Hurricane Katrina (High Quality) – Coral Gables, Florida – August 25, 2005
Between August 23rd and 30th, 2005 Hurricane Katrina, became the 11th named storm, fifth hurricane, third major hurricane and second Category Five hurricane of the record-shattering 2005 season. Katrina also has the infamous distinction of being both the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the top five deadliest hurricanes in U.S. history.
On August 23rd an area of disturbed weather associated with a tropical wave became better organized over the western Bahamas and was classified Tropical Depression 12, while moving west-northwest towards the Florida east coast. The following morning, the depression reached Tropical Storm strength and was named Katrina. Turning towards the west, the storm began to intensify steadily and reached hurricane strength a few hours prior to reaching the Florida coast.
Katrina made landfall at Golden Beach, Florida (near Miami) as a minimal Category One hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph (70kts) and a minimum central pressure of 984 mb (29.06 in).
From the evening of August 25th through the early morning hours of the 26th, storm chaser Michael Laca intercepted Hurricane Katrina at Coral Gables, Florida. At my location I encountered sustained winds near 80 mph (70 kts) with peak gusts near 100 mph (85 kts).
Hurricane Katrina produced minimal hurricane condtions across portions of the extreme southern Florida peninsula (from Ft. Lauderdale southward through southern Miami-Dade county), with tropical storm conditions elsewhere across the region and through the Florida Keys. The highest officially reported winds in southeast Florida during Katrina’s passage were 73 mph (63 kts) with a peak gust of 93 mph (81 kts) at Virginia Key (just south of Miami); 70 mph (60 kts) with a peak gust of 88 mph (76 kts) at the Miami WSFO (near Sweetwater) and 60 mph (52 kts) with a peak gust of 82 mph (71 kts) at Fort Lauderdale. Unofficial wind readings include a peak gust of 92 mph (80 kts) at Port Everglades and 97 mph (84 kts) at the Homestead General Airport. The lowest pressures observed in South Florida were 983 mb (29.02 in) from the Miami WSFO and 988 mb (29.17 in) at AOML on Virginia Key. Katrina also produced exceptionally heavy rainfall over southern Miami-Dade county with several locations reporting storm totals between 10-15 inches.
After passing South Florida, Katrina emerged into a very favorable environment over the Gulf of Mexico and strengthened rapidly. By the afternoon of August 28th, Katrina reached its peak intensity with a central pressure of 902 mb (26.64 in) and maximum sustained winds of 175 mph (150 kts). In addition the hurricane’s windfield expanded significantly, nearly doubling in size. After reaching peak intensity, Katrina began to turn towards the north and gradually weaken as it neared landfall across the northern Gulf.
On the morning of August 29th, Hurricane Katrina made landfall near Buras, Louisiana as a high-end Category Three with maximum sustained winds of 125 mph (110 kts) and a minimum central pressure of 920 mb (27.17in). A few hours later, the hurricane made its final landfall near the mouth of the Pearl River, on the Mississippi/Louisiana border with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph (105 kts) and a minimum pressure of 928 mb (27.40).
Although the hurricane weakened significantly prior to landfall the storm’s very large windfield, along with the perpendicular approach, and the bathymetry of the northern Gulf coast combined to produce an extremely high storm surge on the east side of the hurricane. Values between 24 – 28 ft (7 – 8.5 m) were observed, devastating virtually all of the vulnerable low-lying Mississippi coastline and sweeping many locations completely clean. On the west side of the storm, the high surge values also resulted in the overtopping, and subsequent failure, of several levees within the New Orleans area, releasing massive flooding in numerous low-lying communities.
Hurricane Katrina’s combined impacts across the affected areas, resulted in a staggering 1,836 direct fatalities (the highest death toll from a U.S. hurricane since the Lake Okeechobee storm of 1928) and $90.1 billion (adjusted) in damage, making Katrina the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history.
After moving inland, Katrina maintained hurricane strength for nearly 150 miles (240 KM) inland. The storm was eventually absorbed into a frontal boundary over the eastern Great Lakes on September 31st.
