Tropical rains 5 letters. The flooding caused by the storm was the most destructive in Houston's history. Preparing to face the storm



Tropical storms often hit the shores of the United States. In some cases they turn into hurricanes, and then it becomes a disaster for the region. In others, they still remain a storm, albeit equal in strength to a hurricane, but still do not cross the border between these natural phenomena. Despite this, storms are very dangerous.

The 2001 tropical storm, known as Allison, acted more like a hurricane.
Wrong forecasts
In 2001, two hurricanes passed over the country - Iris and Michelle - which caused considerable destruction, but tropical storm Allison became a much bigger problem. It was born in June 2001 in Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Texas, and from the very first moment meteorologists tracked its movement.
The wind speed in the storm did not exceed 100 km/h, and there were no signs of its transformation into a hurricane, so scientists considered it not too dangerous. Two days later, Allison approached the coast of Texas, bringing with it heavy rainfall, which caused severe flooding in the city of Kemah. The nearby city of Galveston was also damaged by heavy rain. A little later, a terrible storm raged in these cities, which reminded residents of the worst natural disaster in Galveston in 1900, which claimed the most lives in the history of natural disasters in the United States: 6,000 people died.

The area hit by Tropical Storm Allison in 2001 was not protected by the piers and embankments that were specially built after the disaster of the early last century in many places. Waves 2 m high and heavy rain led to flooding of the coastal part of the city and washed away all the cozy beaches. With the rain getting heavier car roads began to collapse. On July 7, the storm came very close to Houston: the rain had subsided a little by that time, because the Allison changed direction and moved towards the city of Lufkin.

Events developed in full accordance with expert forecasts, with the exception of dramatic excesses in Galveston. On July 8, the storm headed toward Houston again. The repeated invasion turned out to be more severe for the city due to the heavy rains that accompanied the storm. Large areas of swampy areas, characteristic of Texas and several other southern states, located around Houston, were unable to absorb the precipitation, and flooding began. The water level in the city center rose by 2.5 cm every hour, and on June 9 the water level in the port of Houston increased at a record rate of 9.2 cm/hour. Even the municipality was completely submerged.

After its brutal foray into Houston, Hurricane Allison headed toward eastern Texas and southern Louisiana, inundating the cities of Beaumont, Baton Rouge and New Orleans even though it had become subtropical. Within a day it would reach the remote state of Pennsylvania, bringing with it considerable destruction, although losing a little of its strength on June 19 in the North Atlantic.

During its entire stay in the United States from June 5 to 9, Storm Allison caused 23 tornadoes: ten in Southern California, four in Mississippi, three in Florida, two in Alabama, two more in Georgia and one each in Louisiana and Virginia. The result is enormous destruction.

Houston goes underwater
The flooding that followed the hurricane was a serious challenge for Houston. More than 70,000 buildings in the city were destroyed, and residents of 200,000 homes lost electricity. Texas patients medical center had to be evacuated in complete darkness and in poor sanitary conditions. The medical center's emergency generators failed due to high water. The same disaster befell local university campuses.

Houston is one of the largest research centers in the world, especially in the field of medicine. Due to the lack of electricity, many laboratories were seriously damaged, and work on research projects ceased. In the city center, underground tunnels and parking lots were flooded, thousands of cars and houses were damaged. The city television center stopped broadcasting to avoid short circuits and equipment damage. Life support services were restored within hours of the disaster. Temporary satellite communications allowed those with power to monitor the storm's movements.

The result of Tropical Storm Allison was 41 victims, some died during flooding, others from tornadoes, giant waves or by chance due to heavy rain.

As soon as the storm subsided, restoration work began in Houston, and a disaster relief program began to be implemented, which is still in effect today. It allowed many people to receive financial compensation to undergo medical examinations and purchase new homes.

Tropical Storm Arthur(eng. Tropical Storm Arthur) - the first of the tropical cyclones to reach tropical storm level in the 2008 Atlantic hurricane season.

