| H1. Hurricanes are natural phenomena that form over tropical oceans. They pose hazards, including strong winds, heavy precipitation, and storm surges. | • Identify hurricanes in satellite images by recognizing their distinctive features, such as the eye, eyewall, and swirling clouds near the center.• Identify three types of hurricane hazards: strong winds, heavy precipitation, and storm surge. | 1, 4 | 2 MC items |
| H2. A hurricane becomes a natural hazard when it approaches inhabited regions. | • Determine whether a hurricane poses natural hazards to people by analyzing changes in its size, strength, and path. | 1, 4 | 2 MC item 2 EX items |
| H3. Hurricane hazards can impact human lives, health, properties, and infrastructure. | • Causally link each type of hazard to specific impacts.• Describe information included in the hurricane advisories. | 1, 4 | 3 MC items 1 EX item |
| H4. Factors influencing hurricane progression include sea surface temperatures, pressure systems, and other environmental conditions. | • Explain how sea surface temperatures affect hurricane formation and intensity.• Explain how atmospheric pressure systems affect the path of a hurricane. | 2, 3 | 3 MC items 2 EX items |
| H5. Forecasting the hurricane path and intensity involves uncertainty, visualized as the cone of uncertainty. | • Describe what the cone of uncertainty does and does not represent in forecasting the future path of a hurricane. | 1, 4, 5 | 7 TF items |
| H6. Assessing hurricane risk requires understanding both the uncertainty and the potential impact at a specific location and time. | • Use the cone of uncertainty to assess risks to communities.• Consider why estimating exact impacts is difficult due to uncertainty in forecasting. | 2, 4, 5 | 1 MC item2 EX items |
| H7. Human actions can either increase or mitigate short-term and long-term hurricane risks. | • Describe mitigation strategies to reduce the risks and impacts of hurricanes.• Explain how short-term human actions (e.g., evacuation) and long-term human actions can alter future hurricane risks. | 1, 5 | 1 MC item2 EX items |
| H8. Future hurricane risks are expected to rise due to increasing ocean temperatures driven by a warming climate. | • Dentify patterns that (1) ocean temperatures have been rising and (2) stronger hurricanes have formed more frequently over time.• Based on that data, hypothesize that stronger hurricanes will occur more frequently in the future as ocean temperatures continue to rise. | 3, 5 | 1 MC item 3 EX items |