Duration : 0:4:16
Categories: Hurricanes Tags: 100, 1080i, 1080p, 2005, 80, 90, August, BD, Blu, catastrophe, Category, Chase, chaser, chasing, Coastal, Coral, county, Cyclone, Dade, damage, Deadly, disaster, DVD, Five, flood, flooding, Florida, Gables, HD, Heavy, High, Historic, Hurricane, incredible, Intense, katrina, Laca, Landfall, miami, Michael, mph, one, Palm, Palms, Quality, rain, Ray, Record, South, Southern, storm, Strong, Three, Tree, Trees, Tropical, Uprooted, video, Violent, Warning, Wind, Winds
Hurricane Storms Thunder Lightning Erin Ike Northern Lights Kitesurf Ohio
Shows Storms and Hurricanes over Ohio
Hurricane/Tropical Storm Erin over Ohio, showing thunder, lightening, mammatus clouds, sailboats, seagulls, bats, geese. Taken around 8-9:30 pm on 07.08.22. Near the center of the first formation shown are cumulous mammatus clouds, which can be associated with tornados. Later someone in the next county sighted a tornado and the Licking County sirens went off according to the 11:00 NBC news. Hurricanes are destructive not only on the coast, their remnants (as shown here) cause much interior damage. In Ohio, as much as 1 foot of rain fell within a few hours in some areas. Severe flooding inundated several places. Several counties were declared disaster areas.
A funnel cloud was reported over the Alum Creek Lake three days after this (while still in the weather pattern) and emergency procedures were activated: http://youtube.com/watch?v=WLV5XWdP7PE Note in the last portion of the video, that before many of the lightening strikes, the clouds could be seen dancing (especially the portion in the center of the cloud formation). Sometimes they became a little brighter. Then there would be a lightening strike.
Video also shows dangerous KiteSurfing during Hurricane Ike. The end of the 65 ft. jump begins at 1:31 (the beginning wasn’t filmed). The portion of the video showing the hurricane begins at :53 and ends at 1:57. Someone just photographed the end of the jump and let us use the film (trip43065 and Ron). Conditions were such that a person could hardly stand up, let alone film.
(Portions used with permission of JohnPurdueSite, trip43065, and Ron)
Hurricane Ike was Ohios worst natural disaster. Although most think of it as a costal disaster, it also hit Ohio. It hit Texas on September 13, and it is considered the the fourth costliest hurricane in US history behind only Katrina, Andrew, and Wilma. It hit Ohio September 14 with winds raging up to 78 mph a Category I hurricane. It is Ohios only hurricane. Much of the damage has yet to be repaired.
While most people stayed inside for safety (as branches and roof material flew by), some were out in the dangerous winds kitesurfing.
Web Site: http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:WwLUKelWyzkJ:www.rms.com/ClientResources/Catupdates/CatUpdatePublic.asp%3Fevent_id%3D2658+%22Ohio%22+%22hurricane%22+%2275+mph%22&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us
“As Ike tracked in a north to north northeast direction inland it maintained tropical characteristics until it reached Arkansas on Sunday, 14 September at which point it dissipated as a significant tropical cyclone and began extra tropical transition. Later that day the remnants of the storm merged with a frontal boundary across the lower Ohio Valley. The presence of a deep low pressure associated with the frontal boundary generated a tight pressure gradient to the south and east of the low as it tracked into northwest Ohio through Sunday evening, creating strong winds with gusts in excess of 70 mph over a large area across the Ohio Valley. The winds also persisted for several hours which is uncharacteristic of typical severe thunderstorm events. Whilst the strongest winds were recorded in Ohio, the effects of Ike’s remnants also spread across Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio and Pennsylvania.”
