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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Glenn Schwartz
Staff reporterGlenn "Hurricane" Schwartz was named NBC 10's chief meteorologist on November 28, 2002, and in the same year, he co-authored The Philadelphia Area Weather Book. Schwartz joined NBC 10 in October 1995. Prior to that, he worked as the meteorologist for...Tags: Weather Reports, Lehigh Valley Weather, Science and Technology, Television, Tropical Weather
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Bud tames to tropical storm off Mexico's Pacific coast
MIAMI (AP) -- Forecasters say the system that was once powerful Hurricane Bud has tamed to a tropical storm as it headed toward a string of laid-back beach resorts and small mountain villages on Mexico's Pacific coast. The National Hurricane Center in...Tags: Weather Warnings, Tropical Storms, National Government, Tropical Weather, Meteorological Disasters
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If Tropical Storm Beryl forms, it will be a rare event
The last time two tropical storms formed before the official June 1 start of hurricane season, Theodore Roosevelt was president and the year was 1908. It appears set to happen again 104 years later, as a disturbance off Florida's east coast was given a...Tags: Tropical Storms, National Hurricane Center, Natural Disasters, Theodore Roosevelt, Miami (Miami-Dade, Florida)
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Food Banks Prepare for Hurricane Season
WGNO NewsIn a matter of hours, volunteers at Second Harvest Food Bank will have packed 1,200 disaster response kits. Macy's operations manager John Weiss says, "The team that I'm working with right now, we've packed about 10 pallets so far and it's about 50...Tags: Natural Disasters, Charity, Disasters and Accidents, Meteorological Disasters
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Disturbance off Florida could become Tropical Storm Beryl
Sun SentinelThe tropical disturbance off Florida’s east coast likely will grow into a tropical depression or storm over the weekend and possibly as soon as Friday. As of 3 p.m. on Friday, the National Hurricane Center gave the broad area of low pressure an...Tags: Tropical Storms, National Hurricane Center, Natural Disasters, Miami (Miami-Dade, Florida), Theodore Roosevelt
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The CT Claims Tally For Irene: $235M; Forecast For 2012 Is Quieter
Eight months later, the tally from Tropical Storm Irene is in: As of May 1, insurance companies paid a total of $235 million on more than 60,000 claims in Connecticut related to damage from Irene, according to the state Insurance Department. That's big...
Tags: Tropical Storms, Weather Reports, National Hurricane Center, Natural Disasters, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
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Hurricane Bud to Slam Mexico's Southwest Coast
CNNMiami -- Authorities warned people along Mexico's southwestern coast to get ready for Hurricane Bud, a pounding storm expected to smack land Friday night. The hurricane -- now a Category 1 storm with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph -- could drench...Tags: Weather Warnings, Tropical Storms, National Hurricane Center, Weather Reports, Natural Disasters
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Buy hurricane supplies tax free during state holiday
Virginia's Hurricane and Emergency Preparedness Equipment sales tax holiday begins Friday. During the tax reprieve, shoppers can purchase items like bottled water, batteries, self-powered flashlights and radios, duct tape, smoke detectors, fire...Tags: Holidays, First Aid, Cell Phones, Natural Disasters, Taxation
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NOAA predicts near-normal hurricane seasons
CNNDespite some early storms this year, forecasters Thursday predicted a near-normal Atlantic hurricane season with nine to 15 named storms, including four to eight hurricanes and one to three major hurricanes. Gerry Bell, lead hurricane season forecaster...Tags: Tropical Storms, Weather Reports, Natural Disasters, Atlantic Ocean, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
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Hurricane season 2012: Prediction calls for 'near normal'
The good news on the weather front is that Americans can expect a return to near-normal hurricane conditions this season. The bad news is that normal seems good only because recent years have been so tough. In predictions released Thursday, forecasters...
Tags: Tropical Storms, Gulf of Mexico, Natural Disasters, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Mexico
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Forecasters predict near-normal Atlantic hurricane season
Conditions in the atmosphere and the ocean favor a near-normal hurricane season in the Atlantic Basin this season, NOAA announced today from Miami at its Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, and home to the Hurricane Research Division....
Tags: Tropical Storms, Research, Atlantic Ocean, Tropical Weather, Hurricane Andrew (1992)
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NOAA predicts 4-8 hurricanes for 2012 season
Hampton Roads residents can expect a "near-normal" hurricane season, according to a forecast from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. For the six-month season, which runs June 1-Nov. 30, NOAA's Climate Prediction Center said Thursday...
Tags: Tropical Storms, Weather Reports, Atlantic Ocean, Tropical Weather, Hurricane Irene (2011)
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