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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Taking aim at alcohol
Huntington Beach's top newsmaker of 2011 wasn't a person or an organization, but rather a controlled substance.
Throughout the year, the Independent's front page featured more drinks than a typical bachelor party. Statistics showed Huntington at the...Tags: Media Industry, Restaurant and Catering Industry, Heroin, Laws, Meteorological Disasters
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Bouncers going to pretrial in alleged attack
A pretrial hearing is scheduled for two former Hurricanes Bar & Grill bouncers accused of assaulting a patron. Ivan Alvarez, 23, of Garden Grove and Jakob Taylor, 22, of Costa Mesa are charged with aggravated assault. Both defendants pleaded not...Tags: Prosecution, Dining and Drinking, Justice System, Defendants, Crime, Law and Justice
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Walk-off homer lifts Hurricanes to title
Jimmy Meehan hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the eighth inning Saturday to give the Miami Hurricanes a 7-6 victory over the Oklahoma Sooners in the championship game of the Majors Division tournament at Huntington Valley Little League. Both...Tags: Sports, Disasters and Accidents, Natural Disasters, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Disasters
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Briefly In Sports
Paddle out for Chuck Allen is Sunday A beach memorial and paddle out will be held at 1 p.m. Sunday at the south side of the Huntington Beach Pier for National Scholastic Surfing Assn. (NSSA) co-founder and United States Amateur Snowboarding Assn. (USASA)...Tags: Human Interest, Sports, Disasters and Accidents, Natural Disasters, Disasters
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Little League: Twins start out strong, finish with 5-0 shutout
The Twins scored four runs in the bottom of the first and used that strong start to score an eventual, 5-0 shutout win over the Giants in Fountain Valley Little League Minor A Division action. Nathan Young brought in the first run on a single, Riley...Tags: Disasters and Accidents, Natural Disasters, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, New York Mets, Disasters
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Police suggest listing DUIs online
The Huntington Beach Police Department is considering posting the names of drunk-driving offenders on its website as part of a stepped-up strategy to address DUIs downtown and citywide. Police submitted a report this month to the City Council...Tags: Bars and Clubs, Restaurant and Catering Industry, Meteorological Disasters, Dining and Drinking, Drunk Driving
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Hurricane "Bud" Threatens Mexico
KTLA NewsMiami -- The Mexican government has issued a hurricane warning for part of its western coast due to a powerful storm that could get even stronger in the coming hours, the National Hurricane Center said. Earlier Thursday, the Miami-based weather agency...Tags: Tropical Storms, Disasters and Accidents, Natural Disasters, Weather Warnings, National Hurricane Center
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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: Atlantic Ocean, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Meteorological Disasters, FEMA, Hurricane Andrew (1992)
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Forecasters predict subdued hurricane season
Forecasters are expecting the fewest Atlantic hurricanes and tropical storms since 2009, particularly if the weather phenomenon El Niño develops by the heart of the hurricane season. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is predicting...
Tags: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Weather Science, Meteorological Disasters, Science and Technology, Weather Reports
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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: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Atlantic Ocean, Disasters and Accidents, Tropical Storms, Natural Disasters
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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: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Tropical Storms, Disasters and Accidents, Natural Disasters, Meteorological Disasters
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NOAA: 4 to 8 hurricanes this season; disturbance bringing rain to South Florida
Sun SentinelGovernment forecasters are calling for an average or slightly below average storm season, with 9 to 15 named storms, including four to eight hurricanes. They project that one to three of the hurricanes will be major, with winds greater than 110 mph.The...Tags: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Meteorological Disasters, The Weather Channel (tv network), Weather Reports, Hurricane Andrew (1992)
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