Severe weather can affect any part of the world, but each year the Atlantic hurricane season brings torrential rain, high winds, storm surge, and sometimes catastrophic devastation in places ranging from the Caribbean islands and Central America to the United States. United States and Canada.
Meteorologists at the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) monitor storms from the moment they develop until they dissipate. This year’s hurricane season was expected to be extremely active, bringing with it a Category 5 hurricane that had never before been seen so early in the Atlantic season.
Crews remove debris from the streets – generated by Hurricane Helene – ahead of the landfall of Hurricane Milton, on Anna Maria Island, Florida, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024.
(Rebecca Blackwell/AP)
But how are these hurricanes formed and what do the categories mean? Next we will examine the facts:
What causes a hurricane to form?
Hurricanes typically begin as tropical waves that combine with warm ocean waters, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). They can also be fueled by thunderstorms. The weather system is moving westward as warm ocean air rises within it, creating an area of low pressure below, NOAA explained. The air rises and cools, and that forms clouds and thunderstorms.
Hurricanes have maximum sustained winds (the highest one-minute average wind speed at a given time) of 119 km/h (74 mph) or more. If a tropical cyclone has maximum sustained winds between 63 km/h and 118 km/h (39 to 73 mph), it is called a tropical storm. If maximum sustained winds are 62 km/h (39 mph) or less, it is called a tropical depression.
Drew Griffith walks next to three boats that were swept against a seawall following Hurricane Helene in the Davis Islands Seaplane Basin near Peter O. Airport, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Tampa, Florida.
(Chris Urso / Associated Press)
Hurricanes usually occur during hurricane season, which in the Atlantic basin takes place each year from June 1 to November 30.
What are the different categories of hurricanes?
The Saffir-Simpson scale ranks hurricanes from 1 to 5. Category 1 hurricanes range from 119 km/h to 153 km/h (74 to 95 mph) and can bring very dangerous winds that can damage even sturdy homes. The category 1 hurricane is the weakest, and from there the storms move up the scale.
If a hurricane is Category 3 or higher, it is considered a major hurricane. Category 3 hurricanes begin with maximum sustained winds of 178 km/h (111 mph).
How dangerous is a Category 5 hurricane?
Catastrophic. A Category 5 hurricane destroys homes, cuts off power to large areas, and isolates communities due to downed trees and utility poles. It can also cause critical damage to infrastructure such as roads, bridges and dams. A Category 5 hurricane can leave large areas uninhabitable for weeks or longer.
Jesús Hernández with his granddaughter Angelina in a flooded street after the passage of Hurricane Helene in Batabano, Mayabeque province, Cuba, on September 26, 2024.
(Ramon Espinosa/AP)
What type of destruction do hurricanes cause?
The severity of damage caused by a hurricane depends on its strength and where it makes landfall. Even a relatively weak hurricane can cause significant damage and many deaths if it hits a vulnerable community or damages key infrastructure. A medium-strength hurricane, such as Hurricane Jeanne in 2004 in Florida, will cause devastating damage to homes, infrastructure, and the power grid. Flood deaths, accidents, injuries and other disruptions caused by the storm also often occur.
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Businesses are seen in a debris field following Hurricane Helene, Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024, in Chimney Rock Village, North Carolina
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Cars line up to enter a parking lot to get gas at a Costco store, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024, in Altamonte Springs, Fla., in preparation for the landfall of Hurricane Milton.
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Jesús Hernández with his granddaughter Angelina in a flooded street after the passage of Hurricane Helene in Batabano, Mayabeque province, Cuba, on September 26, 2024.
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Drew Griffith walks next to three boats that were swept against a seawall following Hurricane Helene in the Davis Islands Seaplane Basin near Peter O. Airport, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Tampa, Florida. (Chris Urso/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
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A person rides his bicycle through a flooded street as Hurricane Milton passes off the coast of Progreso, in the state of Yucatán, Mexico, on Tuesday, October 8, 2024.
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Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks with Georgia Governor Brian Kemp during a briefing at the Columbia County Emergency Management Agency while visiting areas affected by Hurricane Helene, Friday, Oct. 4 2024, in Evans, Georgia.
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President Joe Biden greets people in Keaton Beach, Florida, Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024, during his tour of areas affected by Hurricane Helene.
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David DeMeza walks with his belongings through streets covered in sand carried by Hurricane Helene, on October 2, 2024, in Treasure Island, Florida
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Dominick Gucciardo walks home after Hurricane Helene, Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024, in Pensacola, North Carolina. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
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Homes and vehicles damaged by flash flooding caused by Hurricane Helene lie on the side of a road near the Swannanoa River, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024, in Swannanoa, N.C. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
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Crews remove debris from the streets – generated by Hurricane Helene – ahead of the landfall of Hurricane Milton, on Anna Maria Island, Florida, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024.
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Contractors help remove debris left behind by Hurricane Helene in New Port Richey, Florida, ahead of the landfall of Hurricane Milton, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024.
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A search and rescue team, consisting of a dog and its handler, searches for victims in the mud after Hurricane Helene, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024, in Swannanoa, North Carolina
What was the deadliest hurricane in the US?
The Galveston, Texas, hurricane of 1900 is the deadliest natural disaster in United States history, according to NOAA and others. The storm caused no fewer than 8,000 deaths, destroyed thousands of buildings, and left hundreds of millions of dollars in damage by today’s standards. Other extraordinarily deadly hurricanes in recent history have included Hurricane Maria, which killed more than 3,000 people in 2017, and Hurricane Katrina, which killed more than 1,300 in 2005.
