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<h2>Andrea Nahles would take the reins of a troubled SPD <span class="date"> 13.02.2018</span></h2>
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<h4 class="artikel">Science</h4>
<h1>Hurricane Harvey: The emergence of an elemental force</h1>

<p class="intro">Tropical storms develop above the sea, need a certain water temperature and a low pressure area. For a natural disaster as devastating as Hurricane Harvey to occur, certain ingredients must come together. </p>

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<p>It is quite possible that Hurricane Harvey will leave the US mainland again and move toward the Gulf of Mexico. That's what experts from the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) suggest. But that should not be a reason to celebrate, because the warm water of the gulf is largely responsible for the devastating powers of hurricanes.</p> <p>After all, Harvey could recharge and then hit the coast a second time with all its might. While this is still a future scenario, the possibility should not be underestimated. Harvey is already causing huge damage and suffering. But how does such a powerful storm develop?</p> <p><strong>Recipe for a tropical storm</strong></p> <p>According to the German Weather Service (DWD), Harvey was first spotted on August 13th. It was initially considered a "tropical low pressure area" and appeared to be quite harmless. But subsequently it developed into a full-blown tropical storm.</p> <p>"Hurricanes need certain preconditions to develop," says Andreas Friedrich, a meteorologist and expert on tornadoes at the DWD. One of them is a surface temperature of 26 degrees Celsius [79 degrees Fahrenheit]. And the ocean surface with that temperature must be at least several hundred square kilometers [several times 40 square miles] large, Friedrich explained.</p> <p>Finally, an area of low pressure must be added to the mix, to turn it into a hurricane: "Often, small areas of low pressure are moving from the western coast of Africa along with the monsoon current across the Atlantic into the warmer waters," Friedrich pointed out. Furthermore, there must not be strong winds close to the ocean surface and in higher areas, the expert said, adding that those would disperse the storm.</p> <div class="picBox	full

rechts
"> <a class="overlayLink" href="#" link="/overlay/image/article/40274064/40247716" rel="nofollow" style="cursor: pointer;"> <img width="700" height="394" src="/image/40247716_401.jpg" title="A satellite picture of hurricane Harvey. The eye of the storm is clearly recognizable. " alt="USA Texas Hurrikan Harvey - Satellitenbild (picture-alliance/ZUMA Wire/Noaa)" /> </a> <p>A satellite picture of hurricane Harvey. The eye of the storm is clearly recognizable. </p> </div> <p>If everything comes together, an area of low pressure can turn into a tropical storm. Then moist and warm sea air moves up, condensates in higher altitude and forms storm clouds.</p> <p>The air moves up, creates negative pressure at sea level, sucking in more moist air from the surrounding areas. Like in a chimney, the air masses get drawn high up. The Coriolis force – which is linked to the earth rotation – gets the air masses moving in circles. "In the center of the hurricane the typical 'eye' emerges. There, it is windstill and the sky is clear, while at the edges, the clouds keep piling up higher and higher," Friedrich says. </p> <p><strong>Harvey is hardly moving </strong></p> <p>The longer those favorable conditions for the hurricane prevail, the more powerful the outcome. Harvey grew so strong that the NHC qualified it as a category four storm on a list of five. "Tropical storms are moving at an altitude of five to eight kilometers [16,000 – 26,000 feet] with the help of air currents. Those decide, where the hurricane moves," Friedrich said.</p> <p>In the case of Harvey it was the Texan mainland. With wind speeds at 215 kilometers [133 miles] per hour it hit land on Friday.</p> <div class="picBox	full

rechts
