** Look out! Hurricane Sandy is now taking aim for us! 10/26/12 **
** UPDATED 10/30/12 **
** This post has now been updated with final Irene information **
Irene is raging outside my apartment at this very moment.
** UPDATED 10/30/12 **
** This post has now been updated with final Irene information **
Irene is raging outside my apartment at this very moment.
I’ve been tracking her progress for the past week. The National Hurricane Center website (www.nhc.noaa.gov) is fabulous for all things hurricane: satellite images, forecasts, storm preparedness, information on the Saffir-Simpson Scale and so much more. Check it out!
This week, I’ve decided to dedicate my post to past (and present) hurricanes, or tropical cyclones as they are also called. Living on the northeastern coast means I don’t see too many of these storms up close and personal. However, when they come, they are interesting, exciting, nerve-wracking, and destructive.
My first experience (at age 5) came in the form of Hurricane Gloria: windy, rainy and overwhelmingly loud. A shed flipped over in the yard next to our house and the aftermath on the street was mostly shredded branches and leaves.
Hurricane Gloria
Dates: September 16th, 1985 to October 2nd, 1985
At highest strength: Category 4 (maximum sustained winds of 131 – 155 mph)
Hit: Bahamas, North Carolina, Long Island, Connecticut
Name Status: Retired
Fun Facts: First storm to hit Northeast of Us since Hurricane Agnes (1972) and first storm to damage NY/Long Island since Hurricane Donna (1960).
At highest strength: Category 4 (maximum sustained winds of 131 – 155 mph)
Hit: Bahamas, North Carolina, Long Island, Connecticut
Name Status: Retired
Fun Facts: First storm to hit Northeast of Us since Hurricane Agnes (1972) and first storm to damage NY/Long Island since Hurricane Donna (1960).
Hurricane Gloria was a Cape Verde type storm. These types of hurricanes form off the coast of Africa by the Cape Verde Islands. They have plenty of time to gain strength as they move over the warm Atlantic waters. In a typical year, only two Cape Verde storms form but they are often the most intense. The five largest Atlantic hurricanes on record were Cape Verde storms.
Another believed-to-be Cape Verde storm was The Galveston Hurricane of 1900. Erik Larson (of “Devil in the White City” fame) wrote a book called “Issac’s Storm,” which explains this hurricane in great detail.
What I found most ominous about this story was Isaac’s barometer. The centers of tropical cyclones have very low pressure (which is why areas that have the potential to turn into hurricanes are called “tropical depressions”). Typical barometric pressures are above 1000 mb (millibars, a measure of pressure). Currently, Irene’s pressure is 950 mb, which is low. Hurricane Katrina at its most powerful was 902 mb. The Galveston Hurricane bottomed out at 936 mb and hit Texas a Category 4 storm. In the days before rapid communication and sophisticated weather predictions, Isaac Cline’s barometer and his eyes were all he had. At one point, the pressure dipped so low that Isaac believed the instrument to be broken. Once he realized what was coming, however, it took a tremendous amount of effort to warn those in Galveston of the true danger. This hurricane resulted in almost complete destruction of the city. It was one of the most deadly and intense hurricanes on record.
A hurricane has a cyclone shape and, when quite powerful, a well-formed eye. Some hurricanes are simply breathtaking from a scientific/natural formation viewpoint. How can you not be awed by their beauty? I added pictures of some famous hurricanes to the slideshow above and tell you a little about each one below. Of course, once on land, these storms ruin people’s homes, businesses and lives. They are to be awed and respected.
The facts below list their category at highest strength. This is typically not the strength of the hurricane when it makes landfall, which is defined as when/where the eye crosses over land. Hurricanes gain their power from warm ocean waters so when half the storm is over land, it significantly weakens. These cyclones also weaken as they move northward due to cooler ocean temperatures. For example, when Hurricane Gloria made landfall in Long Island, NY, it was a Category 1 storm. When Hurricane Katrina made landfall in Louisiana, it was a Category 3.
Hurricanes are also not limited to the Atlantic Ocean. The Pacific Ocean also has these storms, but they are referred to as cyclones and typhoons depending on where you are.
Hurricane Andrew
Dates: August 16th, 1992 to August 28th, 1992
At highest strength: Category 5 (maximum sustained winds greater than 155 mph)
Hit: Bahamas, Florida, Louisiana
Name Status: Retired
Fun Facts: First named storm and only major hurricane of the 1992 hurricane season.
Hurricane Floyd
Dates: September 7th, 1999 to September 19th, 1999
At highest strength: Category 4
Hit: Bahamas then ran north parallel to US East Coast
Name Status: Retired
Fun Facts: Third largest hurricane evacuation in US history. The other two were due to Gustav in 2008 and Rita (below).
Hurricane Ivan
Dates: September 2nd, 2004 to September 24th, 2004
At highest strength: Category 5
Hit: Grenada, Jamaica, Grand Cayman, Cuba, Alabama
Name Status: Retired
Fun Facts: Cape Verde storm, 10th most intense storm ever recorded; 4th major hurricane of 2004; at its height, the storm was the size of Texas!
Hurricane Katrina
Dates: August 23rd, 2005 to August 30th, 2005
At highest strength: Category 5
Hit: Florida and Louisiana
Name Status: Retired
Fun Facts: Costliest natural disaster in US history; 6th strongest hurricane overall
Hurricane Rita
Dates: September 18th, 2005 to September 26th, 2005 (note: this is three weeks after Katrina)
Dates: September 18th, 2005 to September 26th, 2005 (note: this is three weeks after Katrina)
At highest strength: Category 5
Hit: Texas and Louisiana
Name Status: Retired
Fun Facts: More intense than Katrina; 5th major hurricane of 2005
Due to Hurricane Rita, 2005 became the only year with more than two Category 5 hurricanes.
Hurricane Irene
Dates: August 20th, 2011 to August 29th, 2011
At highest strength: Category 3 (maximum sustained winds of 111 to 130 mph)
Hit: Puerto Rico, Turks and Caicos, Bahamas, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York
Name Status: unknown
Fun Facts: First hurricane to make landfall in New Jersey since 1903!
Currently, Irene is a Category 1 and headed straight for Philadelphia and NYC. Stay safe!
Here's the updated Irene picture and path:
And pictures of flooding from Center City Philadelphia...
All is well here in Philly. The river receded, runners are back on the path, public transit is up and working. We're back to business as usual! I hear, however, the Vermont is enduring some of the worst flooding in ages and many many people are still without power up and down the east coast. My thoughts are with you! I hope things return to normal for you all very soon, as well!
REFERENCES:
Larson, Erik. “Isaac’s Storm.” 1999. Vintage Books, Random House Publishing. New York, New York.
Hurricanes: www.nhc.noaa.gov
Individual Hurricane facts/path pictures: www.wikipedia.com
Floyd picture: http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/FloydIntro/
Katrina picture: http://www.hurricanekatrina.com/
Ivan picture: http://www.hurricanekatrina.com/
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