Summary
Hurricanes are nature's most powerful storms, bred out of heat, moisture and intense low pressure. Serving as a heat-release valve in the Earth's atmosphere, hurricanes can be as expansive as 600 miles in diameter, build to a height of more than 50,000 feet into the sky and pack sustained winds of up to 185 mph. In the Northern Hemisphere, they always swirl counterclockwise. To give the public a reading on their power and potential for destruction, hurricanes are classified into five categories under the Saffir-Simpson Scale. The scale is based on maximum sustained winds: Category 1: 74 to 95 mph; Category 2: 96-110 mph; Category 3: 111-130 mph; Category 4: 131-155 mph; Category 5: More than 155 mph.
Hurricanes are nature's most powerful storms, bred out of heat, moisture and intense low pressure. Serving as a heat-release valve in the Earth's atmosphere, hurricanes can be as expansive as 600 miles in diameter, build to a height of more than 50,000 feet into the sky and pack sustained winds of up to 185 mph. In the Northern Hemisphere, they always swirl counterclockwise. To give the public a reading on their power and potential for destruction, hurricanes are classified into five categories under the Saffir-Simpson Scale. The scale is based on maximum sustained winds: Category 1: 74 to 95 mph; Category 2: 96-110 mph; Category 3: 111-130 mph; Category 4: 131-155 mph; Category 5: More than 155 mph.
When a hurricane is a Category 3, 4 or 5 it is considered a major - or intense - hurricane. Since 1925, hurricanes have caused almost $5 billion in damage per year on average in the United States. Major hurricanes account for more than 80 percent of the damage and strike the United States every 1.3 years on average.
Storm surge, a steady rise of sea waters above tide levels, is the most deadly aspect of hurricanes, as it can result in severe flooding and battering waves. Inland flooding also has proven to be a prolific killer. Yet, many people die in the aftermath of storms from downed electrical wires, water-covered ditches or falling objects such as trees.
Some of the most deadly U.S. hurricanes include:
-- The Galveston Hurricane of 1900 hit Galveston, Texas on Sept. 8, 1900 as a Category 4 system with an estimated death toll between 8,000 and 12,000;
-- The Great Florida Hurricane of 1928 hit near West Palm Beach, Fla., on Sept. 16, 1928 as a Category 4 with an estimated death toll of about 2,500, most of those around Lake Okeechobee;
-- And Hurricane Katrina hit southeast Louisiana on Aug. 29, 2005 as a Category 3 and was estimated to kill more than 1,800 in New Orleans and along the Gulf Coast.
Florida is the most hurricane vulnerable state in the nation. Since 1900, 67 hurricanes have struck the state, 29 of them major. Texas is closest behind with 40 hurricanes, 17 major.
Scientists say hurricane activity rises and falls based on a natural cycle of warm waters ebbing and flowing into the tropical regions where hurricanes frequently are spawned. These cycles, or eras, can last 20 to 30 years. However, in recent years, a growing number of scientists say global warming has increased the number of major hurricanes each year, as well as increased their intensity.
The storm seasons spanning 1995-2005 comprised the most active 10 consecutive hurricane years on record. Hurricanes are born out of low-pressure areas called tropical waves. In the Atlantic basin, these waves are frequently created by the heat of the North African desert. The waves feed off warm ocean waters. Thunderstorms develop and a low-pressure center forms.
When the thunderstorm activity forms a closed circulation around a low-pressure center, the system is deemed to be a tropical depression. When the sustained winds reach 39 mph, the system becomes a tropical storm. When those winds reach 74 mph, it becomes a hurricane.
The strongest winds of a hurricane are usually found near the eye wall, or the circle of clouds around the center. The eye can be 10 to 30 miles in diameter. Generally, the stronger the hurricane, the smaller the eye.
While hurricanes most commonly form between June and November, the most powerful hurricanes are spawned near the Cape Verde Islands between mid August and the end of September. Officially, the hurricane season begins June 1 and ends November 30.
When a hurricane is a Category 3, 4 or 5 it is considered a major - or intense - hurricane. Since 1925, hurricanes have caused almost $5 billion in damage per year on average in the United States. Major hurricanes account for more than 80 percent of the damage and strike the United States every 1.3 years on average.
Storm surge, a steady rise of sea waters above tide levels, is the most deadly aspect of hurricanes, as it can result in severe flooding and battering waves. Inland flooding also has proven to be a prolific killer. Yet, many people die in the aftermath of storms from downed electrical wires, water-covered ditches or falling objects such as trees.
Some of the most deadly U.S. hurricanes include:
-- The Galveston Hurricane of 1900 hit Galveston, Texas on Sept. 8, 1900 as a Category 4 system with an estimated death toll between 8,000 and 12,000;
-- The Great Florida Hurricane of 1928 hit near West Palm Beach, Fla., on Sept. 16, 1928 as a Category 4 with an estimated death toll of about 2,500, most of those around Lake Okeechobee;
-- And Hurricane Katrina hit southeast Louisiana on Aug. 29, 2005 as a Category 3 and was estimated to kill more than 1,800 in New Orleans and along the Gulf Coast.
Florida is the most hurricane vulnerable state in the nation. Since 1900, 67 hurricanes have struck the state, 29 of them major. Texas is closest behind with 40 hurricanes, 17 major.