Arthur opened the 2008 season two days ahead of schedule, forming in the western Caribbean from two warm air waves and the remnants of Tropical Storm Alma from the Pacific hurricane basin. The resulting depression low pressure passed over an area of ​​the sea and, sharply strengthening its own convective system, on May 31, 2008, in the phase of a tropical storm, invaded the territory of Belize. Arthur became the reason heavy rains which led to floods that killed nine people and affected more than one hundred thousand Belizeans.

Damage from passing Tropical Storm Arthur estimated at US$78 million.

Meteorological history

May 29, 2008 territory of the western part Caribbean Sea experienced strong atmospheric disturbance caused by two tropical waves and the periphery of Tropical Storm Alma, which was located in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Three air front generated a wide trough of low pressure with a well-formed group of convection currents. The next day, Storm Alma struck the western coast of Nicaragua, adding additional moisture to the region due to heavy tropical rainfall. This fact, coupled with the presence of a low pressure area over the warm waters of the Caribbean Sea, led to its sharp development and spread in the territory from the coastal part of Honduras to the southern part of the Cayman Islands with the further formation of strong convective currents in the southeastern part of the trough.

On May 31, Tropical Storm Alma dissipated over coastal Belize, the remnants of the storm degenerating into an area with an atmospheric pressure of 753 . The upper part of the trough was located above the Gulf of Honduras. The further speed of development of the cyclone was so rapid that already in the first half of the day on May 31, weather satellites and meteorological buoys of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Research Administration recorded a steady wind speed near the Mexican city of Chetumal, corresponding to the storm indicator. The cyclone immediately, bypassing the status of a tropical depression, was assigned the status of a tropical storm with the assignment of the first name Arthur during the 2008 Atlantic hurricane season. The center of the storm was 72 kilometers north-northwest of Belize City. As a result of subsequent analysis, specialists from the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) found that the cyclone entered the tropical storm phase 12 hours earlier, that is, on the night of May 30-31, and by that time had a sustained wind speed of 75 km/h .

Further forward movement of the tropical storm occurred in a northwest direction at a speed of 13 km/h, Atmosphere pressure in the center of the element it was 753.8 millimeters mercury, and the constant wind speed in the cyclone dropped to 65 km/h. The storm's wind flows were concentrated mainly over the water surface in the eastern and northeastern parts of the atmospheric disturbance. Although Arthur entered the land area, it retained a fairly well-organized structure of convection masses until 5 pm on May 31.

Subsequently, new groups of convection currents began to form over the territory of the Yucatan Peninsula, while the displacement of the storm itself occurred under the influence of an anticyclone over the Gulf of Mexico. The storm front associated with the cyclone has separated from the center of circulation air masses, and the storm itself is on a short time sharply reduced his own activity. Arthur once again intensified to peak wind speed values ​​on the night of July 1, and at the beginning of the day its center of circulation was already difficult to distinguish due to the almost complete disorganization of the cyclone structure.

Nevertheless, Arthur was in the tropical storm phase for another 24 hours, after which by the beginning of June 2 it entered the tropical depression stage. During the day on June 2, depression Arthur almost completely lost its own convective system, turned the vector of movement to the southwest, and by the time it reached the eastern coast of the Pacific Ocean, it disbanded into a normal region low blood pressure. Latest weather forecast for Tropical Storm Arthur was issued by the US National Hurricane Center on the night of July 1–2, 2008.

Preparation and invasion

When approaching Tropical Storm Arthur seaports were closed in the Mexican province of Quintana Roo, on the island of Cozumel in the cities of Isla Mujeres and Chetumal; residents of coastal areas were advised to take all necessary measures precautions. In other ports east coast In Mexico, a ban on access to the high seas was introduced for medium and small vessels. At 17:00 local time on May 31, authorities announced a storm warning for the entire area sea ​​coast from Belize to the Mexican Cabo Catoche, which was in effect until the storm entered the tropical depression phase (15:00 local time on June 1).

