Hurricanes form over warm tropical oceans and are categorized based on their wind speeds using the Saffir-Simpson scale. The most damaging aspects of hurricanes are storm surge, which is a dome of water swept ashore near landfall, wind damage, and inland flooding from heavy rains. Modern warning systems using satellites, aircraft, buoys and radar help detect and track hurricanes, providing critical lead time for coastal evacuations before hurricane watches are issued for threatened areas within 36 hours or hurricane warnings within 24 hours of expected strong winds.

1. Hurricanes

2. Hurricane Damage
• The vast majority of hurricane deaths and
damage are caused by relatively
infrequent, yet powerful storms.
• The costliest natural disaster in U.S.
history, with damages in excess of $25
billion, was Hurricane Andrew in 1992.

3. Hurricane Formation
• Most hurricanes form between the latitudes
of 5 and 20 over all tropical oceans except
the South Atlantic and eastern South
Pacific.
• The North Pacific has the greatest number
of storms, averaging 20 per year.
• In the western Pacific, hurricanes are called
typhoons, and in the Indian Ocean, they
are referred to as cyclones.

4. Hurricane Occurrences and Geographic Distribution

5. Hurricane Generation
• A steep pressure gradient generates the
rapid, inward spiraling winds of a hurricane.
• As the warm, moist air approaches the core
of the storm, it turns upward and ascends in a
ring of cumulonimbus towers and forms a
doughnut-shaped wall called the eye wall.
• At the very center of the storm, called the
eye, the air gradually descends, precipitation
ceases, and winds subside.

8. In much the same way an
ice skater spins more
quickly as her arms are
tucked close into her
body, a hurricane also
spins at a faster pace near
the center than near the
outer edge.

10. Hurricane Generation (cont.)
• A hurricane is a heat engine fueled by the
latent heat liberated when huge quantities of
water vapor condense.
• They develop most often in late summer
when ocean waters have reached
temperatures of 27 C (80 F) or higher and
are thus able to provide the necessary heat
and moisture to the air.

11. Stages of Development
• The initial stage of a tropical storm's life
cycle, called a tropical disturbance, is a
disorganized array of clouds that exhibits a weak
pressure gradient and little or no rotation.
• Tropical disturbances that produce many of the
strongest hurricanes that enter the western North
Atlantic and threaten North America often begin as
large undulations or ripples in the trade winds
known as easterly waves.

12. Stages of Development (cont.)
• Each year, only a few tropical disturbances
develop into full-fledged hurricanes that require
minimum wind speeds of 119 kilometers per
hour (74 mph).
• When a cyclone's strongest winds do not
exceed 61 kilometers per hour, it is called a
tropical depression.
• When winds are between 61 and 119
kilometers per hour, the cyclone is termed a
tropical storm.

13. Hurricane Diminishment
• Hurricanes diminish in intensity
whenever they:
• (1) move over ocean waters that cannot
supply warm, moist tropical air,
• (2) move onto land, or
• (3) reach a location where large-scale flow
aloft is unfavorable.

14. The Saffir-Simpson Scale
• Although damage caused by a
hurricane depends on several factors,
including the size and population
density of the area affected and the
near-shore bottom configuration, the
most significant factor is the strength of
the storm itself.

15. The Saffir Simpson Scale
•The Saffir-Simpson scale ranks the relative intensities
of hurricanes.
•The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale is a 1-5 rating
based on the hurricane's present intensity.
•This is used to give an estimate of the potential
property damage and flooding expected along the coast
from a hurricane landfall.
•Wind speed is the determining factor in the scale, as
storm surge values are highly dependent on the slope
of the continental shelf in the landfall region.
•Note that all winds are using the U.S. 1-minute
average.

16. •Category One Hurricane:
•Winds 74-95 mph (64-82 kt or 119-153 km/hr). Storm surge
generally 4-5 ft above normal. No real damage to building
structures. Damage primarily to unanchored mobile
homes, shrubbery, and trees. Some damage to poorly
constructed signs. Also, some coastal road flooding and
minor pier damage.
•Category Two Hurricane:
•Winds 96-110 mph (83-95 kt or 154-177 km/hr). Storm surge
generally 6-8 feet above normal. Some roofing material, door, and
window damage of buildings. Considerable damage to shrubbery
and trees with some trees blown down. Considerable damage to
mobile homes, poorly constructed signs, and piers. Coastal and
low-lying escape routes flood 2-4 hours before arrival of the
hurricane center. Small craft in unprotected anchorages break
moorings.

