Wx Savvy | Hurricanes

How Destructive Are Hurricanes?

Hurricanes are one of the most destructive of all weather phenomena. There is only one year in the last century that did not see an Atlantic hurricane. However, Atlantic hurricanes that make landfall are not very numerous each year. But when they do make landfall or approach land, it can be devastating. One reason for such devastation is that unlike a tornado which can span about a mile on the ground, the hurricane and its effects can span hundreds of miles and last much longer. Some Hurricanes can grow to the size of Texas. Hurricane force winds can extend for 100 miles or more from the center of the storm. That's a 200 mile swath of 74 MPH or greater winds! Obviously hurricanes are so destructive because they are so big and affect so many people.

(Hurricane Fran)

Did You Know?

A hurricane in 1900 hit Galveston Texas, devastating the whole town. This was the most deadly of all hurricanes in the last Century, as 6,000 to 12,000 lives were lost. How big is your town? Can you imagine losing 12,000 people?

This Hurricane was so destructive because people inland actually drove to Galveston to picnic and see the storm.

Storm Surge

Storm Surges are not tidal waves. Rather, storm surges are the huge waves caused by the intense winds generated by the powerful tropical storm or hurricane. In the winter time when shoveling, if you just push the shovel, the snow piles up in front of the shovel. Well, a hurricane acts in a similar manner only it piles up water. As it approaches land, the deep ocean floor rises to meet the coastline. That rising ocean floor combined with the piling of water by the hurricane causes the storm surge. Water just flows like a river inland. Storm surge waves can reach over to 20 feet (I am 6 feet tall, so that's one big wave!). The Storm Surge is the most deadly part of a hurricane and of course why the coast line gets hit the hardest. That's why the coastal areas often evacuate.

Winds

Hurricane winds are at least 74 mph, that's by definition. However, winds over 110 mph are common. This means that flying debris becomes a serious threat to lives, buildings, cars, and animals. If the wind breaks a window in a house, the mass amount of air rushing into the house then looks for a way out of the house. That usually means more blow out winds and often the air will go up blowing off the roof. That's just one of the ways a roof may be blown off a house. Sustained strong winds will slowly tear apart the roof as well.

Flooding

Flooding complicates everything. Storm surges and heavy rains which result from the hurricane can cause horrible destruction, loss of lives and loss of power to sometimes millions of people (Hurricane Frances 2004 in Florida knocked out power to over 3 million people.) Even as the hurricane weakens it can become a prolific rain producer causing economic destruction far from the coast line. The worst natural disaster in the history of the city of Houston came in the summer of 2001 from tropical storm Allison, which dumped nearly 30 inches of water on the city and caused $4.88 Billion in damage (that's Billion with a B!).

Tornadoes

The spinning hurricane will often spawn several tornadoes. Most of the time these are weak and short lived tornadoes. However, some hurricanes can produce unusually strong and violent tornadoes.

Although almost 12,000 people died in the Galveston, Texas Hurricane in 1900, hundreds of thousands of people died in the Bangladesh area due to a tropical cyclone and the flooding and mudslides that resulted in 1991.

Hurricane Andrew is a more recent hurricane which set some records of its own. In 1992 Hurricane Andrew's winds were so strong that about every anemometer (a device used to measure wind speed) failed. Wind gusts were measured at a National Hurricane Center (based near Miami) at 165 mph. A private home measured a wind gust of 177 mph. Hurricane Andrew was the costliest natural disaster in US history as it caused $25 Billion in damage.

Hurricane Andrew was reclassified as a Category 5 hurricane 10 years after it hit (in 2002). It is now one of only three category 5 hurricanes to ever make landfall in the US. with winds estimated to be about 165 mph. The reason for the reclassification was a better mathematical model which estimates surface winds based on the data gathered by the Hurricane Hunters. This improved model spit out a wind speed higher than previously thought. Hurricane experts agreed and upgraded Andrew to a Category 5.

Hurricanes can almost seem unreal at times and affect such a large number of people. Hurricane winds travel at speeds that even our own cars can't reach and the damage is all worsened by a flooding storm surge of flooding rains farther inland. And all this occurs over an area of hundreds of miles. In fact, some Hurricanes have been as large as Texas. Wherever they hit land in the US, they affect millions of people.