Hurricane Opal

The conversion of pressure to velocity is a rather common, everyday phenomenon. Remember Hurricane Opal, which struck the Florida Panhandle in October 1995 It had peak winds of 145 miles per hour. The pressure in the eye of the hurricane was reported at 27 inches Hg. A portion of the kinetic energy of the wind in a hurricane is derived from the barometric pressure of the atmosphere. The lift that helps an airplane fly is also a result of the conversion of barometric pressure to velocity. Because of the shape of the wing, the air passes across the top of the wing at a higher speed than it... 

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