"> <a class="overlayLink" href="#" link="/overlay/image/article/40274064/40254426" rel="nofollow" style="cursor: pointer;"> <img width="700" height="394" src="/image/40254426_401.jpg" title="Storm Harvey has left behind devestation and death. " alt="Texas Fulton Hurricane Harvey Tote Kühe (Reuters/R. Wilking)" /> </a> <p>Storm Harvey has left behind devestation and death. </p> </div> <p>Usually hurricanes lose force soon after hitting land. The higher air currents make the storm move inland quickly and divorce it from its main source of energy – the warm and humid sea air. Later, they turn into areas of low pressure and eventually lose their devastating power.</p> <p>That was not the case with Harvey: "There were hardly any winds above the Gulf of Mexico and in the southern US. That's why Harvey moved very slowly," Friedrich says. The storm will further be nourished by humid air – humidity that will then fall back in the form of rain.</p> <div class="col3 right"> <div class="group"> <div class="standaloneWrap"> <div class="imgTeaserL video" data-media-id="40262703"> <div class="mediaItem" data-media-id="40262703"> <input type="hidden" name="player_type" value="video" /> <input type="hidden" name="downloadable" value="false" /> <input type="hidden" name="file_name" value="http://tv-download.dw.com/dwtv_video/flv/vdt/2017/beng170828_003_newstexas_01f_sd_vp6.flv" /> <input type="hidden" name="file_duration" value="30" /> <input type="hidden" name="display_date" value="20170828" /> <input type="hidden" name="media_id" value="40262703" /> <input type="hidden" name="rendering_mode" value="flash" /> <input type="hidden" name="media_title" value="Texas battling floods in the wake of Storm Harvey" /> <input type="hidden" name="linked_title" value="" /> <input type="hidden" name="preview_image" value="https://tvdownloaddw-a.akamaihd.net/stills/images/vdt/2017/beng170828_003_newstexas_01f.jpg" /> <div class="teaserImg"> <img src="" class="teaserPreviewImage" /> <a href="javascript:void(0);" accesskey="v" class="videoAnker" rel="nofollow"> <div class="videoContainer" rel="dynamic videoData for javascript"></div> </a> <div class="customPlayBtn"> <div class="playBtnImgBox"></div> <span class="playBtnText">Watch video</span> <span class="right">00:30</span> </div> </div> <div class="teaserContentWrap information"> <h2>Texas battling floods in the wake of Storm Harvey</h2> <span class="icon video"></span> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <p><strong>Stronger hurricanes due to climate change?</strong></p> <p>Climate change is largely responsible for higher ocean surface temperatures, therefore creating more favorable conditions for hurricanes, experts say. "The larger the ocean areas with temperatures above 26 degrees Celsius are, the higher the possibility for hurricanes to develop," Friedrich noted. Climate models suggest that in future we will not only witness more but also stronger hurricanes, the meteorologist says.</p> <div class="longText"> <!-- PictureGallery --> <div class="gallery col3"> <div class="imgTeaserL slideshow noDim" data-id="17219568" data-title="Hurricanes - the power of devastation" data-date="20151023"> <ul class="slides"> <!-- Picture gallery - related image --> <li class="first"> <div class="teaserImg"> <img src="/image/17215310_303.jpg" title="Typhoon Haiyan on a satellite photo" alt="Typhoon Haiyan on a satellite photo" />
</div> <div class="teaserContentWrap"> <div class="tools"> </div> <h4>Hurricanes - the power of devastation</h4> <h2>Three names - one phenomenon</h2> <p>Hurricane, typhoon, and cyclone are actually three names for the same phenomenon. Along the North American coast they are called hurricanes, in East and Southeast Asia they are called typhoons, and near India and Australia they are called cyclones. But despite the different names, they develop in the same way.</p> </div> </li> <!-- Picture gallery - related image --> <li class="hideBeforeLoad"> <div class="teaserImg"> <img src="/image/17220165_303.jpg" title="Cross-section graphic of a tropical storm" alt="Cross-section graphic of a tropical storm" />
</div> <div class="teaserContentWrap"> <div class="tools"> </div> <h4>Hurricanes - the power of devastation</h4> <h2>A cyclone is created</h2> <p>Tropical storms develop over oceans when the water temperature is at least 26 degrees Celsius (79 degrees Fahrenheit). As the warm water evaporates and condenses, the air around it heats up and drags cooler air upwards, creating powerful winds.</p> </div> </li> <!-- Picture gallery - related image --> <li class="hideBeforeLoad"> <div class="teaserImg"> <img src="/image/15392403_303.jpg" title="The eye of hurricane Isabel" alt="The eye of hurricane Isabel" />