The tropical cyclone rained south of Belize City and caused heavy surf on Ambergris Island. Sea disturbances forced authorities to close two of Mexico's three ports, which are the main transshipment bases for oil exports. Leftovers Tropical Storm Arthur coupled with heavy rains from the recent Pacific Tropical Storm Alma, caused rivers to rise in southern and northern Belize, resulting in localized flooding in these areas. In total, both storms dropped up to 250 millimeters of rain in Belize. As a result of the resulting floods, one road bridge was damaged, and several other bridges and a highway disappeared under water. Under the threat of flooding, one of the country’s villages was completely evacuated; special shelters were opened in the settlements of Corozal and Orange Walk in case of tropical elements. For safety reasons, power was cut off in rural areas across the country as the storm approached. Heavy rains and subsequent flooding caused damage to papaya, rice and shrimp farms. In total, more than one hundred thousand people suffered from the raging disaster in the country, nine people died, including five directly from the impact Tropical Storm Arthur. Search services using British helicopters worked in disaster areas; another helicopter was provided by the Mexican government to deliver goods to flood-affected areas. Prime Minister of Belize Dean Barrow declared a disaster zone by special order populated area Stan Creek Valley. Total damage caused to Belize Tropical Storm Arthur estimated at US$78 million.

Notes

Arthur became the first tropical storm since Storm Arlene in 1981 to form in the Atlantic Ocean in May, that is, before the official opening of the Atlantic hurricane season. The previous season was also opened ahead of schedule, but not by the tropical, but by the subtropical storm Andrea. At the same time, the 2007 and 2008 seasons repeat the hurricane seasons of 1933 and 1934, which opened similarly ahead of schedule and began with storms.

After passing Tropical Storm Arthur his name was not fixed by meteorologists for life, so the name “Arthur” will be included again six years later in the list of names of the Atlantic cyclones of the 2014 season.

see also

  • 2008 Atlantic hurricane season
  • Timeline of the 2008 Atlantic hurricane season

Notes

  1. Blake/Knabb. Tropical Weather Summary - June 2008 . National Hurricane Center (2008). Retrieved July 1, 2008. Archived May 3, 2012.
  2. Huffman. May 29 Tropical Weather Discussion (unavailable link)
  3. Burg. May 30 Tropical Weather Outlook Discussion (unavailable link)
  4. Wallace. May 30 Tropical Weather Discussion . National Hurricane Center (2008). Retrieved May 31, 2008. (unavailable link)
  5. Wallace. May 31 Tropical Weather Discussion . National Hurricane Center (2008). Retrieved May 31, 2008. (unavailable link)
  6. Avila & Rhome. Tropical Storm Arthur Public Advisory Number 1 . National Hurricane Center (2008). Retrieved May 31, 2008. Archived May 3, 2012.
  7. Blake. Tropical Storm Arthur: Tropical Cyclone Report (PDF). National Hurricane Center (2008). Retrieved July 29, 2008. Archived May 3, 2012.
  8. Avila & Rhome. Tropical Storm Arthur Public Advisory Number 1A . National Hurricane Center (2008). Retrieved May 31, 2008. Archived May 3, 2012.

Every day we learn more and more sad news about how the powerful Hurricane Harvey, raging in the Gulf of Mexico, is causing more destruction and killing an ever-increasing number of human lives. Hurricanes, typhoons - all this is practically unknown to residents middle zone, and therefore we decided to tell you about what this natural disaster actually is.

What is a hurricane

The term "hurricane" has two main meanings. Firstly, a hurricane is a storm, that is, very strong wind, the speed of which exceeds 30 m/s. Often such storms are accompanied by strong disturbances at sea or ocean. However, we are interested in the second, narrower and more familiar meaning, according to which a hurricane is a low-pressure weather system. It occurs over heated areas open water of sufficient size and is accompanied by powerful thunderstorms, showers and storms. From space, a hurricane looks like a huge funnel of clouds: it receives energy from the fact that warm, moist air rises, after which the moisture condenses in the form of water vapor and falls as rain, and becomes dry warm air while going down. Hurricanes are also called "warm-core cyclones" because of the polar and extratropical cyclones completely different.

