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    Hydrometeorological Hazards

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    MYREN ARELLANO
    Hydrometeorological hazards are natural phenomena that can endanger lives and property. They include cyclones, flooding, and tornadoes. Cyclones form over warm ocean waters and are known as hurricanes in the Atlantic/Pacific or typhoons in the Pacific. Flooding occurs when rivers overflow their banks, usually due to heavy rainfall. Tornadoes are violently rotating columns of air that can generate extreme winds. Mitigation efforts include forecasting storms, building codes, evacuation plans, education, and relocating people from flood-prone areas. Adaptation strategies involve preparing for severe weather when warnings are issued.

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    Hydrometeorological Hazards

    Uploaded by

    MYREN ARELLANO
    65 views5 pages
    Hydrometeorological hazards are natural phenomena that can endanger lives and property. They include cyclones, flooding, and tornadoes. Cyclones form over warm ocean waters and are known as hurricanes in the Atlantic/Pacific or typhoons in the Pacific. Flooding occurs when rivers overflow their banks, usually due to heavy rainfall. Tornadoes are violently rotating columns of air that can generate extreme winds. Mitigation efforts include forecasting storms, building codes, evacuation plans, education, and relocating people from flood-prone areas. Adaptation strategies involve preparing for severe weather when warnings are issued.

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    HYDROMETEOROLOGICAL HAZARDS

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    Hydrometeorological hazards are natural phenomena that can endanger lives and property. They include cyclones, flooding, and tornadoes. Cyclones form over warm ocean waters and are known as hurricanes in the Atlantic/Pacific or typhoons in the Pacific. Flooding occurs when rivers overflow their banks, usually due to heavy rainfall. Tornadoes are violently rotating columns of air that can generate extreme winds. Mitigation efforts include forecasting storms, building codes, evacuation plans, education, and relocating people from flood-prone areas. Adaptation strategies involve preparing for severe weather when warnings are issued.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    65 views5 pages

    Hydrometeorological Hazards

    Uploaded by

    MYREN ARELLANO
    Hydrometeorological hazards are natural phenomena that can endanger lives and property. They include cyclones, flooding, and tornadoes. Cyclones form over warm ocean waters and are known as hurricanes in the Atlantic/Pacific or typhoons in the Pacific. Flooding occurs when rivers overflow their banks, usually due to heavy rainfall. Tornadoes are violently rotating columns of air that can generate extreme winds. Mitigation efforts include forecasting storms, building codes, evacuation plans, education, and relocating people from flood-prone areas. Adaptation strategies involve preparing for severe weather when warnings are issued.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    HYDROMETEOROLOGICAL HAZARDS 

              Hydrometeorological hazard is a process or phenomenon of atmospheric,


    hydrological or oceanographic nature that can endanger human lives and threaten
    human property.
     
    TYPES OF HYDROMETEOROLOGICAL HAZARDS

    Cyclones

    Coined form the Greek word meaning “coil of snake”


    An area or center of low atmospheric pressure characterized by rotating winds
    Tropical Cyclones – form over warm tropical or subtropical ocean water, typically
    between 5° and 20° latitude
    Extratropical Cyclones - develop over land or water in temperate regions between 30°
    and 70° latitude
    Cyclone intensity – indicated by the cyclone’s sustained wind speeds and lowest
    atmospheric pressure
    Terminology for strong tropical cyclones depending on geographic location:

    Hurricanes

    In the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans


    after a Caribbean word for evil god of winds and destruction

    Typhoons

    in the Pacific Ocean west of International Dateline


    after a Chines word for “scary wind” or “wind from four directions”
     A tropical cyclone is a general term for large thunderstorm complexes rotating around
    an area of low pressure that has formed over warm tropical or subtropical ocean water.
    Low intensity tropical cyclones are called tropical depressions and tropical storms.
    High intensity tropical cyclones are hurricanes/ typhoon.
     To be classified as a hurricane/ typhoon, a tropical cyclone must have sustained winds
    of at least 119 km per hour somewhere in the storm. Hurricanes/ typhoons require a
    tremendous amounts of heat to develop and generally form only where the sea surface
    temperature is at least 26°C.
     From tropical disturbance to a hurricane/typhoon:                         
    Tropical disturbance – a large area of unsettled weather that is typically 200 to 600 km
    in diameter and has an organized mass of thunderstorms that persists for more than 24
    hours.
    Tropical depression – a tropical disturbance may become a tropical depression if winds
    increase and spiral around the area of disturbed weather to form a low-pressure center.
    Tropical storm – once maximum sustained wind speeds increase to 63 km per hour, the
    depression is upgraded to a tropical storm and receives a name.
    Hurricane/ typhoon – if winds of a tropical storm increase in speed, it becomes a
    hurricane/ typhoon.
     
