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HOW TO TRACK A TYPHOON ?

The threat of tropical cyclones nowadays is


far reaching. Year after year, our civilization is
affected by these howlers ranging from hurricanes,
typhoons, cyclones and storms which belong to the
family of tropical cyclones. This wrath of nature kills
hundreds or even thousands of people, damaging
many livelihood and properties.
Now the question is: "How can we avoid
them?" The answer to this is through
awareness and understanding. Without this
knowledge, the loss of lives will continue to
be a risk factor in the evolution of civilization.
Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically
Latitude
When looking at a map, latitude lines run
horizontally.
Latitude lines are also known as parallels since
they are parallel and are an equal distant from
each other.
Each degree of latitude is approximately 69 miles
(111 km) apart; there is a variation due to the fact
that the earth is not a perfect sphere but an oblate
ellipsoid (slightly egg-shaped).
To remember latitude, imagine them as the
horizontal rungs of a ladder ("ladder-tude").
Degrees latitude are numbered from 0° to 90°
north and south. Zero degrees is the equator, the
imaginary line which divides our planet into the
northern and southern hemispheres. 90° north is
the North Pole and 90° south is the South Pole
Longitude
The vertical longitude lines are also known as
meridians. They converge at the poles and are
widest at the equator (about 69 miles or 111 km
apart). Zero degrees longitude is located at
Greenwich, England (0°). The degrees continue 180°
east and 180° west where they meet and form the
International Date Line in the Pacific Ocean.
Greenwich, the site of the British Royal Greenwich
Observatory, was established as the site of the
Prime Meridian by an international conference in
1884.
How Latitude and Longitude Work Together
To precisely locate points on the earth's surface,
degrees longitude and latitude have been divided
into minutes (') and seconds ("). There are 60
minutes in each degree. Each minute is divided into
60 seconds. Seconds can be further divided into
tenths, hundredths, or even thousandths. For
example, the U.S. Capitol is located at 38°53'23"N ,
77°00'27"W (38 degrees, 53 minutes, and 23
seconds north of the equator and 77 degrees, no
minutes and 27 seconds west of the meridian passing
through Greenwich, England).
The Compass
The four cardinal directions correspond to the following degrees of a
compass:
North (N): 0° = 360°
East (E): 90°
South (S): 180°
West (W): 270°

An ordinal, or intercardinal, or intermediate, direction is one of the four


intermediate compass directions located halfway between the cardinal
directions.
Northeast (NE), 45°, halfway between north and east, is the
opposite of southwest.
Southeast (SE), 135°, halfway between south and east, is the
opposite of northwest.
Southwest (SW), 225°, halfway between south and west, is
the opposite of northeast.
Northwest (NW), 315°, halfway between north and west, is
the opposite of southeast.
• We welcome you to our special section: A
Guide on How to Track Tropical Cyclones. This
simple tool will help you know and
understand where a tropical storm or a
typhoon is going to strike. Below is a step-by-
step procedure on how to do it:
Exercise
• Plot the coordinates by finding out the exact
square where Rosing is located. For this
exercise, you need the first set of latitude and
longitude - 14.4 north and 125.9 east. Now,
look along the borders of your tracking chart
the coordinate numbers 14 north and 125
east. You must converge 14 and 125 in one
point, which will be 14.0 and 125.0.
125*

14*
125*

14*
• Having located the coordinates, your next task
is to pinpoint the precise location. Calculate
14.4 and 125.9 by dividing the coordinate box
into 10 equal parts.
Let’s continue the tracking of Typhoon
Rosing
Start plotting the present storm. For example: Super
Typhoon Rosing (Angela) of November 02, 1995.
D-300 kms.
T/I-15.78 hrs
D-210kms.
T/I-11 hrs
D-300 kms.
T/I-15.78 hrs
D-140kms.
T/I-9.3 hrs hrs
D-210kms.
T/I-11 hrs
D-300 kms.
T/I-15.78hrs
D-30 kms.
T/I-1.76hrs

D-140 kms.
T/I-9.3 hrs hrs

D-210kms.
T/I-11 hrs D-300 kms.
T/I-15.78 hrs
• Here is a sample of a finished tracking
chart of Rosing taken from the example data
information in Step 2.
• Make sure to make a tabular form or your own
storm logs on your computer or on a piece of
paper for you to jot down the present data
info and of course the future data.
• After plotting the exact position of the storm,
you must also plot the forecast positions as
well as the past positions of the storm - for
you to know where and when the storm will
strike. Don't forget to add the date, wind
speed and the line connecting the points.
• Upon knowing where the storm is, you can
now share the information to anybody in your
community. Who knows, you can be a hero
someday by saving lives. Now, in order to
master the plotting of these tropical cyclones
you need to repeat from Step 1 again.
• Always remember, "practice makes perfect!"
• Good luck!

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