Hurricane winds are known to damage homes and cause devastation by entering weak areas of homes like windows, or even fault-lines on walls. These storms have the ability to cause vast property destruction, and can affect both inland areas as well as coastal regions. As such, the extent of your preparation for such adversities defines you survival chances when it strikes. The following piece helps you familiarize with hurricane- the what, when, where and how of the storm.
What are Hurricanes?
By definition, hurricane storms are massive storm systems originating over water and propagate towards land at superfast speeds, sometimes slow. Common threats resulting from these storms are heavy and intensive rainfall, fast and high winds, rip currents, storm surge, tornadoes, and flooding both at the coastal regions and inland. Hurricanes have different aliases in different geographical locations, in the North Pacific Ocean for instance, they are called typhoons. In other parts of the world, they are known as cyclones.
Hurricanes are categorized using the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale which classifies the storms into five major categories. The classification is based on the speed of the winds, wind damage potential and the central pressure. As per the scale, Classes 3, 4 and 5 hurricanes are always common featuring winds with speeds up to 111 miles per hour or more. However, the remaining two categories should not be ignored as they also cause damages and injuries.
When do Hurricanes Occur?
Hurricanes come in seasons. For example, the hurricane season at the Atlantic comes between June 1st and 30th November, with its climax running from mid-August to late-October. On the other hand, the Eastern Pacific has its hurricane season onsets from 15th May to the end of October.
Where do Hurricanes Occur?
Many parts worldwide receive heavy rains, strong winds, floods and other signs of hurricane storms. In the United States, the areas mostly affected include all Atlantic and the Mexican Gulf coastal areas. Other areas include Puerto Rico, Hawaii, the U.S Virgin Islands, the Pacific coast, parts of the southwest and several U.S territories in the Pacific.
Hurricane Impact
Hurricanes are mega destroyers and their aftermath is devastating. They result in deaths and destruction of properties, basically any obstacle, within their path. These can extend several miles from the path of the storm. The level of destruction caused by hurricanes depends on the size and intensity of the storm and the number of structures in its area of coverage. Some other effects include disruption of power, communications, and gas among other services, inland flooding as a result of heavy rains, coastal flooding due to storm surge, and death and injury of animals and people.
With such comprehensive information and knowledge of the hurricane storms, one can effectively plan and completely evade the effects of Hurricane.
More Information on Hurricanes
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