A category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale can produce a storm surge ranging from 9 to 12 feet above normal tide levels. This surge can lead to severe coastal flooding, inundating low-lying areas and causing significant damage to infrastructure, homes, and ecosystems. The impact of such a storm surge can be devastating, particularly in populated coastal regions, leading to evacuation orders and emergency response efforts. The combination of high winds and flooding can result in catastrophic conditions for affected communities.
Storm surge is generally made stronger by several factors:Stronger winds.Larger area covered by strong winds.Longer duration at a higher intensity.Lower barometric pressure, though this is a smaller contributor.High tide, though not a component of storm surge, can add to it in what is called a storm tide.The opposites of these will lead to a small storm surge.Originally storm surge was correlated with wind speed alone, but this was discarded.Examples:In 2004 Hurricane Charley struck Florida as a strong category 4 hurricane. This would normally bring a very large storm surge, but the storm was small and had only recently intensified from a category 2.In 2005 Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast as a category 3, but due to the storm's enormous size and having recently weakened from a category 5, it had an enormous storm surge.
Hurricane Katrina is rank 3.
Hurricane Betsy was a Category 3 storm at landfall, hitting Louisiana in September 1965.
A hurricane will start as a Tropical Wave. It then becomes a Tropical Depression. A TD is given a number but not a name. Once the TD reaches 39 mile per hour winds its given a name and becomes a Tropical Storm. After reaching 74 mile per hour winds it becomes a hurricane.
Hurricane Sandy was a category 1 hurricane at landfall in Jamaica, and a category 3 storm at landfall in Cuba and the Bahamas. It hit the U.S. east coast with category 1 winds.
Originally, a storm surge of 9-12 feet was listed for a category 3 hurricane. This association is no longer used as storm surge is influenced by more than just the sustained wind speed used to determine a hurricane's category.
Storm surge is generally made stronger by several factors:Stronger winds.Larger area covered by strong winds.Longer duration at a higher intensity.Lower barometric pressure, though this is a smaller contributor.High tide, though not a component of storm surge, can add to it in what is called a storm tide.The opposites of these will lead to a small storm surge.Originally storm surge was correlated with wind speed alone, but this was discarded.Examples:In 2004 Hurricane Charley struck Florida as a strong category 4 hurricane. This would normally bring a very large storm surge, but the storm was small and had only recently intensified from a category 2.In 2005 Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast as a category 3, but due to the storm's enormous size and having recently weakened from a category 5, it had an enormous storm surge.
Hurricane Katrina is rank 3.
Hurricane Betsy was a Category 3 storm at landfall, hitting Louisiana in September 1965.
A hurricane will start as a Tropical Wave. It then becomes a Tropical Depression. A TD is given a number but not a name. Once the TD reaches 39 mile per hour winds its given a name and becomes a Tropical Storm. After reaching 74 mile per hour winds it becomes a hurricane.
Hurricane Sandy was a category 1 hurricane at landfall in Jamaica, and a category 3 storm at landfall in Cuba and the Bahamas. It hit the U.S. east coast with category 1 winds.
Hurricane Hanna caused significant damage in Texas when it made landfall on July 25, 2020. The storm brought strong winds, storm surge, and heavy rain, resulting in flooding, power outages, and structural damage. It is considered a dangerous storm that required evacuation orders and preparation measures.
Hurricane Katrina started out as a tropical depression, as most hurricanes do, then strengthened to a tropical storm and then a category 1 hurricane. Nor hurricane ever actually starts at hurricane intensity, and they have to go through category 1 to get to the other categories.
The Bhola Cyclone, which struck the country of East Pakistan (now called Bangladesh) in November, 1970, is generally regarded as the deadliest tropical cyclone on record. It was equivalent to a Category 3 hurricane. The storm surge and flooding killed an estimated 300,000 to 500,000 people.
The worst category of hurricane is a category 5, with winds of at least 156 mph.
Yes. There was a Tropical Storm Elaine in the Atlantic Ocean in September of 1974.
As of 2:00 PM on September 9, 2017 Hurricane Irma is a category 3 hurricane with sustained winds of 125 mph. It has weakened from its earlier intensity as a category 5. Irma is expected to reintensify into a category 4 storm before hitting Florida.