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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Subtropical storm Beryl picks up speed
Subtropical storm Beryl began moving faster toward an expected landfall Sunday night on the southeastern Atlantic coast, the National Hurricane Center said Sunday. Tropical storm warnings are in effect for the Georgia coastline, parts of South...Tags: Palm Beach (Palm Beach, Florida), Disasters and Accidents, Volusia County, Weather, Meteorological Disasters
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Hurricane glass thwarts would-be burglary in Delray Beach
David Rosenbaum is glad he installed the hurricane glass throughout his home. If not for the strength of the glass in the French doors at the back of his house, two men may have been able to break in and steal some of his possessions on May 17. The...
Tags: Disasters and Accidents, Delray Beach, Meteorological Disasters, Real Estate Buyers, Natural Disasters
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Could another Hurricane Andrew surprise us?
If Hurricane Andrew were to threaten South Florida today, residents would get at least 36 hours advance warning — about 16 more than in 1992, thanks to improved tracking and projecting of a storm's forward motion. But officials at the National...
Tags: Miami (Miami-Dade, Florida), Miami-Dade County, Broward County, Meteorological Disasters, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
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Subtropical storm Beryl forms; northeast Florida under tropical storm warning
Sun SentinelThe National Hurricane Center in Miami has issued a tropical storm warning for residents living in Volusia County. Subtropical Storm Beryl, the second named storm of the 2012 Atlantic hurricane season, is moving west-southwest toward the southeastern...Tags: Volusia County, Weather, Disasters and Accidents, Miami (Miami-Dade, Florida), Brevard County
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Subtropical storm Beryl may reach land by Memorial Day
Subtropical storm Beryl is about to rain on the Southeast's Memorial Day parade. A tropical storm warning was in effect along the coasts of Georgia, Florida and South Carolina on Saturday, the National Weather Service announced, as the second named storm...
Tags: Human Interest, Weather, Disasters and Accidents, Holidays, National Hurricane Center
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2012 hurricane guide, from A (Andrew) to Z (Zantac)
The 2012 hurricane season officially begins this week, even though Alberto jumped the starting gun by turning into a tropical storm last week. Florida hasn't gotten hit by a major storm since 2005. Here now, as a public service, my A-to-Z guide to the...Tags: Rick Scott, Coral Springs, Miami (Miami-Dade, Florida), Meteorological Disasters, Tropical Weather
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Bud Weakens to Tropical Storm Off Mexico's Coast
CNNMiami -- Hurricane Bud weakened to a tropical storm as it approached Mexico's southwestern coast on Friday, the National Hurricane Center said. The storm, with maximum sustained winds of 70 mph, could drench the Mexican states of Jalisco, Colima,...Tags: Meteorological Disasters, Weather Reports, Mexico, Tropical Weather, Weather Warnings
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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: Disasters and Accidents, Meteorological Disasters, Charity, Natural 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: Disasters and Accidents, Miami (Miami-Dade, Florida), Miami-Dade County, Theodore Roosevelt, National Hurricane Center
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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: Weather, Disasters and Accidents, Miami (Miami-Dade, Florida), Theodore Roosevelt, National Hurricane Center
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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: Meteorological Disasters, Mexico, Tropical Weather, Weather Warnings, National Government
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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: Jane Lubchenco, Disasters and Accidents, Weather, Hurricane Andrew (1992), National Hurricane Center
May 27, 2012
|Story| South Florida Sun-Sentinel
May 27, 2012
|Story| South Florida Sun-Sentinel
May 26, 2012
|Story| South Florida Sun-Sentinel
May 26, 2012
|Story| South Florida Sun-Sentinel
May 26, 2012
|Story| Los Angeles Times
May 26, 2012
|Column| South Florida Sun-Sentinel
May 26, 2012
|Story| KTLA-LTV
May 25, 2012
|Story| WGNO-LTV
May 25, 2012
|Story| South Florida Sun-Sentinel
May 25, 2012
|Story| South Florida Sun-Sentinel
May 26, 2012
|Story| South Bend Tribune
May 25, 2012
|Story| Hartford Courant
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