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Hurricane
Fran 1996
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The
ingredients for a hurricane include a pre-existing weather disturbance, warm
tropical oceans, moisture, and relatively light winds aloft. If the right conditions
persist long enough, they can combine to produce the violent winds, incredible
waves, torrential rains, and floods we associate with this phenomenon.
Each
year, an average of eleven tropical storms develop over the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean
Sea, and Gulf of Mexico. Many of these remain over the ocean and never impact
the U.S. coastline. Six of these storms become hurricanes each year. In an
average 3-year period, roughly five hurricanes strike the US coastline, killing
approximately 50 to 100 people anywhere from Texas to Maine. Of these, two
are typically "major" or "intense" hurricanes
(a category 3 or higher storm on the Saffir-Simpson
Hurricane Scale).
What
is a Hurricane?
A
hurricane is a type of tropical cyclone, which is a generic term for a low pressure
system that generally forms in the tropics. The cyclone is accompanied by thunderstorms
and, in the Northern Hemisphere, a counterclockwise circulation of winds near
the earth's surface. Tropical cyclones are classified as follows:
*
Sustained winds
A 1-minute average wind measured at about 33 ft (10 meters) above
the surface.
**
1 knot = 1 nautical mile per hour or 1.15 statute miles per hour.
Abbreviated as "kt".
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Tropical
Depression
An organized system of clouds and thunderstorms with a defined surface circulation
and maximum sustained winds* of 38 mph (33 kt**) or less
Tropical
Storm
An organized system of strong thunderstorms with a defined surface circulation
and maximum sustained winds of 39-73 mph (34-63 kt)
Hurricane
An intense tropical weather system of strong thunderstorms with a well-defined
surface circulation and maximum sustained winds of 74 mph (64 kt) or higher
Hurricanes are categorized according to the strength of their winds using
the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale.
A Category 1 storm has the lowest wind speeds, while a Category 5 hurricane
has the strongest. These are relative terms, because lower category storms
can sometimes inflict greater damage than higher category storms, depending
on where they strike and the particular hazards they bring. In fact, tropical
storms can also produce significant damage and loss of life, mainly due to flooding.
Hurricane
Names
When the the winds from these storms reach 39 mph (34 kts), the cyclones are
given names. Years ago, an international committee developed names for Atlantic
cyclones (The History of Naming Hurricanes).
In 1979 a six year rotating list of Atlantic storm names was adopted
alternating between male and female hurricane names. Storm names are used to
facilitate geographic referencing, for warning services, for legal issues, and
to reduce confusion when two or more tropical cyclones occur at the same time.
Through a vote of the World Meteorological Organization Region IV Subcommittee,
Atlantic cyclone names are retired usually when hurricanes result in substantial
damage or death or for other special circumstances. The names assigned for the
next several seasons are shown below.
Names
for Atlantic Basin Tropical Cyclones
2008
Arthur
Bertha
Cristobal
Dolly
Edouard
Fay
Gustav
Hanna
Ike
Josephine
Kyle
Laura
Marco
Nana
Omar
Paloma
Rene
Sally
Teddy
Vicky
Wilfred
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2009
Ana
Bill
Claudette
Danny
Erika
Fred
Grace
Henri
Ida
Joaquin
Kate
Larry
Mindy
Nicholas
Odette
Peter
Rose
Sam
Teresa
Victor
Wanda
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2010
Alex
Bonnie
Colin
Danielle
Earl
Fiona
Gaston
Hermine
Igor
Julia
Karl
Lisa
Matthew
Nicole
Otto
Paula
Richard
Shary
Tomas
Virginie
Walter
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2011
Arlene
Bret
Cindy
Don
Emily
Franklin
Gert
Harvey
Irene
Jose
Katia
Lee
Maria
Nate
Ophelia
Philippe
Rina
Sean
Tammy
Vince
Whitney
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2012
Alberto
Beryl
Chris
Debby
Ernesto
Florence
Gordon
Helene
Isaac
Joyce
Kirk
Leslie
Michael
Nadine
Oscar
Patty
Rafael
Sandy
Tony
Valerie
William
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2013
Andrea
Barry
Chantal
Dorian
Erin
Fernand
Gabrielle
Humberto
Ingrid
Jerry
Karen
Lorenzo
Melissa
Nestor
Olga
Pablo
Rebekah
Sebastien
Tanya
Van
Wendy
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RELATED
INFORMATION
SAFFIR-SIMPSON
HURRICANE SCALE
HURRICANE
CLIMATOLOGY OVERVIEW
HURRICANE
RETURN PERIODS
HURRICANE
HISTORY
RELATED
MULTIMEDIA
HURRICANE
TRACKING CHART (0.7mb )
RELATED
WEBSITES
FREQUENTLY
ASKED QUESTIONS
COMET®
AIM A HURRICANE (0.4mb )
COMET®
CREATE-A-CANE (0.2mb )
FEMA's
HURRICANES FOR KIDS
ADDITIONAL
SAFETY INFORMATION
Basic Hurricane
Safety Actions
- Know if you
live in an evacuation area. Know your home's vulnerability to storm surge,
flooding and wind. Have a written plan based on this knowledge.
- At the beginning
of hurricane season (June 1st), check the supplies for your disaster
supply kit, replace batteries and use food stocks on a rotating basis.
- During hurricane
season, monitor the tropics.
- Monitor NOAA
Weather Radio. It is an excellent / official source for real-time weather
information and warnings.
- If a storm threatens,
heed the advice from local authorities. Evacuate if ordered.
- Execute your
family plan
WATCH
vs. WARNING - KNOW THE DIFFERENCE
- A
HURRICANE WATCH issued for your part of the coast indicates the possibility
that you could experience hurricane conditions within 36 hours.
This watch should trigger your family's disaster plan, and protective measures
should be initiated, especially those actions that require extra time such
as securing a boat, leaving a barrier island, etc.
- A
HURRICANE WARNING
issued for your part of the coast indicates that sustained
winds of at least 74 mph are expected within 24 hours or less.
Once
this warning has been issued, your family should be in the process of completing
protective
actions and deciding the safest location to be during the storm.
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Basic
Hurricane
Safety Actions |
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Know
if you live in an evacuation area. Know your home's vulnerability
to storm surge, flooding and wind. Have
a written plan based on this knowledge. |
|
At
the beginning of hurricane season (June 1st), check your supplies,
replace batteries and use food stocks on a rotating basis. |
|
During
hurricane season, monitor the tropics. |
|
Monitor
NOAA Weather Radio. |
|
If
a storm threatens, heed the advice from local authorities. Evacuate
if ordered. |
 |
Execute
your family plan. |
|
 |
WATCH
vs. WARNING
KNOW THE DIFFERENCE |
 |
|
 |

|
A
HURRICANE WATCH issued for your part of the coast indicates
the possibility that you could experience hurricane conditions
within 36 hours.
This watch should trigger your family's disaster plan, and protective
measures should be initiated, especially those actions that
require extra time such as securing a boat, leaving a barrier
island, etc. |
|
A
HURRICANE WARNING
issued for your part of the coast indicates that sustained
winds of at least 74 mph are expected within 24 hours or less.
Once this warning has been issued, your family should be in
the process of completing protective
actions and deciding the safest location to be during the storm. |
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