Top 5 Facts About Hurricanes
Published:With Hurricane Irma making its way to the Southeastern United States, many people have hurricanes on the brain, as everyone continues to watch coverage of the storm. Since we can't get hurricanes off of our minds either, we figured we could at least learn some new facts about hurricanes to temporarily take our minds off the gravity of the situation! From all of us at BoldList, we hope that you all manage to stay safe durring the storm! Though if the storm does make landfall and damages your home, you will need the assistance of a licensed home inspector.
1) The word "hurricane" was originally derived from the Taino Native American word "hurucane," which translates to "evil spirit of the wind."
2) Hurricanes can be known by several names depending on where they begin. Tropical storms that form in the Atlantic or Northeast Pacific are called "hurricanes," storms that form in the Northwest Pacific are called "typhoons," and storms that form in the South Pacific or Indian Ocean are called "cyclones."
3) The unnamed 1900 Galveston, TX hurricane remains the deadliest weather disaster in the history of the United States, surprising residents as a powerful Category 4 storm, with sustained winds of over 130 mph. The storm killed approximately 8,000 people.
4) Hurricanes range in intensity from Category 1 to Category 5, with 5 being the strongest (sustained wind speeds over 157mph). Only three Category 5 hurricanes have hit the United States since the beginning of the 20th century: the 1935 Florida Keys Labor Day Hurricane, Hurricane Camille in 1969, and Hurricane Andrew in 1992.
5) The most powerful hurricane, in terms of highest wind speeds, was Tropical Cyclone Olivia, which bombarded Australia in 1996. The storm's winds reached speeds of 253 mph, the fastest wind speed ever measured on the Earth's surface.
