Question

where and when did hurricane katrina intensify? why was this intensification occurring? hurricane katrina made landfall on august 29, 2005 at 4am. by 7pm on the same day, it was only a tropical storm. why did this rapid degradation of the storm occur? based on the information in the article, come up with your best definition of “storm surge.”

Explanation:

Hurricane Katrina intensified over the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico in the days leading up to land - fall. The warm water provides the energy source for hurricanes. Once it made landfall, the storm rapidly degraded because it lost the heat and moisture source from the ocean and faced increased friction from the land surface. A storm surge is a rise in sea - level caused by a storm, typically a hurricane, pushing water onshore. It is a combination of high winds and low atmospheric pressure associated with the storm.

Answer:

1. Hurricane Katrina intensified over the Gulf of Mexico in the days before August 29, 2005, due to warm ocean waters providing energy.
2. The rapid degradation after landfall on August 29, 2005, was because it lost its oceanic energy source and faced land - based friction.
3. A storm surge is a sea - level rise caused by a storm (like a hurricane) due to high winds and low atmospheric pressure pushing water onto the shore.