Fighting the Winds T e flight through the hurricane’s eye lasts only 10 minutes. T e crew rushes to finish their work. T ey find the exact center of the storm. T at will help meteorologists track the storm’s path. Boom! T ey drop another dropsonde. T e plane reaches the far side of the eyewall.


It’s time for another bumpy ride. Hailes flies through and out of the hurricane. T is flight is far from over, though. Hailes


circles back around to the storm. He flies into the battering winds again. Six hours later, he has crossed the storm


three more times. It’s time to head home. T e crew is worn out. Hailes’ mission is a success, though. Now


meteorologists can predict where the storm will make landfall. People there have two days to get ready and get out.


Final Preparations People take the warning seriously. Within


hours, shoppers empty store shelves. T ey buy bottled water and canned food. T ey stock up on batteries and other emergency supplies. T e pounding sound of hammers fills the


air. People are nailing plywood over their windows. T ey hope it will protect their homes and businesses from the hurricane. Cars line up at gas stations. Traffic jams the


roads as millions of people flee the hurricane. Even the animals sense something is wrong.


Pelicans fly to lakes farther inland. Crabs dig deep in the mud. Alligators hide in marshes. Finally, the hurricane hits. It slams the coast


like a bulldozer. It’s weakened a little, but winds still whirl 192 kilometers (120 miles) per hour. T e winds peel roofs off buildings and strip


leaves from trees. Tree limbs snap. Rain falls sideways. Winds howl. Yet the worst part of the storm is still to come.


air pressure: the force of air pressing down on an area


atmosphere: the gases that surround a planet


evaporate: to change from a liquid into a gas, such as water into water vapor


hurricane: a large storm with spinning winds that forms over tropical waters


storm surge: a mound of water pushed ashore by hurricane winds


Landfall Pushed by the wind, a huge mound of seawater slams into the shore. Giant waves crash against boats and pile them up like toys. Tall walls of water wash through towns. Streets fl ood. T e rush of water pushes some houses off their foundations. It tears others apart. Wind and water rip up clumps of marsh


grasses. Alligators tumble inland. T e storm surge leaves a path of destruction. T e hurricane weakens as it moves over


land. Now that it’s no longer over warm water, it has lost its fuel. By day’s end, it breaks into smaller thunderstorms. T en it’s over. T e clouds break apart. T e sky is blue again. People soon return to their homes. T e


damage is heartbreaking. Yet everyone pitches in to clean up and rebuild. Hailes watches the rebuilding on the news.


He feels good about giving an early warning. Few people died or were hurt in this storm. It could have been much worse. Now, it’s time to rest. Meanwhile, far out at


sea, new clouds rise. Winds begin to spin. Once again, Hailes will fly into these whirling winds.


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