Hurricane Harvey

High school (ages 12+)
Environment & Earth

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/hurricane-harvey

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the year of occurrence?2017
2. What is the peak wind speed (sustained)?130 mph
3. What made Hurricane Harvey so powerful?Harvey grew very fast into a Category 4 hurricane, reaching 130 mph winds when it hit Texas. It was the first major hurricane to land in the U.S. since 2005.
4. How did Hurricane Harvey cause so much flooding?The storm moved very slowly over Texas, pulling a huge amount of rain from the Gulf of Mexico. It dumped more than 60 inches of rain, which flooded many homes and businesses.

Tropical Cyclone Intensity Scale: A scale (like the Saffir-Simpson scale) used to categorize hurricanes based on their wind speed and potential for damage.
Wind Shear: A change in wind speed or direction over a short distance, which can disrupt the structure of a tropical cyclone.
Storm Surge: An abnormal rise of water generated by a storm, over and above the predicted astronomical tide, caused by the storm's winds pushing water onshore.
Atmospheric River: A narrow corridor of concentrated moisture in the atmosphere that transports water vapor from the tropics to the mid-latitudes, contributing to heavy rainfall events.