00:00Hurricanes can be a lot scarier than we often realize, especially since they can actually
00:05trigger earthquakes.
00:07This surprising and frightening phenomenon, known as storm quakes, was discovered completely
00:12by accident not too long ago.
00:15It started with scientists trying to find out more about low-frequency earthquakes.
00:19We're talking about those earthquakes that are so weak that we can't actually feel
00:23the tremor.
00:24See, beneath our feet, the Earth is constantly vibrating in subtle, unceasing ways that we
00:29can't hear or see without the right equipment.
00:32This geologic hum, so to speak, is driven by the movement of oceans, which covers about
00:3870% of our planet's surface.
00:41Scientists have found that this hum may actually provide useful records of environmental happenings.
00:47To figure out where it's coming from, experts used equipment known as seismometers.
00:52You can think of these devices as little ears pressed to the ground.
00:55They can pick up all sorts of vibrations, like fans jumping up and down at their idol's
01:00concert, airplanes flying by, or even super-distant earthquakes shaking the ground.
01:06Very low-frequency earthquakes are hard to track over long distances because the signals
01:11they produce can look different on different measuring devices.
01:15To solve this problem, experts came up with a way to track these signals by combining
01:20readings from smaller areas, kind of like putting together a puzzle.
01:24While doing this, they stumbled upon a strange set of events that looked a bit like the earthquakes
01:30they were studying, but were not exactly the same.
01:35The first weird thing they noticed was that this specific phenomenon was seasonal.
01:40It never happened between May and August, for example.
01:43That is completely different from earthquakes, which can pretty much happen any time of the
01:47year.
01:49The second strange thing is that earthquakes usually occur more in the western part of
01:54the United States, where the ground moves along cracks in the surface.
01:58But these new strange vibrations spread not just along the west coast of North America,
02:03but also over to the east side.
02:06So what could be triggering this new phenomenon?
02:10What they surprisingly discovered is that many of these tremors coincided with the same
02:15time that massive storms hit North America.
02:18So we are essentially talking about a chain reaction.
02:21What happens is that during a specific season, hurricanes or heavy storms can transfer energy
02:27into the oceans, creating very strong waves.
02:30These waves then interact with the solid Earth, producing intense seismic activity.
02:36These bursts of energy that are born from massive storms can radiate thousands of miles
02:40across continents, leading to what we now call storm quakes.
02:47It is believed that this phenomenon can trigger earthquakes at a magnitude of up to 3.5 on
02:52the Richter scale.
02:53This means it can be felt by many people, but normally doesn't cause any damage.
02:59But that doesn't mean we can all be relaxed now, as ocean waters can indeed increase the
03:04intensity of hurricanes.
03:06Just like what happened with the frightening Hurricane Milton, which recently left a path
03:10of destruction across Florida.
03:13The blue-purplish zone you're looking at is Hurricane Milton, seen from a satellite
03:17perspective.
03:18On October 9th, this hurricane sustained winds of 155 mph and lashed the region with heavy
03:25rainfall, damaging winds, and life-threatening storm surges.
03:29Estimates show that the losses could be up to $34 billion, which could make it one of
03:34the costliest storms in United States history.
03:39What happened with Hurricane Milton was pretty tricky.
03:41It all started with some record hot water in the Gulf of Mexico.
03:45That warm water acted like a power-up, giving this hurricane the energy it needed to grow.
03:50And then, there was also this process called eyewall replacement that helped it get bigger
03:55too.
03:56We'll get to that in a moment.
03:58So as Hurricane Milton approached the coast, something unusual happened.
04:03It crossed paths with a fast-moving air current called the jet stream, which flows high up
04:07in the atmosphere.
04:08Normally, the winds in the northern and northwest parts of a hurricane are not as strong as
04:14those in other areas.
04:15But because of this interaction with the jet stream, the winds in these parts of the storm
04:20became much stronger than expected.
04:24At nearly every turn, Hurricane Milton surprised everyone and intensified faster than we have
04:29seen in ages.
04:30It threatened to slam both Florida's west and east coasts with a dangerous surge of
04:35water, putting the bustling area of Tampa Bay, which is home to over 3 million people,
04:40at serious risk.
04:43So how did Milton become such a major problem?
04:46Well, the problem started in the eastern Pacific Ocean.
04:49Usually, hurricanes follow a fairly predictable path, spinning off of Africa's coast, sailing
04:55across the Atlantic, and gaining strength in the warm Caribbean waters.
04:59But Milton had a twist in its origin story.
05:02It began as the remnants of a tropical depression that crossed over the Yucatan Peninsula and
05:07met a stalled front in the Gulf.
05:10Once Milton got going, it didn't hold back.
05:13But when it hit those record-high ocean temperatures, it was like giving it an energy drink.
05:19The warm water and humid air were the perfect ingredients for a hurricane on the rise.
05:23Quickly, Milton's wind speeds increased by 92 mph, so it went from a tropical storm to
05:30a Category 5 hurricane in less than two days, which is basically insane and off the charts.
05:38And if that wasn't enough, Hurricane Milton also went through this thing called eyewall
05:43replacement.
05:44Hurricanes spin around a mostly clear eye in the center.
05:47But overnight, Milton started forming new bands of rain on its outer edges, creating
05:52a second ring around its eye.
05:54This process helped Milton grow even bigger, spreading out the wind speeds and giving it
05:59a larger footprint.
06:00It's kind of like shedding its skin and getting ready to become even more powerful.
06:06Hurricane Milton also had this little wobble in its back, which changed where it was heading.
06:11You can think of it like a spinning top that gets nudged and wobbles a bit before finding
06:15its balance again.
06:17That wobble meant some areas could get either hit hard or be spared from the worst of the
06:22storm.
06:23Thankfully, Hurricane Milton weakened a bit because of some tricky wind changes up in
06:28the atmosphere until it finally made landfall.
06:32After that, it moved across the peninsula and headed out to sea, quickly losing strength
06:36as it pulled away from the warmer waters.
06:40Even though the damage was significant, the good news – if you can call it that – is
06:45that experts were honestly expecting things to be way, way worse.
06:49Still, it raises a question.
06:51How close was Milton's wind speed to the maximum?
06:54Or in other words, is there a limit to how strong a hurricane can get?
06:59The answer is yes, there is a speed limit for hurricane winds.
07:03But it's not a set number.
07:05Right now, the strongest a storm can get is around 200 mph.
07:10But that maximum speed can change depending on many factors, like the heat in the ocean.
07:15Think of the ocean as the fuel for hurricanes.
07:18The warmer the water, the more fuel these storms have to work with.
07:23Experts believe that as the oceans continue to warm, they can ramp up the wind speeds
07:28and the impacts of hurricanes, making them a lot stronger.
07:32But other things can also help figure out how intense a hurricane can get.
07:36For example, the heat in the air and the temperature at the top of the clouds matter, as they also
07:41affect how fast heat moves from the ocean's surface to the top of the storm.
07:47Some estimates suggest that maximum wind speeds could reach closer to 220 mph until the end
07:53of the century, so it's definitely something that experts need to keep an eye on to help
07:58prevent future disasters.
08:00As we move forward, it's essential to keep researching and studying these storms.
08:04The more we understand them, the better we can protect ourselves and our communities.
08:09That's it for today!
08:11So hey, if you pacified your curiosity, then give the video a like and share it with your
08:15friends!
08:16Or if you want more, just click on these videos and stay on the Bright Side!
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