The Ultimate Guide to Hurricane Facts, Information & Resources

The Ultimate Guide to Hurricane Facts, Information & Resources

What Is a Hurricane?A hurricane is a kind of tropical cyclone that includes organized thunder storms but no fronts. (Fronts are two air masses of different densities, such as cold fronts and warm fronts.) Tropical cyclones are measured in escalating degrees: When the winds in a cyclone are below 39 mph, it is considered a tropical depression. When the maximum sustained winds in a tropical cyclone reach 39 mph, it graduates to a tropical storm. Finally, when those winds sustain 74 mph or higher, the cyclone graduates further to a hurricane.
Hurricanes are not the same thing as tornadoes. Many people falsely believe that hurricanes are simply tornadoes forming over the ocean. In fact, the only thing the two have in common is that they are both swirling, destructive columns of air. The main differences between hurricanes and tornadoes are:

• Hurricanes can grow to be several hundred miles wide while tornadoes generally grow only a quarter mile wide.
• Hurricanes form over warm water in tropical oceans, developing far from the jet stream. Tornadoes form within storms over land — developing very close to the jet stream.
• Hurricanes can last as long as three weeks, while tornadoes last only about an hour.
• Hurricane winds usually clock in at less than 180 mph. Tornadoes can reach 300 mph.
• On average, about 10 hurricanes occur per year in the Atlantic Ocean, while the United States sees about 800 to 1,000 tornadoes per year.
• Typically, we’re warned several days in advance of an approaching hurricane, while we’re warned of a tornado no more than 15 to 30 minutes in advance.

Hurricanes form when low-pressure systems evaporate water from the ocean. As the vapor rises, it is normally carried away by winds. When no winds are present to carry the vapor away, it begins to spiral inwards on itself and forms a hurricane. As it spirals inward, it forms its own wind to draw up more vapor and send it inwards. (If they were near the jet stream, the winds would carry the vapor away and prevent the hurricane from forming.)

​Hurricane Damage ScaleHurricanes, like tornadoes, are defined by categories on the “Saffir-Simpson scale.” This scale measures the potential for damage caused by hurricanes, based on the strength of the sustained winds. (Sustained winds are those that last one minute or more.)

• Category 1 – Sustained winds of 74 to 95 mph. Minimal damage (shrubs, branches, unanchored mobile homes)
• Category 2 – Sustained winds of 96 to 110 mph. Moderate damage (trees, mobile homes, poorly constructed buildings)
• Category 3 – Sustained winds of 111 to 130 mph. Extensive damage (large trees down, small buildings damaged, mobile homes destroyed)
• Category 4 – Sustained winds of 131 to 155 mph. Extreme damage (exterior walls of buildings, roof failure on small buildings, doors and windows damaged extensively)
• Category 5 – Sustained winds greater than 155 mph (like during Hurricane Katrina. Catastrophic damage (roof failure on many buildings, some buildings may be completely destroyed)

The Saffir-Simpson scale measures the potential damage from the hurricane itself. It does not measure potential damage from the storm surges, rain and other hazards that may accompany hurricanes. This is because such things are difficult to account for, although scientists and meteorologists are working to create a more detailed hurricane rating system.

Interesting Hurricane Facts

• Hurricanes can unload 2.4 trillion gallons of rainwater each day.
• In the Atlantic, hurricane season starts on June 1. In the Pacific, it starts on May 15. Both seasons end on November 30.
• 40 percent of the hurricanes in the United States hit Florida.
• Hurricanes can grow to be 400 to 500 miles across with an eye of 20 miles across.
• Many hurricanes cause severe flooding. This flooding is responsible for 90 percent of the deaths caused by hurricanes.
• Thunderstorms within hurricanes can turn into tornadoes.
• Hurricane, cyclone and typhoon all mean the same thing. The name simply tells where it formed. Hurricanes form over the North Atlantic or Caribbean, typhoons form over the western part of the Pacific Ocean, and cyclones form over the Indian Ocean.
• Hurricanes were first named by an Australian weatherman in the 19th century. Clement “Wet” Wragge would name violent storms after people he disliked.
• Hurricane Ginger, North Carolina in 1971, lasted for three weeks.
• Hurricanes didn’t start getting male names until 1979.
• Particularly devastating hurricanes have their names “retired” from the list of names. For example, there will never be another hurricane named “Katrina.”
• The flexible trunk of the palm tree is thought to be an evolutionary step for the plants to bend in hurricane winds without breaking.