Storm winds during a typhoon cause the sea to fall on coastline waves huge size

The word “hurricane” itself comes from the name of the Mayan god of the wind - Huracan. There is another popular name for a hurricane - “ tropical cyclone" But in Japan and Far East hurricanes are called typhoons. They arise and maintain their strength only over the surface of large bodies of water, and if the wind blows a hurricane onto land, it will quickly exhaust itself. Therefore, it is the coastal areas that suffer the most from the elements, but heavy rains generated by hurricanes often cause extensive flooding even at a distance of 40 km from the coast. Despite the fact that tropical cyclones often cause enormous damage to infrastructure, they cannot be called absolute evil. Firstly, it is thanks to hurricanes that drought ends in some areas of the Earth and the vegetation landscape is restored. Secondly, tropical cyclones transfer large amounts of energy from equatorial latitudes towards temperate latitudes, which makes them an important component of global atmospheric circulation processes. This leads to a decrease in temperature on various parts of the planet's surface, so that it avoids overheating and maintains a stable temperate climate.

What does a hurricane consist of: the eye of the storm


Diagram of the structure of a hurricane: red arrows show flows of warm air, blue arrows show gradually cooling air

Eye of the Storm(or simply “eye”) - central part a cyclone in which warm air descends. As a rule, it retains a regular round shape, and its diameter can reach from 3 to 370 km, but on average the size of the eye is 30−60 km. An interesting “stadium effect” is associated with it: large cyclones top part the eyes are noticeably wider than the lower ones, which, when observed from the inside, actually resembles the shape of the stands of a stadium.

Large cyclones usually have a clear eye and a clear sky; in small ones it can be partially or completely covered with clouds, which is characterized by significant thunderstorm activity.

Wall of the eye


The eye wall of the storm can be seen either from inside the hurricane or in photographs space satellites

In fact, the eye is an opening that forms a ring of dense thunderstorm cumulus clouds. Here the clouds reach their greatest height, but maximum speed winds are achieved not at the top of the wall, but at a small height above the surface of the water or land. Remember the videos from the Internet where strong winds lift small buildings off the ground and blow away cars? This is precisely the destructive power of a hurricane wall passing over a populated area.

Strong cyclones (category 3+) change the wall several times throughout their existence. At the same time, the old wall narrows to 10-25 km, and it is replaced by a new one of larger diameter. Changing the wall is a good sign: during each such procedure the cyclone weakens, but it is worth keeping in mind that after the final formation of the new wall it will quickly gain its previous strength.

Outer zone

The wide canvas of a hurricane consists of so-called rain bands - lines of dense thunderstorm clouds that slowly diverge from the center of the cyclone. The wall and outer zone is the area where moist air rises through circulation cells, but they are all smaller than the central one.

What happens when a hurricane makes landfall? An increase in surface friction causes a concentration of air flows and, as a result, rainfall.

However, the hurricane is not limited to these categories. Due to the centrifugal movement of air, it forms cloud cover even at very high altitudes. These clouds have little in common with the dense cumulus cover of the wall and outer zone: Light and feathery, they move quickly from the center of the cyclone and gradually disappear. They can become the first signal warning of the imminent arrival of a cyclone.

Hurricane Harvey


The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey: highways turned into swimming pools dirty water

So what makes it stand out among its peers? Harvey", currently turning Texas into a water-covered wasteland? For starters, this is the strongest hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico since the famous Katrina, which hit the United States in 2005. He was initially classified as category four on the Saffir-Simpson scale. This is the so-called huge hurricane": the wind speed on its territory reaches 50−70 m/s, and the flooded zone is located at an altitude of up to 3 meters above sea level, while the floods extend ten kilometers inland.

On the last day of summer, the US National Weather Service reported that Harvey had weakened and moved from a tropical storm to a tropical depression: wind speeds had dropped significantly, but heavy rainfall was still continuing. We can only hope that the cyclone will soon disappear altogether: at present, the federal authorities are finding it difficult to give even an approximate estimate of the damage that the disaster caused along its entire path.

2009 Atlantic hurricane season

On August 11, 2009, an area of ​​low air pressure associated with a warm wave organized into a tropical depression, after which it briefly reached storm level and reverted to a tropical depression on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane classification scale. On August 14, 1,735 kilometers east of the Lesser Antilles, the low-gradient pressure field is restored to the level of a tropical depression, and by the morning of the next day it again gains strength as a tropical storm. On August 16, the tropical storm weakened to a tropical depression and dissipated off the coast of Puerto Rico by the early hours of August 17, 2009.

