Highlights
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...
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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Forecasters predict subdued hurricane season
Forecasters are expecting the fewest Atlantic hurricanes and tropical storms since 2009, particularly if the weather phenomenon El Niño develops by the heart of the hurricane season. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is predicting...
Tags: Natural Disasters, Science, Hurricane Andrew (1992), Tropical Storms, Weather Reports
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Hurricane season getting an early start
Hurricane season is off to an early start in the Pacific, but not quite yet in the Atlantic. The season’s first tropical depression has formed in the Eastern Pacific, about 645 miles from the Mexican coast. A low pressure system in the Eastern...
Tags: Natural Disasters, Tropical Storms, National Hurricane Center, Meteorological Disasters, Tropical Weather
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AccuWeather predicting quiet hurricane season
AccuWeather.com is forecasting a relatively quiet Atlantic hurricane season, predicting a dozen named storms, including two major hurricanes. The weather service is anticipating five hurricanes in all, and seven tropical storms. That is about average,...Tags: Natural Disasters, Tropical Storms, Weather Reports, Meteorological Disasters, Tropical Weather
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Mikulski likens loss of hospital ship Comfort to departure of Colts
The Baltimore SunSen. Barbara A. Mikulski on Wednesday likened the loss of the USNS Comfort to the departure of the Baltimore Colts – and asked Navy Secretary Ray Mabus to reconsider. The U.S. Fleet Forces Command announced last month that it was moving the white-...Tags: Natural Disasters, Naval Station Norfolk, Hospitals and Clinics, September 11, 2001 Attacks, U.S. Navy
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Slow hurricane season forecast for 2012
Hurricane forecasters at Colorado State University are calling for a below-average hurricane season this year, with 10 expected named storms and about a one in four chance a major hurricane will hit the East Coast. The Tropical Meteorology Project...Tags: Natural Disasters, Weather Reports, Meteorological Disasters, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Tropical Weather
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Irene retired from tropical storm name list
MIAMI (AP) — Irene is being retired from the list of storm names because the 2011 hurricane killed 49 people and caused more than $15 billion in damage. A report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says the name will be...Tags: Natural Disasters, Tropical Storms, Dominican Republic, Hurricane Irene (2011), Meteorological Disasters
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40 years later, Howard looks back at Tropical Storm Agnes
Tooling along on a Harley Sprint motorcycle in June 1972, Bob Miller alternated between taking main roads and riding alongside the railroad next to the swollen Patapsco River as he wove his way from Sykesville to Elkridge, filming scene after scene of...Tags: Natural Disasters, Howard County, Tropical Storms, Sykesville, Hurricane Irene (2011)
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Elkridge: Long Reach High Leadership class donate time and effort to help stock food pantry
There are plenty of stories where a single negative incident can give a bad rap to an entire group of people, whole communities, schools, etc. And, for every one of those negatives, there are plenty of amazingly positive people and outreach efforts that,...Tags: Natural Disasters, Teaching and Learning, Patapsco, Schools, Garlic
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When the pump runs dry
Under international pressure over its nuclear ambitions, Iran is now threatening to take pre-emptive action, which could include disrupting oil supplies to the West. It will come as a shock to most Americans, but no presidential candidate — nor,...Tags: Natural Disasters, Iran, Saudi Arabia, The New York Times, Meteorological Disasters
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Driven by disaster
Last Feb. 27, Project: Prom Dress raised $4,000 to benefit the American Red Cross in Howard County. The next day, a fire swept through an apartment complex in Columbia and, just like that, the funds were completely spent on the four families displaced...Tags: Natural Disasters, Tropical Storms, First Aid, Hurricane Irene (2011), Emergency Health Procedures
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Constellation has proven a good neighbor
The American Red Cross of the Chesapeake Region knows how important it is to stay connected to your home. We have been serving Maryland's disaster victims every day for the past 107 years from our offices in Baltimore. We've changed our physical address a...Tags: Natural Disasters, Harbor East, Relief and Aid Organizations, Companies and Corporations, Employees
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Hurricanes or typhoons, they're all bad news.
Maryland WeatherFROM TODAY'S PRINT EDITIONS:A colleague asks: “Are there any differences between hurricanes and typhoons as far as damage, stamina? Meteorologically, they’re all tropical cyclones. They’re called “hurricanes” in the...Tags: Natural Disasters, Tropical Storms, Hurricane Damage, Disasters
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