</div> <div class="teaserContentWrap"> <div class="tools"> </div> <h4>Hurricanes - the power of devastation</h4> <h2>The eye of the storm</h2> <p>The Earth's rotation causes the air stream to move around the eye of the storm, which can be up to 50 kilometers wide. This area is nearly completely free of clouds and wind.</p> </div> </li> <!-- Picture gallery - related image --> <li class="hideBeforeLoad"> <div class="teaserImg"> <img src="/image/15392408_303.jpg" title="Powerful river tides in China caused by typhoon Nanmadol
(Photo: Li Zhong / ChinaFotoPress / MAXP)" alt="Powerful river tides in China caused by typhoon Nanmadol
(Photo: Li Zhong / ChinaFotoPress / MAXP)" />
</div> <div class="teaserContentWrap"> <div class="tools"> </div> <h4>Hurricanes - the power of devastation</h4> <h2>A storm hits land</h2> <p>When a tropical storm hits a coastline, it becomes weaker due to the lack of warm water. In Australia, "Marcia" was soon downgraded to a category one storm, while "Lam" weakened after striking near Brisbane. Masses of water from the sea often cause the worst damage - as seen here in China after Typhoon Nanmadol in August 2011.</p> </div> </li> <!-- Picture gallery - related image --> <li class="hideBeforeLoad"> <div class="teaserImg"> <img src="/image/16340496_303.jpg" title="A truck drives through water pushed over a road by hurricane Sandy in Southampton, New York
(Photo: REUTERS/Lucas Jackson)" alt="A truck drives through water pushed over a road by hurricane Sandy in Southampton, New York
(Photo: REUTERS/Lucas Jackson)" />
</div> <div class="teaserContentWrap"> <div class="tools"> </div> <h4>Hurricanes - the power of devastation</h4> <h2>Chaos ensues</h2> <p>Hurricane Sandy was one of the strongest hurricanes ever recorded over the Atlantic Ocean. It caused waves of up to 4 meters high, fires, power outages and broken dykes. Sandy arrived with winds at speeds of more than 145 kilometers per hour. Cuba, New York and New Jersey were particularly affected.</p> </div> </li> <!-- Picture gallery - related image --> <li class="hideBeforeLoad"> <div class="teaserImg"> <img src="/image/17220324_303.jpg" title="Graphic showing how a tornado forms" alt="Graphic showing how a tornado forms" />
</div> <div class="teaserContentWrap"> <div class="tools"> </div> <h4>Hurricanes - the power of devastation</h4> <h2>Destructive vortex</h2> <p>Tornadoes however, are non-tropical whirlwinds that can occur anywhere a storm is brewing. Local temperature differences force warm air upwards and cold air down, and a column of warm air rotates upwards at an increasing velocity. Tornadoes are usually only a maximum of 1 kilometer in diameter.</p> </div> </li> <!-- Picture gallery - related image --> <li class="hideBeforeLoad"> <div class="teaserImg"> <img src="/image/16612909_303.jpg" title="A tornado" alt="A tornado" />
</div> <div class="teaserContentWrap"> <div class="tools"> </div> <h4>Hurricanes - the power of devastation</h4> <h2>Fastest storms</h2> <p>As the warm air rises, it forms a funnel, the main characteristic of a tornado. Inside the funnel, the speed of the air can be tremendous - up to 500 kilometers per hour. Tornadoes are the fastest whirlwind type of weather phenomenon.</p> </div> </li> <!-- Picture gallery - related image --> <li class="hideBeforeLoad"> <div class="teaserImg"> <img src="/image/16494249_303.jpg" title="Tornado-caused destruction in Henryville, Indiana, US
(Photo: Steve C. Mitchell/dpa)" alt="Tornado-caused destruction in Henryville, Indiana, US
(Photo: Steve C. Mitchell/dpa)" />
</div> <div class="teaserContentWrap"> <div class="tools"> </div> <h4>Hurricanes - the power of devastation</h4> <h2>Trail of destruction</h2> <p>A tornado can leave a trail of destruction several kilometers long. In the US Midwest, tornadoes occur several hundred times a year, as dry, cold air from the north hits damp, warm air from the Gulf of Mexico. It's different in other countries - in Germany, for example, tornadoes occasionally occur along the coast.</p> <p class="author"> Author: Brigitte Osterath / ew </p> </div> </li> </ul> <br class="clearfix" /> <div class="teaserNavWrap"> <div class="slidePagination"> <div style="float: right"> <a class="function tostart" href="javascript:void(0);" rel="nofollow"></a> <a class="function rwd" href="javascript:void(0);" rel="nofollow"></a> <a class="function fwd" href="javascript:void(0);" rel="nofollow"></a> <a class="function toend" href="javascript:void(0);" rel="nofollow"></a> </div> <a class="function playpause" href="javascript:void(0);" rel="nofollow"></a> <span class="slideshowNav"></span> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div>
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