What to Do Before, During and After a Hurricane The best way to survive a hurricane is to be prepared. Many organizations, such as FEMA, offer tips and information on how to prepare yourself and your family for the event of a hurricane. It’s best to educate yourself is long before the hint of a hurricane. There will be no time to sort it out after you’ve gotten the warning.

• Before
• During
• After

• Identify the elevation of your property and learn whether or not it is flood-prone. This will tell you how your property might be affected during a storm surge or flooding.
• Learn where levees and dams are in your area, and understand how they might affect your property during a hurricane.
• Assemble emergency kits for each member of your family, taking into account special needs for infants, the elderly or the infirm or handicapped. Also consider your pets’ needs.
• Learn the evacuation routes out of town and know how to get to higher ground.
• Establish an after-storm meeting place in case your family is not all together when it hits. Agree on a few of alternate meeting places in case one or more is inaccessible or unsafe.
• Make your home resistant to storms by installing storm windows and doors, reinforcing your garage door, and adding straps or clips to help keep your roof attached to your house.
• Keep trees and shrubs trimmed to reduce wind resistance.
• If a hurricane is imminent, bring in all outdoor furniture, garbage cans and yard decorations. These can fly loose and cause serious injury or damage to yourself, your home and others.
• Make sure your rain gutters and downspouts are clean and in good repair.
• If you own a boat, make plans to secure it.
• Install a generator.
• Consider building a safe room or storm shelter — an interior room without windows — where your family can hunker down.
• If you live in a high-rise, know where to take shelter on the lower floors. Winds increase in intensity at higher elevations, so get to the lowest floor you can, but be mindful of the possibility of flooding and try to stay above that level. Generally, this will be below the 10th floor but above the 2nd.

When a hurricane is imminent, you may wonder whether you should evacuate. You should evacuate if:

• You live in a mobile home
• You live near a body of water or on a floodplain
• The authorities advise you to evacuate

If you are not evacuating, be sure to do the following:

• Secure storm windows and doors.
• Close blinds and curtains and otherwise block windows to hamper flying glass in case of breakage from winds or flying debris.
• Listen to the radio or TV for instructions and advisories.
• Turn off propane tanks.
• Turn off utilities if you are instructed to do so. If utilities are to be left on, set your refrigerator thermostat to its lowest setting. This will help preserve food longer if the power goes out.
• Fill bathtubs and sinks with water to ensure a clean supply for drinking or for hygiene.
• Avoid using the phone except for genuine emergencies. Emergency personnel will need the lines free so they can communicate with each other to save people.
• Stay indoors, avoiding windows and glass doors.
• Secure and brace exterior doors and close all interior doors.
• Get into a small interior room using anything you can as a shield, such as tables, mattresses and anything else that might deflect or absorb the impact of flying debris.
• Do not use elevators.

It’s not necessarily over when the winds stop blowing. You’ll still need to take steps to ensure your safety after a hurricane.

• Continue listening to the radio for updates and other advisories.
• Stay alert for reports on flooding and extended rainfall.
• If you are separated from your family, go to an agreed on meeting place or to a Red Cross shelter.
• If you have evacuated, return home only when the authorities say it is safe. If you have long-term housing needs, contact FEMA.
• Drive only if necessary and avoid flooded roads even if they look slow-moving or shallow. There can be strong currents and heavy debris just below the surface.
• Avoid loose or dangling power lines. Report them if possible.
• Before entering your house, walk around and inspect it for gas leaks, loose power lines and structural damage. It may not be safe to enter.
• If you smell gas, or if there are flood waters, do not go into your house.
• Use battery powered flashlights, turning them on before entering the building. (Activating a flashlight may throw a tiny spark from the batteries that could ignite any leaking gas.)
• Keep your pets under control and be aware of any wild animals that may roam into an area. If you have to reach into a debris pile, poke around with a stick to discover snakes or other animals that may be sheltering there.
• Avoid tap water until you’re sure it’s not contaminated.
• Wear protective clothing. Any water you may come in contact with could be contaminated, and open wounds will become infected.
• Never use a generator in an enclosed space. Carbon monoxide can build up faster than it can be ventilated, and it can linger long after the generator has been shut off.

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