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If Hurricanes pack winds of 150 mph how come they only travel at 15 mph?
Wiki User
∙ 14y ago
Forward movement of the actual storm, which is where the eye is, is what is measured. The winds spin around the center having nothing to do with how fast the storm is moving - that is because of steering currents, like a Bermuda High or an approaching cold front.
Oddly enough, if a category 3 hurricane is moving at 60 miles per hour like the 1938 Long Island Express, you combine forward movement with the sustained winds in the direction it is moving to give you, specifically at that part of the storm, category 5 winds. 120 mph sustained plus 60 mph forward movement equals...180 mph sustained winds in that region/area of the storm (it's opposite on the weak side of the storm, of course). Which explains why that hurricane was so destructive.
Last I checked hurricanes don't carry luggage so why people continue to say "pack winds" I'll never understand.
Skip Stone
New Orleans, LA
Wiki User
∙ 14y ago
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What are the 5 major global winds?
I only know 4: the Trade Winds, the Doldrums, the Prevailing Westerlies, and the Polar Easterlies
Does Montana have hurricanes?
No, hurricanes can only form over warm ocean water and they weaken quickly when they hit land. Montana is too far inland to get hurricanes. However, other types of storm can still produce hurricane force winds.
What do hurricanes typhoons and tropical cyclones have in common answers?
Tropical cyclone is a generic term that includes both hurricanes and typhoons. Both hurricanes and typhoons are classified as tropical cyclones with sustained winds of at least 74 mph. The only difference is that a hurricane is in the Atlantic or eastern Pacific while a typhoon is in the western Pacific.
How are hurricanes ranked in severity?
You rate a hurricane by the intencity of the winds. This is measured in category (CAT). CAT 1 is a hurricane with winds of 74-95 mph CAT 2-Winds of 96-110 Cat 3-Winds of 111-130 Cat 4-Winds of 131-155 Cat 5-Winds of 155+ Although you think CAT 5 must be catastrophic, and CAT 1 must be nothing, Then think again! Take this example-Katrina was only a CAT 3, but it damaged levees which in turn flooded New Orleans.
What were the names of the last category 5 hurricanes in the last 100 years that hit the US the year it occurred the that received the greatest damage and the number of fatalities?
I am only aware of 3 category five hurricanes: "Labor Day" Hurricane in 1935 wind of 161mph Hurricane Camille in1969 winds of 190 mph Hurricane Andrew in 1992 winds of 167 mph
How were hurricanes measured before the Saffir-Simpson Scale?
Prior to the development of the Saffir-Simpson scale there was no rating system for hurricanes. The only distinction made was between major hurricanes with winds over 110 mph and minor hurricanes with sustained winds of 110 mph or less.
Does the wind blow the same direction in cyclones and hurricanes?
It depends. A hurricane is a kind of cyclone. Tropical cyclones are only called hurricanes in parts of the northern hemisphere. have winds that spin counterclockwise. However, in the southern hemisphere cyclone winds spin clockwise.
What makes a hurricane different from rain?
rain only has water hurricanes have heavy winds and some times hail
What hurricanes have hit Western Massachusetts?
A hurricane is defined by having sustained winds of atleast. 74-mph Only two real hurricanes have hit Western Massachusetts in the past. Most of the hurricanes that have affected Western Massachusetts weakend to tropical storms by the time it reached us. The only known hurricanes to bring sustained winds of hurricane force in Western Massachusetts are that of the Great New England of 1938, which brought winds of 100-mph to Hampden and Hampshire county, and The Great Atlantic Hurricane of 1944 which brought sustained winds of 75-mph with gusts to 90-95-mph to Hamden County, near the Springfield Area. Both hurricanes brought widespread tree and structural damage. Any other tropical systems to affect our area only brought tropical storm force winds, with hurricane force winds only brought in gusts. Some damaging tropical storms in Western Massachusetts were Hurricane Gloria of 1985 and Hurricane Bob of 1991, which brought winds of around 60-mph, which caused extensive tree and utility pole damage. Hurricanes Bob was a category 2 hurricane, but hit southeastern Massachusetts, resulting in tropical storm force winds felt in Western Massachusetts. Those were really the only hurricanes to bring hurricane force or near hurricane force winds. Other systems that have affected our area were only notable for rainfall. Overall, i would say that the Great New England Hurricane of 1938 was the most significant hurricane in Western Massachusetts.
Does Montana have hurricanes?
No, hurricanes can only form over warm ocean water and they weaken quickly when they hit land. Montana is too far inland to get hurricanes. However, other types of storm can still produce hurricane force winds.
What are the 5 major global winds?
I only know 4: the Trade Winds, the Doldrums, the Prevailing Westerlies, and the Polar Easterlies
Which is the best of three natural disasters Hurricane Tornado or Earthquake?
Hurricanes are the best of three natural disasters. Tornadoes destroy houses and earthquakes destroy everything. Hurricanes are only massive winds and rain.
Are tornadoes a destructive force?
Yes. They are one of the most destructive natural forces in the world equaled only by hurricanes, earthquakes and volcanoes.Meteorologists have recently began to credit Straight-Line Winds in a storm to cause a large amount of damage as well that was previously credited solely to the tornado itself. Straight-Line Winds come from the downward winds coming out of a severe thunderstorm.
Are hot air balloons a good way to travel?
Yes, but only in light winds.
Does a hurricane go counter clockwise?
Hurricanes are in a class of storm called tropical cyclones. Such storms rotate counterclockwise in the northern hemisphere and clockwise in the southern. In a strict sense, the term hurricane is only applied to tropical cyclones in parts of the northern hemisphere, so they do rotate counterclockwise.
Do winds blow faster or slower in Florida compared to the equator?
Winds do not blow faster or slower in Florida when compared to those around the Equator. The only direct effect on wind speeds are weather systems like thunderstorms and hurricanes.
What do hurricanes typhoons and tropical cyclones have in common answers?
Tropical cyclone is a generic term that includes both hurricanes and typhoons. Both hurricanes and typhoons are classified as tropical cyclones with sustained winds of at least 74 mph. The only difference is that a hurricane is in the Atlantic or eastern Pacific while a typhoon is in the western Pacific.