Duration : 0:4:48
Categories: Hurricanes Tags: 14, 2007, 2008, 22, Andrew, August, Big, Category, champion, cloud, cumulous, Cyclone, danger, disaster, Erin, extreme, good, High, hit, Hurricane, Ike, jumps, katrina, kite, Kiteboard, Kitesurfing, lightning, lights, long, Louisiana, Madness, mammatus, northern, off-shore, Ohio, Oil, power, rage, Safety, September, siren, storm, strike, surf, surfboard, Texas, Thunder, Tropical, Weather, Wilma, Wind, worst
Hurricane Frances – Jupiter, Florida – September 5, 2004
Hurricane Frances was a long-track Cape Verde hurricane that reached a peak intensity of 145mph, Category Four, north of Puerto Rico. Moderate wind shear began to affect the storm and it crossed the Southeast and Central Bahamas as a Category Three with winds of 115-130mph. Frances continued to weaken to a Category Two, with winds of 105mph, as it approached the Northwest Bahamas. Steering currents weakend on September 4th and Frances responded by turning to the west and slowing to a crawl. Over the following 48 hours, Frances made a very slow landfall over the Florida east coast, coming onshore near the south end of Hutchinson Island as a category Two, with peak winds of 105-110mph. Minimum central pressure at landfall in Florida was 960mb (28.35in). I was accompanied on this chase by storm chasers Jose Garcia and Karl Hoarau. The video also includes some behind-the-scenes footage from the National Hurricane Center, with several forecasters, including my good friends Eric Blake and Max Mayfield (the center’s director at that time).
Duration : 0:4:0
Categories: Hurricanes Tags: 2004, Center, Cyclone, Florida, Frances, Hurricane, Hurricanes, National, NHC, Severe, Storms, TPC, Tropical, Typhoon, Weather
Hurricane Opal – Fort Walton Beach, FL – October 4, 1995
This is a sample of my Hurricane Opal chase footage. This video was taken during Opal’s landfall in the western Florida panhandle, at Fort Walton Beach, on October 4, 1995. A day prior to landfall, Hurricane Opal had strengthened rapidly to near Category Five intensity, with sustained winds of 150mph and a minimum central pressure of 916mb (27.05in). During the following twelve hours the storm steadily weakened, however, Opal was still a very large and powerful Category Three at landfall, with sustained winds of 125mph and a central pressure of 942mb (27.82in). Hurricane conditions begin at about 3min 30sec into the video and the eyewall occurs from 4min 50sec through 7min 40sec in. Peak winds at my location were sustained between 100-110mph with gusts to 140mph. The highest officially recorded surface wind in Opal was a gust to 144mph at Hurlburt Field, near Mary Esther, Florida, in southwest Okaloosa county, which was three miles west of my location. The highest storm surge at my location was approximately 13ft and with the ground elevation at 8-10ft above sea-level, this resulted in a surge depth of 3-5ft, with higher waves. The peak surge and maximum inundation occurs just prior to the eye/calm at about 9min 40sec into the video. Though the eastern edge of Opal’s eye did pass over my location, winds never fell below 20-30mph, I did record a minimum pressure of 960.3mb (28.36in) during this time.
Duration : 0:12:17
Categories: Hurricanes Tags: 1995, Cyclone, extreme, Florida, Hurricane, Hurricanes, Meteorology, Opal, Severe, storm, surge, Tropical, Typhoon, Weather, Wind
Hurricane Hugo (High Quality) – Luquillo, Puerto Rico – September 17-18, 1989
Between September 16th and 22nd, 1989 one of the most infamous and disasterous hurricanes in Atlantic history, Hugo, devastated portions of the Caribbean and South Carolina.
From the evening of the 17th through the morning of the 18th, the US Virgin Islands, and the northeastern tip of Puerto Rico bore the brunt of Hugo’s exceptional violence. Alongside the thousands of residents who suffered through the terrifying experience, a small group of veteran storm chasers, including myself, had the rare opportunity to document the full force of an intense hurricane, during daylight hours, at a direct coastal location.
At the time of Hugo’s landfall in Puerto Rico the storm was producing sustained winds near 130mph, with gusts over 160mph.
In commemoration of Hugo’s 20th anniversary I’m presenting a new, digitally re-mastered, high-quality DVD edition of my chase footage, including many previously unreleased scenes, new special features and extra content. This seven minute introductory clip showcases some of the highlights from the main feature.
Without actually experiencing an event of this magnitude, first-hand, it’s difficult to truly understand the incredible ferocity, unrelenting power, and somber aftermath a violent hurricane commands.