Consequences of passing tropical storm ana were virtually nil and were primarily associated with moderate precipitation and a few thunderstorms. In Puerto Rico, rainfall amounted to 70 millimeters, several streets were flooded with rain, resulting in the evacuation of students and staff of several schools.

Meteorological history

On August 12, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported approaching intensity levels tropical depression 2 to the tropical storm index. The NHC forecast was based on the appearance of a strong wave of convective flow around the center of rotation of the cyclone. A few hours later, the depression entered the phase of a tropical storm with a sustained wind speed at peak intensity of 65 km/h (the atmospheric pressure at the center of the cyclone was 753). After 12 hours, the storm weakened to a tropical depression due to wind shears in the atmospheric formation, and by the end of the day it again gained strength as a tropical storm. At the same time, the level of deep convection of air flows decreased, completely eliminating the thunderstorm activity of the cyclone. On the afternoon of August 13, the tropical depression degenerated into an area of ​​low pressure without convective formation, and the National Hurricane Center recorded minimal cyclonic activity over the next 24 hours. At the same time, the NHC released a final report on the cyclone with a note about the possible restoration of atmospheric activity in the area of ​​​​the disbanded storm.

On August 14, at the beginning of the day, the re-formation of an area of ​​convection of air flows began. On the same day to the cyclone area special unit Hurricane Hunters launched weather balloons, according to which the US National Hurricane Prediction Center concluded that the cyclone was in the process of regeneration and shortly thereafter became a tropical depression. The center of the cyclone was by that time 1,735 kilometers east of the Lesser Antilles, the cyclone itself continued to move west, bypassing the area of ​​influence of the permanent Azores anticyclone in the North Atlantic. Early on the morning of August 15, the US National Hurricane Center upgraded the cyclone to the first tropical storm of the season. giving him a name"Ana" from the list of reserved storm names for the 2009 Atlantic hurricane season.

On August 16, the storm's speed began to increase, and at that moment the storm quickly moved into the area of ​​dry, stable air masses. As subsequent analysis of events showed, in the new environment the element lost all its strength to the level of an ordinary tropical wave, thereby ceasing to be tropical cyclone. By the end of the day, weather balloons transmitted information about the absence of storm winds in the cyclone, based on which the National Hurricane Forecasting Center downgraded the status of the cyclone. Ana to tropical depression. A few hours later, new emerging directions of deep convection were recorded in the area where the cyclone passed; the wind speed reached 42 km/h with a direction to the west-northwest. However, this atmospheric activity was generated by another tropical wave and had no connection with the previous tropical depression Ana. Early on the morning of August 17, radar surveys of "Ana" in the areas of Guadeloupe and San Juan in Puerto Rico showed that the depression was well on its way to dissolving. Despite this, the NHC continued to issue storm warnings until the radar data was confirmed by visible satellite imagery. On the same day, another Hurricane Hunters aircraft investigated the atmospheric activity of the depression and also confirmed data from radar orbital stations. Shortly thereafter, the US National Hurricane Center announced the dissolution of a tropical depression off the southern coast of Puerto Rico. The remnants of the cyclone continued to move west-northwest, but the meteorological situation did not allow it to recover to tropical storm level. Soon the last remnants of the cyclone were scattered along the coast of Cuba.

Preparing to face the storm

On the afternoon of 15 August, the government of the Netherlands Antilles issued a storm warning for the area of ​​Sint Maarten and the islands of Saba and Sint Eustatius. A few hours later, a number of countries announced similar warnings for areas included in the Lesser Antilles zone: Antigua, Barbuda, British Virgin Islands, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis and Anguilla. In the early morning of August 16, a storm warning was issued for Puerto Rico, and a couple of hours later for Dominica. Until the afternoon of August 17, storm warnings were issued for the areas of Guadeloupe, Saint Martin, Saint Barthelemy, the eastern region of the Dominican Republic between Cabo Engaño And Cape Beata. Shortly after Storm Ana weakened to a tropical depression, the storm warning was canceled in Dominica, and early morning the next day - in Antigua and Barbuda. Early in the afternoon, a tropical depression entered the Caribbean Sea and the alert level extended to the entire northern coast. Dominican Republic. A few hours later, the depression disintegrated into a low pressure area, so storm warnings were canceled in all countries.

