storm?
    
    
    
    
13. Finally take a look at Katrina as it made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane. Which city is directly in its path?
    
    
    
    
14. One of the reasons Katrina was so destructive is its enormous size. Look at how wide the storm stretches on the last satellite picture. Use a scale map of the United States to estimate this distance in miles.