17. •Category Three Hurricane:
•Winds 111-130 mph (96-113 kt or 178-209 km/hr). Storm surge generally 912 ft above normal. Some structural damage to small residences and utility
buildings with a minor amount of curtain wall failures. Damage to shrubbery
and trees with foliage blown off trees and large trees blown down. Mobile
homes and poorly constructed signs are destroyed. Low-lying escape routes
are cut by rising water 3-5 hours before arrival of the center of the hurricane.
Flooding near the coast destroys smaller structures with larger structures
damaged by battering from floating debris. Terrain continuously lower than 5
ft above mean sea level may be flooded inland 8 miles (13 km) or more.
Evacuation of low-lying residences with several blocks of the shoreline may
be required.
•Category Four Hurricane:
•Winds 131-155 mph (114-135 kt or 210-249 km/hr). Storm surge generally
13-18 ft above normal. More extensive curtain wall failures with some
complete roof structure failures on small residences. Shrubs, trees, and all
signs are blown down. Complete destruction of mobile homes. Extensive
damage to doors and windows. Low-lying escape routes may be cut by
rising water 3-5 hours before arrival of the center of the hurricane. Major
damage to lower floors of structures near the shore. Terrain lower than 10 ft
above sea level may be flooded requiring massive evacuation of residential

18. •Category Five Hurricane:
•Winds greater than 155 mph (135 kt or 249 km/hr). Storm surge
generally greater than 18 ft above normal. Complete roof failure on
many residences and industrial buildings. Some complete building
failures with small utility buildings blown over or away. All
shrubs, trees, and signs blown down. Complete destruction of mobile
homes. Severe and extensive window and door damage. Low-lying
escape routes are cut by rising water 3-5 hours before arrival of the
center of the hurricane. Major damage to lower floors of all structures
located less than 15 ft above sea level and within 500 yards of the
shoreline. Massive evacuation of residential areas on low ground within
5-10 miles (8-16 km) of the shoreline may be required. Hurricane Mitch
of 1998 was a Category Five hurricane at peak intensity over the
western Caribbean. Hurricane Gilbert of 1988 was a Category Five
hurricane at peak intensity and is one of the strongest Atlantic tropical
cyclones of record.

19. Damage Classes
• Damage caused by hurricanes can be divided
into three classes:
• (1) storm surge, which is most intense on the right
side of the eye where winds are blowing toward the
shore, occurs when a dome of water 65 to 80
kilometers (40 to 50 miles) wide sweeps across the
coast near the point where the eye makes landfall,
• (2) wind damage, and
• (3) inland freshwater flooding, which is caused by
torrential rains that accompany most hurricanes.

20. Storm Surge

21. Before a
hurricane
…
After a
hurricane.

22. Warning Systems
• North Atlantic hurricanes develop in the trade
winds, which generally move these storms from
east to west at about 25 kilometers (15 miles) per
hour.
• Today, because of early warning systems that help
detect and track hurricanes, the number of deaths
associated with these violent storms have been
greatly reduced.
• Because the tropical and subtropical regions that
spawn hurricanes consist of enormous areas of
open oceans, meteorological data from these vast
regions are provided primarily by satellites.

23. Information and Watches
• Other important sources of hurricane information
are:
• aircraft reconnaissance,
• radar, and
• remote, floating instruments called data buoys.
• Using data from the observational
tools, meteorologists can issue an
announcement, called a hurricane watch, aimed
at specific coastal areas threatened by a
hurricane, generally within 36 hours.

25. Hurricane Warnings
• By contrast, a hurricane warning is
issued when sustained winds of 119
kilometers per hour (74 mph) or higher
are expected within a specified coastal
area in 24 hours or less.
• Two important factors in the watch-and
warning decision process are:
• (1) adequate lead time and
• (2) attempting to keep overwarning at a
minimum.

27. Key Terminology
Typhoon
Eye Wall
Tropical Disturbance
Tropical Depression
Saffir-Simpson Scale
Inland freshwater flooding
Hurricane Warning
Cyclone
Eye
Easterly Wave
Tropical Storm
Storm Surge
Hurricane Watch