To prevent catastrophic consequences, travel companies in Sint Maarten redirected chartered cruise ships to other areas; several ships went into the Simpson Bay lagoon, where sea waves, as a rule, do not reach storm proportions. Of the potentially most vulnerable areas of the coastal province San Cristobal In the south of the country, 40 families were evacuated through the efforts of the local administration. In the Dominican Republic, authorities have taken steps to create rescue teams and set up several disaster shelters. On August 17, the US National Weather Service in San Juan issued a warning about the possibility of minor flooding and high water in all municipalities in the eastern part of the island. All flights to Puerto Rico were delayed until the storm passed. In the Dominican Republic, local authorities issued a warning about possible flooding in 12 provinces of the country, since the expected level of precipitation was by that time 150 mm. Civil defense authorities and military units in the southern regions of the island were in a state of full readiness in case of natural disasters.

Impact and Consequences

When passing Storm Ana Wind speed in St. Thomas (US Virgin Islands) reached 45 km/h with gusts up to 65 km/h. In Puerto Rico, heavy rains caused minor flooding, causing minor damage to the country's municipalities. So, in Arecibo People had to be resettled from several schools, and a number of highways in the metropolitan area were flooded for some time. In the city Louise 44 mm of rain fell during the second half of 17 August, the highest rainfall of 70 mm was recorded in the municipality Rio Grande. The rains caused an increase in the overall water level in the river Rio Fajarado, there were unfounded fears that the river might overflow its banks. Throughout the island, about 6 thousand people were left without electricity due to trees falling on power lines. There were reports of tornadoes, waterspouts and tropical downpours, and forecasters predicted that rainfall levels could exceed 150 mm in the mountainous areas of the Dominican Republic, but no evidence of this was recorded.

In other words, due to its unstable, volatile nature, Ana did not cause significant damage to the economy and infrastructure of the northeastern Caribbean islands, falling short of the gloomy forecasts of meteorologists.

Tropical Storm Ana 2009 became the sixth Atlantic cyclone with that name in the entire history of observations. The remaining five came in the 1979, 1985, 1991, 1997 and 2003 seasons. It is characteristic that all six cyclones of the same name were able to reach the strength of a tropical storm, but none gained the power of a hurricane. Without leaving behind any serious consequences, the storm of 2009 did not retain its name and the next time the name Ana will be used in the 2015 Atlantic hurricane season.