     Features of a Hurricane/ Typhoon
    Rainbands – clouds that spiral around the hurricane/ typhoon
    Eyewall – innermost band of clouds that has the most intense winds
                   
                                                                                                                                      www.drjudywood.com

     Effects of Cyclones:
    Flooding, thunderstorms, tornadoes
    Storm surge, heavy rains and high winds
    Monsoon
    According to Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Service
                 
    Administration (PAG-ASA), the climate of the our country is divided into two main
    season—rainy and dry—with the dry season further subdivided into two: (1) rainy
    season, from June to November; and (2) the dry season, from December to May.
    The rainy seasons, or monsoons are a shift in the wind direction which causes excessive rainfall
    in many parts of the world including Asia, North and South America, and Africa.
     A climate that has an apparent seasonal shift of prevailing winds between winter and
    summer, notably in tropical Asia, Australia, Africa and the Indian Ocean.
     Also refers to regions where there is a clear alteration between winter dry and summer
    rainy seasons.
     Monsoon rainfall is the life-blood of more than half the world’s population, for whom
    agriculture is the source of livelihood. Extensive research is being conducted to
    increase our understanding of monsoon predictability. This has the potential to provide
    significant socio-economic returns by maximizing the benefits of monsoon rainfall and
    reducing the impact of extreme events.
     Two types of monsoon winds experienced in the Philippines:
    Northeast Monsoon – from November to February. Gives cold temperatures and causes
    much rainfall over the eastern coast of the Philippines.
    Southwest Monsoon – from July to September. Responsible for a great amount of
    rainfall during our wet season.
     Trade winds – generally come from the east. The trade winds prevail during the rest of
    the year whenever the NE monsoons are week.

    Flooding

     The natural process of a river’s overbank flow is termed flooding.


     Most river flooding is related to the amount and distribution of precipitation in the
    drainage basin, the rate at which the precipitation soaks into the earth, and how quickly
    the surface runoff from the precipitation that reaches the river.
     Terms related to flooding:
    River – any natural stream of water that flows in a channel with defined banks (larger
    stream)
    Stream – any body of water that flows in channel
    Drainage Basin – region drained by a single stream or river. Each stream has its own
    drainage basin that collects rain and other precipitation.
    Runoff - water from rain or snow that flows over the surface of the ground into streams
     Types of Flooding:
    Flash floods – produced by intense rainfall of short duration over a relatively small area
    Downstream floods – cover a wide area and are usually produced by storms of long
    duration that saturate the soil and produce increased runoff
     Effects of flooding:
    Primary effects: injury, loss of life; damage caused by swift currents, debris, and
    sediment to farms, homes buildings, railroads, bridges, roads and communication
    systems.
    Secondary effects (caused by disruption and malfunction of services and systems
    because of flood): short term pollution of rivers, hunger and disease, and displacement
    of persons who have lost their homes.
    Tornado
     A small-diameter column of violently rotating air developed within a convective cloud
    and in contact with the ground.
     These whirling atmospheric vortices can generate the strongest winds known on earth:
    wind speeds in the range of 500 km per hour have been measured in extreme events.
     The occurrence and formation of tornadoes are products of instability within the earth’s
    air masses and wind systems. Wind speeds and destructiveness are measured through
    the Enhanced Fujita Scale of tornado intensity.
     Waterspouts – tornadoes that form overwater
     

    MITIGATION AND ADAPTATION OF HYDROMETEOROLOGICAL HAZARDS

     
     Cyclones, Monsoons and Tornadoes:
    Accurately forecast storms and issue advisories to warn people in their path.
    Building codes should be adhered
    Evacuation procedures should be set up
    Hazard preparedness, such as short-term activities that individuals and communities
    once they have been warned of severe weather
    Education
    Insurance programs
     Floods:
    The Geohazard Mapping and Assessment Program (as discussed on
    landslides mitigation and adaptation)
      Construction of physical barriers such as concrete flood walls.
    Channelization – straightening, deepening, widening, clearing and lining existing
    streams.
    Relocating people from floodplains/ flood prone areas
    Education
    Preparing for a flood:
    Check with your local flood control agency to see if your property is at risk from flooding
    Make up a flood kit, including a flashlight, blankets, raingear, battery powered radio,
    first-aid kit, rubber gloves and key to personal documents. Keep documents upstairs if
    possible.
    Talk about possible flooding with your family and housemates. Consider writing a flood
    plan, and store these notes with your flood kit.
    When you learn a flood warning has been issued:
    Be prepared to evacuate.
    Observe water levels and stay tuned to a radio and television news and weather
    reports.
    Move people, pets, and valuables upstairs or to a higher ground.
    Do as much as possible in daylight. If electricity fails, it will be hard to do anything.
    Keep warm and dry. A flood can last longer than you think, and it can get cold. Take
    ward clothes, blankets, a Thermos and food supplies.

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