Mission Priorities

• Analyze tropical storm data to track movement, categorize the intensity, and report on possible severe weather consequences.
• Construct Cones of Uncertainty to better predict storm paths.
• Issue storm and hurricane watches and warnings as needed.
• Calculate directional speed, estimate times of arrival, and determine breakpoint areas.
• Issue evacuation recommendations as needed to protect lives.

Mission Directives

• Prepare for Hurricane Alert! team tasks using the pre-mission preparation materials.
• Recruit students for specialty meteorological positions within each storm prediction team.
• Practice skills necessary for mission tasks.

In your Hurricane Alert! simulation your students will serve as meteorology and hurricane experts and participate in a unique learning experience. Linked to fictional NOAA National Hurricane Center at the Challenger Learning Center, they will take part in a simulated a e-Mission, confronting real life storm emergency events.

Challenger Learning Center seeks to partner with teachers and their students who serve as severe weather response teams. Students learn new science skills and explore storms and hurricanes as they never have before. They must work as a team to successfully track the tropical storms that may intensify to hurricane strength, analyze data to predict possible landfall, calculate estimated time of arrival, and issue storm and hurricane watches and warnings.

Students begin by selecting job specification within the storm prediction unit. In following classes they learn about hurricanes, plot latitude and longitude coordinates, calculate ETAs, and distances to selected breakpoint areas. They analyze practice data and learn how to apply their skills to an emergency situation. Their preparation leads to the culminating event - Mission Day.