see also

Notes

  1. Eric S. Blake. Tropical Storm Ana Tropical Cyclone Report(English) (PDF). National Hurricane Center (September 26, 2009). Retrieved December 14, 2010. Archived August 14, 2011.
  2. Staff Writer. Depresion tropical Ana se deja sentir en la Isla(Spanish) (unavailable link). Notiuno (17 December 2009). Retrieved December 15, 2010. Archived August 14, 2011.
  3. Richard Pasch. Tropical Depression Two Special Discussion One Archived from the original on August 14, 2011.
  4. Richard Pasch. Tropical Depression Two Special Advisory One(English) . National Hurricane Center (August 11, 2009). Retrieved December 14, 2010. Archived August 14, 2011.
  5. Robbie Berg. Tropical Depression Two Discussion Two(English) . National Hurricane Center (August 11, 2009). Retrieved December 14, 2010. Archived August 14, 2011.
  6. Todd Kimberlain, Eric Brown and Ariel Cohen. Tropical Depression Two Discussion Four Archived from the original on August 14, 2011.
  7. Robbie Berg. Tropical Depression Two Discussion Eight(English) . National Hurricane Center (August 12, 2009). Retrieved December 14, 2010. Archived August 14, 2011.
  8. Jack Beven. Tropical Depression Two Discussion Six(English) . National Hurricane Center (August 12, 2009). Retrieved December 14, 2010. Archived August 14, 2011.
  9. Jack Beven. Tropical Depression Two Advisory Eleven(English) . National Hurricane Center (August 13, 2009). Retrieved December 14, 2010. Archived August 14, 2011.
  10. Tropical Depression Two Special Advisory Twelve Archived from the original on August 14, 2011.
  11. Eric Blake and Michael Brennan. Tropical Depression Two Special Discussion Twelve(English) . National Hurricane Center (August 15, 2009). Retrieved December 14, 2010. Archived August 14, 2011.
  12. Eric Blake. Tropical Storm Ana Discussion Thirteen(English) . National Hurricane Center (August 15, 2009). Retrieved December 14, 2010. Archived August 14, 2011.
  13. Lixion A. Avila. Tropical Storm Ana Discussion Sixteen(English) . National Hurricane Center (August 15, 2009). Retrieved December 14, 2010. Archived August 14, 2011.
  14. Tropical Storm Ana Discussion Eighteen Archived from the original on August 14, 2011.
  15. Michael Brennan and David Roberts. Tropical Depression Ana Discussion Nineteen(English) . National Hurricane Center (August 16, 2009). Retrieved December 14, 2010. Archived August 14, 2011.
  16. Robbie Berg. Tropical Depression Ana Discussion Twenty(English) . National Hurricane Center (August 16, 2009). Retrieved December 14, 2010. Archived August 14, 2011.
  17. Robbie Berg. Tropical Depression Ana Discussion Twenty-One Archived from the original on August 14, 2011.
  18. John Cangialosi and James Franklin. Tropical Depression Ana Discussion Twenty-Three (Final)(English) . National Hurricane Center (August 17, 2009). Retrieved December 14, 2010. Archived August 14, 2011.
  19. Jack Beven. Tropical Storm Ana Public Advisory Fifteen(English) . National Hurricane Center (August 15, 2009). Retrieved December 14, 2010. Archived August 14, 2011.
  20. Lixion Avila. Tropical Storm Ana Public Advisory Sixteen(English) . National Hurricane Center (August 15, 2009). Retrieved December 14, 2010. Archived August 14, 2011.
  21. James Franklin. Tropical Storm Ana Public Advisory Seventeen(English) . National Hurricane Center (August 16, 2009). Retrieved December 14, 2010. Archived August 14, 2011.
  22. Michael Brennan and David Roberts. Tropical Storm Ana Public Advisory Eighteen(English) . National Hurricane Center (August 16, 2009). Retrieved December 14, 2010. Archived August 14, 2011.
  23. Michael Brennan. Tropical Storm Ana Tropical Cyclone Update(English) . National Hurricane Center (August 16, 2009). Retrieved December 14, 2010.

Few people will be happy with hot, dry, windless weather. But even less joyful are the strong gusts of wind that knock people off their feet and destroy everything around them. It is this kind of squally wind that is called a hurricane. Its speed can reach 300 meters per second. In this article we will talk about what the most strong hurricanes in the world have caused significant damage to people and claimed human lives.

What is a hurricane

A hurricane is a strong wind whose speed is significantly higher than 30 meters per second. On Southern Hemisphere planet the wind blows clockwise, and on the North - in reverse direction, that is, against.

Typhoon, cyclone, storm and breeze are multiplied definitions of a hurricane. Hydrometeorological center specialists have multiplied the concepts of the word “hurricane” to simplify their work. Hurricanes and cyclones often receive names similar to female names, but in modern world this rule changes slightly to avoid overt discrimination.

The largest hurricanes in the world have caused significant damage to humanity, causing a huge number of casualties and damage. This is the most powerful thing imaginable. Hurricanes have enormous energy.

Gusts of wind demolish buildings, destroy crops, disrupt power lines and water pipes, and damage transport routes, uproot trees and cause accidents. This type of damage causes the world's most powerful hurricanes. The list and statistics of the most powerful natural disasters of our time are updated with new cyclones every year.

Hurricane classification

There is no standard classification of hurricanes. There are only two groups of them: a vortex storm and a flow hurricane.

During a vortex storm, funnel-shaped gusts arise, which are caused by the activity of cyclones and spread over a large area. In winter, they predominate snow storms, which are called a blizzard or blizzard.