Scientists say hurricane activity rises and falls based on a natural cycle of warm waters ebbing and flowing into the tropical regions where hurricanes frequently are spawned. These cycles, or eras, can last 20 to 30 years. However, in recent years, a growing number of scientists say global warming has increased the number of major hurricanes each year, as well as increased their intensity.
The storm seasons spanning 1995-2005 comprised the most active 10 consecutive hurricane years on record. Hurricanes are born out of low-pressure areas called tropical waves. In the Atlantic basin, these waves are frequently created by the heat of the North African desert. The waves feed off warm ocean waters. Thunderstorms develop and a low-pressure center forms.
When the thunderstorm activity forms a closed circulation around a low-pressure center, the system is deemed to be a tropical depression. When the sustained winds reach 39 mph, the system becomes a tropical storm. When those winds reach 74 mph, it becomes a hurricane.
The strongest winds of a hurricane are usually found near the eye wall, or the circle of clouds around the center. The eye can be 10 to 30 miles in diameter. Generally, the stronger the hurricane, the smaller the eye.
While hurricanes most commonly form between June and November, the most powerful hurricanes are spawned near the Cape Verde Islands between mid August and the end of September. Officially, the hurricane season begins June 1 and ends November 30.
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New tropical storm is born
Maryland WeatherTropical Storm Bertha, the second storm of the 2008 Atlantic season, was born this morning in the far eastern Atlantic, near the Cape Verde Islands. She sports top sustained winds of 40 mph and is tracking toward the west northwest......Tags: Tropical Storms, Meteorological Disasters
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Tropical Storm Bertha churns in the Atlantic
Tropical Storm Bertha is still churning in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Africa. At 8 a.m. EDT Friday, Bertha was centered about 315 miles west-southwest of the Cape Verde Islands. Maximum sustained winds are near 45 mph. Some gradual...Tags: Tropical Storms, Meteorological Disasters
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Weekend fireworks, tropical stirrings
Maryland WeatherLooks like we can count on sunny skies and seasonably hot weather for the rest of the work week, but Nature will likely add thunder and lightning to the pyrotechnic celebrations over the long Holiday weekend. Also on our radar......Tags: Tropical Storms, Disasters, Natural Disasters, Meteorological Disasters, Tropical Weather
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Tropical Storm Bertha forms off African coast
Tropical Storm Bertha has formed off the coast of Africa, according to the National Hurricane Center. Thursday evening, the center of the storm was about 100 miles from the Cape Verde Islands. The second named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season was...Tags: Natural Disasters, Tropical Storms, Disasters, Meteorological Disasters, National Hurricane Center
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Tropical Storm Douglas weakens
Tropical Storm Douglas weakened to a depression off Mexico's coast on Thursday and was forecast to die at sea. After forming in the Pacific on Wednesday, Douglas was located about 155 miles (250 kilometers) south-southwest of Cabo San Lucas, on the...Tags: Natural Disasters, Tropical Storms, Disasters, Meteorological Disasters, National Hurricane Center
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Star point guard Paul, Hornets agree to new deal
AP Sports WriterChris Paul and the Hornets reached a contract agreement Thursday that could keep the All-Star point guard with the team for at least the next four seasons. Lance Young, Paul's agent, said Paul agreed to a three-year extension with a player's option for a...Tags: Meteorological Disasters, Multi-Sport Events, Portland Trail Blazers, National Basketball Association, Contracts
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Feds want to see Orange's books
Sentinel Staff WriterFederal auditors are scrutinizing the $85 million Orange County received in disaster aid for the 2004 hurricanes. Federal Emergency Management Agency and county officials would not discuss whether the audit focuses on any specific concerns or is a...Tags: Natural Disasters, Local Authority, Disasters, Hurricane Preparedness, Hillsborough County
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Oklahoma City gets ready to rejoin major leagues
AP Sports WriterMayor Mick Cornett was in a conference room waiting for a meeting to get started when City Manager Jim Couch walked in and handed him a slip of paper with a single word on it: "Done." Cornett knew exactly what it meant. His city had just been called up...Tags: NCAA Tournament, Meteorological Disasters, National Basketball Association, Public Employees, National Hockey League
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Tropical Storm Bertha poses little threat to U.S.
South Florida Sun-SentinelTropical Storm Bertha sprang up in the far eastern Atlantic on Thursday and was initially projected to churn toward the northwest on a path posing little threat to the United States. However, because long-range predictions can be in error, officials at...Tags: Disasters, Tropical Storms, Natural Disasters, Meteorological Disasters, Tropical Weather
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Tropical Storm Douglas forms off Mexico's Pacific coast
U.S. hurricane watchers say that Tropical Storm Douglas has formed off Mexico's Pacific coast, but is not expected to threaten land. The National Hurricane Center in Miami says the storm had winds clocked at 40 mph early today. Douglas was located about...Tags: Tropical Storms, Natural Disasters, Disasters, Meteorological Disasters, National Hurricane Center
Jul 4, 2008
|Blog| Baltimore Sun
Jul 4, 2008
|Story| Associated Press
Jul 3, 2008
|Blog| Baltimore Sun
Jul 4, 2008
|Story| Orlando Sentinel
Jul 3, 2008
|Story| Associated Press
Jul 4, 2008
|Story| Associated Press
Jul 4, 2008
|Story| Orlando Sentinel
Jul 3, 2008
|Story| Associated Press
Jul 4, 2008
|Story| South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Jul 3, 2008
|Story| Los Angeles Times
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