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Getting ready:
Click to read the Hurricane Season special section. You can save, copy and print the guide (PDF format), and use the live web links inside to show more information. |
Forecasters on Thursday said that Hurricane Rina, which they had expected to become a major Category 3 storm, was instead weakening and likely to be heading south — literally and figuratively — by the weekend.
Posted - Friday, October 28, 2011 12:33 AM EDT
A map made by the Historical Hurricane Tracks viewer shows major hurricanes that have passed within 50 miles of Tavernier.
A federal agency has updated its hurricane history site to make it easier for people to get an view of every tropical cyclone anywhere in the world over the past 168 years.
Posted - Friday, September 09, 2011 11:00 AM EDT
Hurricane Irene on Thursday churning east of the Upper Keys, seen in a satellite image and with Miami radar showing rain clouds swirling into Florida.
Hurricane Irene, the season’s first major hurricane, battered the islands of the Bahamas on Thursday and Friday and was taking aim on the U.S. East Coast.
Posted - Friday, August 26, 2011 11:00 AM EDT
Watching the tropicsCurrent tropical activity
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| The NHC graphic shows any current tropical systems and areas being watched for potential tropical disturbance development. | ||
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Tropical Prediction Center: |
National Weather Service Key West: |
NESDIS Satellite Services Division: |
Hurricanes are ranked in terms of wind strength according to the Saffir-Simpson scale, from Category 1 to Category 5:
Category 1: Winds of 74 mph to 95 mph (central barometric pressure generally 28.94 inches or less), generating a 4-foot to 5-foot storm surge. Minimal damage
Category 2: Winds from 96 mph to 110 mph, storm surge 6 feet to 8 feet. Moderate damage.
Category 3: Winds from 111 mph to 130 mph, storm surge 9 feet to 12 feet. Extensive damage. Hurricane Katrina in 2005 was a Category 3 hurricane at landfall in Louisiana.
Category 4: Winds from 131 mph to 155 mph, storm surge 13 feet to 18 feet. Extreme damage. Hurricane Charley was a high Category 4 when it slammed Punta Gorda in 2004.
Category 5: Winds greater than 155 mph, causing storm surge 18 feet and higher. Catastrophic damage. Only three Category 5 hurricanes have hit the United States: the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 in the Upper Keys, Hurricane Camille on the Gulf Coast in 1967, and Hurricane Andrew, which destroyed much of south Miami-Dade in 1992.