The new 20th anniversary commemorative edition DVD is dedicated to all those affected by Hurricane Hugo… to the meteorological, scientific, and storm chasing communities who strive to further our understanding of these amazing forces of nature… and to future generations who will carry the quest for knowledge forward.
Duration : 0:7:11
Categories: Hurricanes Tags: 1080i, 1080p, 130, 140, 150, 160, 1989, 20th, Anniversary, BD, Blu, Caribbean, carolina, catastrophe, Category, Charleston, Chase, chaser, chasing, Coastal, Cyclone, damage, Deadly, Defoliated, disaster, DVD, extreme, flood, flooding, Four, Heavy, High, Historic, history, Howling, Hugo, Hurricane, Island, Islands, Laca, Landfall, Michael, mph, Northeast, Palm, Palms, Puerto, Quality, rain, Ray, Record, Rican, Rico, September, South, spray, storm, Strong, surge, Three, Tree, Tropical, Uprooted, US, video, Violent, Virgin, Warning, Wave, waves, Wind, Winds
Hurricane Georges – Luquillo, Puerto Rico – Sep. 21, 1998
Hurricane Georges crossed the entire length of Puerto Rico on September 21, 1998. As the storm made landfall over the southeastern part of the island, I was able to intercept the northern eyewall in the town of Luquillo (the same location where I intercepted Hurricane Hugo nine years earlier). Although Georges had weakened significantly as it approached the Northeast Caribbean, the hurricane began to strengthen rapidly just before landfall in Puerto Rico. Georges was a Category Three with maximum sustained winds of 115mph and gusts between 130-140mph at landfall in Puerto Rico. Winds of 110mph with a peak gust of 130mph was recorded in Fajardo, very close to my location. The minimum central pressure at landfall in Puerto Rico was 968mb (28.59in).
Duration : 0:3:32
Categories: Hurricanes Tags: 1998, Cyclone, extreme, Georges, Hurricane, Hurricanes, Puerto, Rico, Severe, Storms, Tropical, Typhoon, Weather, Wind
Typhoon Alert – 8 Super Tips To Help You Keep Your Ground!
Wherever you live, you will probably experience a typhoon. Typhoons, also called tropical cyclones, occur near the equator in the Eastern Pacific and are equivalent to hurricanes and cyclones. Like all great storms, they can destroy property and kill people.
A powerful reminder of Nature’s strength, typhoons are characterized by high-speed winds and driving rain rotating around a low-pressure center. Through the modern miracles of weather satellites, meteorologists can observe, track, and predict their strength and movement.
Pacific typhoons have been recorded throughout the year, but they seem to peak from August to October. In the Pacific Northwest, the range is greater – from May to November. Normally, their paths follow one of three directions: a straight westward path, recurving paths impacting Japan and China, and northward paths that seem to only affect small islands.
The causes of typhoons are not well-understood, but there are some factors that seem to be common to them. One is warmer water temperature, particularly with rapid cooling in the atmosphere. High humidity is present. They usually seem to form more that 500 kilometers (310 miles) from the equator.
If a the weather service broadcasts a warning that typhoon is nearing your area, there are measures you can take to avoid loss of life and property. Here is a quick run-down of the things you can do before it arrives:
1. Repair broken doors and windows, and make sure your exits are free of obstructions in case you need to get out (or in) quickly. Tape over big glass windows that could be shattered by flying debris. If you have time, cover windows with plywood or storm shutters.
2. If your area is flood-prone, plan to move to an evacuation center or to higher ground before the water level reaches one meter (or a little over 3 feet). Try to park your car on high ground. Secure your garbage indoors where it won’t be carried away by the flood and create more health problems.
3. Store enough food and fresh drinking water for a few days. You may well lose power, so stock up on candles, batteries, rain gear, and thick blankets.
4. Secure items like furniture in your yard or on your balcony. Better yet, bring them indoors. Also remove anything from your roof that might be easily blown away.
5. Clear out gutters and drains around your house to avoid adding to the flood damage problem the typhoon will visit on your area.