A flow hurricane does not travel as far as a vortex storm. He is conditioned and significantly inferior to his “brother”. There are jet and katabatic hurricanes. A jet storm is characterized by a horizontal flow, while a runoff storm is characterized by a vertical flow.

Hurricane Matthew

The Atlantic hurricane, called "Matthew", originated on the African shores on September 22, 2016. The cyclone gained strength as it moved toward Florida. On October 6, the hurricane weakened slightly, affecting a small part of Bahamas and Miami. The next day, the storm wind reappeared with redoubled force, its gusts reaching 220 kilometers per hour. This mark indicated category 5 hurricane power on the Saffir-Simpson scale. It is worth noting that category 5 is the highest level.

It is impossible to overestimate the damage caused by Hurricane Matthew. At least 877 people became victims of the disaster, 350 thousand were left homeless and without means of survival. 3.5 thousand buildings were destroyed. Matthew, which struck Florida in 2016, is the world's most powerful hurricane this decade. Photos of the consequences prove this.

Citizens affected by the disaster were provided with temporary housing or a place in a shelter. Medical workers claim that cholera outbreaks are possible in the near future, as the water is contaminated.

Myanmar: Hurricane Nargis

The most powerful hurricanes in the world that have occurred over the past 10 years have caused irreparable losses from which people cannot recover to this day. Cyclone Nargis, which hit Myanmar in 2008, was just such a disaster.

People were not notified in time about the impending disaster, so they could not prepare. In addition, the country's government initially refused all assistance from other states.

But after some time, the entry of humanitarian goods was allowed, and people received the necessary help.

Myanmar is the poorest country, with an annual income per citizen of only $200. Hurricane Nargis dealt a crushing blow not only to the citizens of the country, but also to the state economy as a whole.

Cuba and Hurricane Sandi

Hurricane Sandy struck southeastern Cuba on October 25, 2012. The wind speed exceeded 183 meters per hour.
A large number of people were injured. In Jamaica, a man was killed by a boulder that fell from the sky. In Haiti, a flood swept away a woman who was never found. As a result of the disaster, about 200 people died and more than 130,000 buildings were destroyed.

Sandi is the 18th tropical storm to hit this decade. Before hitting Cuba, the hurricane intensified to almost category two.

Looking at the photo of the cyclone, we can say with certainty that Sandy and the rest of the most powerful hurricanes in the world over the past 10 years have become for people the only terrifying disaster in their lives.

Hurricane Ike

Tropical storm Ike hit the United States in 2008. The hurricane was not too strong, but very impressive in its scale. The origin of the cyclone occurred in the southeast of the American coast. Meteorologists were preparing for a hurricane of 5, the highest, on the Saffir-Simpson scale.

It was approaching the mark of 135 kilometers per hour. But gradually the wind died down and the elements weakened.

Texas, especially the small city of Galveston, was hit the hardest. An interesting fact is that this town has already felt the power of the strongest hurricane of the 20th century.

Texas authorities carried out a massive evacuation of people, but most citizens did not want to leave their homes. The authorities were prepared for the disaster to cause colossal damage and lead to floods, as often happens.

The most severe hurricanes in the world cause severe consequences, from which people do not recover immediately. The names of many of them will forever remain in the memory of the affected people.

It is important to know

Every country suffers from the effects of cyclones to varying degrees every year. Therefore, it is so important to know certain rules of behavior during a storm. Under no circumstances should you:

  • climb a hill, bridge, power lines;
  • be near poles, trees, flammable substances and toxic chemicals;
  • hide from the wind behind billboards, signs, banners;
  • being in a damaged building, as we know, the most powerful hurricanes in the world easily destroy buildings;
  • use electrical appliances.

After the wind subsides, it is dangerous:

  • approach broken wires;
  • touch swinging signs, banners, billboards;
  • stay in the house during power outages;
  • use electrical appliances;
  • If there was a thunderstorm, you should not touch electrical appliances to avoid electrical discharge.

Did you know that the destructive power of a particular hurricane can lead to the fact that the name assigned to the cyclone will be crossed off from the list of names that can have the most powerful hurricanes in the world. Under this rule hit, for example, by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and meteorologists will never use this name again.



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