Hurricane Isabel

[Jedi Master Carr]

For those living in the Southeast do we have something to worry about
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20030912/ts_nm/weather_isabel_position_dc&cid=1112&ncid=1112

This looks like an Andrew like storm and is very dangerous. We won't know until early next week where it might go.

[JediBoricua]

It's missing Puerto Rico for about 400 miles, but this thing looks scary.

It's Category 5 right now, and it could only get stronger.

[Jedi Master Carr]

how high can the winds go? Just curious I am wondering what is the max a hurricane go or is there a max?

[CMJ]

Right now it IS stronger than Andrew(at least as of the last advisory).

To answer your question Carr...there really is no "limit" per se. I believe at one point Hurricane Gilbert had *sustained* winds in excess of 185mph. That storm crushed Mexico's Yucatan penninsula. (Gilbert was the most intense Atlantic Huricane in recorded history)

The USA has only been hit by definte 2 Cat. 5's the '35 Labor Day Storm in the Florida Keys and Camille in 1969.

Andrew was right on the bubble. It was initially ruled as a 4, but has since been upgraded by many tropical meteroligists as a 5.

In other words...it's rare as hell for these monsters to actually form and hit somewhere.

[Jedi Master Carr]

I thought so lets hope the thing either fizzels out or goes out to see we don't want something like that to hit the Eastern seaboard.

[CMJ]

As with alot of people fascinated by these storms, I'm torn. I don't want it to hit anywhere, and yet I do. They are just awesome to behold...that power.

It needs to hit some uninhabited island so we can see the destruction to trees and what not, but not have any property damage or loss of life. :D

[Jedi Master Carr]

Yeah that be cool hit something were we won't lose people works for me. :) Luckily today they evacuate people quickly even when there is a warning. I remember Floyd which came close to SC they evacuated just about the whole cost that was amazing roads bumper to bumper from Charleston to Columbia.

[Morgan Evanar]

Its terrifyingly beautiful. It looks like it might hit northern FL.

[JediBoricua]

I know there have a been a couple of 200+mph hurricanes in recorded history (1 or 2 per century), I hope this one doesn't get that cocky. Living in the CAribbean, you kind of have to become a hurricane expert.

[CMJ]

I used to wanna be a tropical meterologist...and devoured books and books on Hurricanes.

I don't recall ever hearing of an Atlantic hurricane with *sustained* winds of over 200mph(Camille had gusts clocked as high as 220 and Gilbert's gusts reached even higher than that).

***Note: They aren't sure how high the winds got in the '35 Labor Day Hurricane but the pressure was REALLY low. That was the strongest storm ever to hit the USA*********

I think there may have been a typhoon or two that got up that high.

[Morgan Evanar]

True enough Boricua. I've always been fascinated with the weather, though. It might not make landfall, but no one really knows at this point.

[ReaperFett]

I think there may have been a typhoon or two that got up that high.
I presume you mean in the US, but as of now there is a SUPER Typhoon approaching Japan. It's so large it is actually called a "Super Typhoon" apparently. Will be down to a normal TYphoon before anyone on land notices, but still.

[Morgan Evanar]

^??? What.

Link?

[CMJ]

From my undersatnding Super Typhoons are equal to the strength of a Category 5 hurricane.

[ReaperFett]

It hit some place at 160mph winds. Now it is just a normal Typhoon, 75mph and heading for Hakaido.

[Jedi Master Carr]

Here is another article I am glad I don't live near the coast
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=514&e=4&u=/ap/20030913/ap_on_re_us/tropical_weather_117

[Jedi Master Carr]

Well Isabel which weakened to a 2 is hitting the outer banks of NC right now and will be hitting Va Beach as well. The biggest problem this storm will bring is flooding. I am actually glad it weaked, I hate to see what a 5 would do to that part of the country.

[CMJ]

As always, I'm glued to my TV watching as much coverage possible when these things come through. :D

It's not that I want to see destruction per se, but these are seriously the coolest things in nature. I've been fascinated with them since I was like 9 years old.

[Jedi Master Carr]

Yeah they are a very powerful phenomenon, I have been watching some of the coverage too. What I can get is why there are some morons who are trying to ride the thing out. Especially the ones surfing in the water talk about idiots there.

[CMJ]

So far 24 deaths have been reported as well as pretty extensive damage in 3 states. I felt this was kind of a unique storm(of course they all are a pretty different...it's like they have their own personalities).

Why was it unique? Well Isabel's central pressure was boarderline Cat 3 intensity, and yet the winds were barely Category 2 strength on Hatteras Island...and everywhere else they were tropical storm force at best.

On the other hand this storm's surge was more attributable to a Cat 3 or so. Also, the trailing edge of the storm decimated VA and Maryland, but hardly effected NC(where it came ashore), which is pretty odd. I'm interested in seeing what the final damage estimates are, but it looks like it's one of the costlier ones of recent memory.

[Jedi Master Carr]

Yeah the flooding seems to be the main problem with this storm it is worse than Floyd a few years ago.

[CMJ]

I don't know if the flooding is worse overall...it just flooded different areas. Floyd was a helluva watery storm...some 4 Billion in damages from that sucker, alot of which was flood related.

[Jedi Master Carr]

The people on CNN seemed to be saying that it was, they say it was the worse storm to hit NC and VA since Fanny (I think that was the name) back in 96.

[CMJ]

Fran is the name...:)

Here is a list in unadjusted dollars of the costliest 10 hurricanes in US History. I think it's current, though not 100% positive, I never heard a figure for Lili last year, so I'm not sure if she should be here or not.

Unfortunately the National Hurricane center did not have a adjusted for inflation list on the site. :\

1 Andrew (SE FL, SE LA) 1992 (5a) 26,500,000,000
2 Hugo (SC) 1989 (4) 7,000,000,000
3 Floyd (Mid Atlantic & NE U.S.) 1999 (2) 4,500,000,000
4 Fran (NC) 1996 (3) 3,200,000,000
5 Opal (NW FL, AL) 1995 (3) 3,000,000,000
6 Georges (FL Keys, MS, AL) 1998 (2) 2,310,000,000
7 Frederic (AL, MS) 1979 (3) 2,300,000,000
8 Agnes (FL, NE U.S.) 1972 (1) 2,100,000,000
9 Alicia (N TX) 1983 (3) 2,000,000,000
10 Bob (NC, NE U.S.) 1991 (2) 1,500,000,000

**BTW Andrew has an (a) listed beside the 5 as a note, because it was reclassified by the NHC last year...originally it was listed as a 4.

[Jedi Master Carr]

Cool. Though I am sure Camille would make the top 3 that was one of the worst.

[CMJ]

Well, Camille was the 2nd most intense storm on record to hit the USA(the '35 Labor Day Hurricane that struck the FL Keys is #1), but I don't think Camille would be in the top 5 total damage wise, because the area it hit wasn't terribly populated.

That's what really adds up the dollar amounts. Opal for example was nearly a Category 4 storm when it made landfall, but the area it affected in Florida wasn't very large so it's under Floyd and Fran even though it was stronger.

By the same token I think the strength of Isabel is the weakest of the four I mentioned, but it may being the costliest, because it's area of influnce was so large.

[Darth007]

I live in CT and remember learning about a huge storm that wrecked the state back in the 30's or 20's, anyone know what its called? I thought for sure it was one of the top 10 but i guess not.

[CMJ]

Probably the storm of '38 that raked the East Coast. It was a Strong Category 3 storm that really hurt the New England.

I just looked it's intensity up. It's barometric pressure was tied for the 22nd lowest of a landfalling US Hurricane...so it's up there.