6. Carry a battery-powered radio with you to listen to the news about the typhoon. Know what’s happening in your area. Stay alert for announcements for emergency evacuations, and be sure you know what the evacuation routes are, where shelters are located, and how to get help if you need it.
7. Even when the typhoon seems to be over, and the sky is clear, do not leave your home or shelter until the authorities tell you it is safe. You may be in the eye of the storm, where all is peaceful and quiet. But this is deceptive: you still have to go through the other side of the typhoon.
8. After the typhoon, check your home and property for potentially dangerous damages. Clear large items from doorways and paths. Be sure to check electrical appliances and outlets for possible shorts that could start fires. Make sure your gas service is being delivered properly for the same reason. Inspect trees for damaged branches that might still fall on your house. And have your car inspected for water damages that may not be apparent until you want to go somewhere!
Abhishek Agarwal
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-security-articles/typhoon-alert-8-super-tips-to-help-you-keep-your-ground-753958.html
Categories: Hurricanes Tags: Cyclone, disaster, Disasters, Tropical, Typhoon, typhoon activity, typhoon season, typhoon tips, typhoons
Hurricane Andrew – Southeast Florida – August 24, 1992
This is my Hurricane Andrew chase video. The footage was taken during Andrew’s landfall on the Southeast Florida coast, at Coconut Grove, south of Miami. Though Andrew was extremely small, moving very quickly and made landfall about 15 miles to the south, my location was right at the edge of the hurricane’s northern eyewall. Unfortunately the entire peak of the storm was at night, however, using a portable spotlight, I was able to capture footage throughout the entire event. Even with the challenging video conditions, Andrew’s ferocity is clearly obvious in this footage. The roar of the wind is deafening, punctuated by breaking glass and other debris. Peak winds occur between 13 through 17 minutes into the video, and are sustained near 125-130mph with gusts near 150mph. The anemometer at the National Hurricane Center (about 2 miles west-southwest of my location) failed after recording a gust to 164mph. Based on post-analysis, Andrew is now estimated to have had sustained winds of 165mph with peak gusts near 200mph at landfall in South Florida, making it one of only three Category Five hurricanes ever to strike the United States.
Duration : 0:27:14
Categories: Hurricanes Tags: 1992, Andrew, Category, Cyclone, disaster, extreme, Five, Florida, Hurricane, Hurricanes, Severe, Storms, Tropical, Weather, Wind
Hurricane Hugo – Luquillo, Puerto Rico – September 18, 1989
This is my Hurricane Hugo chase video. The footage was taken during Hugo’s landfall on the northeast tip of Puerto Rico at Luquillo. In my 25 years of hurricane chasing, this remains, overall, the best footage I have ever been fortunate enough to capture. Though I have been in stronger hurricanes, given that Hugo was a borderline category three/four and the strongest portion of the eyewall passed directly over my location (during daylight hours), I had the rare opportunity to document the full force of an intense hurricane at a direct coastal location. Though significant damage begins about 8 minutes into the video, the peak winds occur between 10 through 21 minutes in, and are sustained near 130mph with gusts to 150-160mph. An anemometer on the island of Culebra (just offshore Eastern Puerto Rico) reported a peak gust of 170mph when the same portion of the eyewall passed over that location a couple of hours prior to reaching Luquillo.
Duration : 0:28:19
Categories: Hurricanes Tags: 1989, Andy, Caribbean, carolina, catastrophe, Chase, chaser, chasing, Culebra, Cyclone, disaster, Dressler, extreme, Eye, Eyewall, Historic, Hugo, Huracan, Hurricane, Hurricanes, Islands, Jim, Juan, Laca, Leonard, Luquillo, Michael, Puerto, Rico, San, Sea, Severe, South, Storms, Tropical, Typhoon, Vieques, Violent, Virgin, Weather, Wind
Hurricane Fran – Carolina Beach, NC – September 5, 1996
Hurricane Fran moves over Carolina Beach, North Carolina on the afternoon and evening of September 5, 1996. The storm made landfall directly over this area with maximum sustained winds of 115mph and a minimum central pressure of 954mb (28.17in).
Duration : 0:7:50
