HURRICANE MARIA WINDOWS

Some frame homes may totally collapse, while well-built homes will likely see severe damage to their roofs, and apartment buildings can experience damage to upper floors.Ī Category 4 hurricane will blow out most windows on high-rise buildings, uproot most trees and will likely down many power lines.

Again, most mobile homes will be destroyed, even newer ones. At these speeds, falling and flying debris poses a very high risk of injury or death to people, pets and livestock. Category 4 hurricane: Catastrophic damage will occurĭuring a Category 4 hurricane, winds range from 130 to 156 mph. Prior to making landfall as a Category 3 hurricane, Hurricane Irma was a Category 5 hurricane- the second-strongest Atlantic hurricane on record. Hurricane Katrina was also a Category 3 hurricane when it made landfall in Louisiana, but it also brought high levels of storm surge that levees in Louisiana and New Orleans couldn’t hold up against, which is part of what made it so destructive. Hurricane Wilma was a Category 3 hurricane when it reached Florida’s coast in 2005, bringing initial winds of close to 120 mph. Electricity and water will likely be unavailable for several days to a few weeks after the storm. Even well-built frame homes, apartments and industrial buildings will likely experience major damage, and the storm will uproot many trees that may block roads. Nearly all older mobile homes will be destroyed, and most new ones will experience significant damage. There is a high risk of injury or death to people, livestock and pets from flying and falling debris. In a Category 3 hurricane, winds range from 111 to 129 mph. Category 3 hurricane: Devastating damage will occur Hurricane Frances in 2004 was a Category 2 hurricane when it hit the west coast of Florida. Residents should expect near total power loss after a Category 2 hurricane, with outages lasting anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. Frame homes, apartment buildings and shopping centers may see major roof and siding damage, and many trees will be uprooted. Older mobile homes will likely be destroyed, and debris can ruin newer mobile homes, too. There is a bigger risk of injury or death to people, livestock and pets from flying debris. Winds range between 96 and 110 mph during a Category 2 hurricane. Hurricane Sandy was also a Category 1 hurricane when it hit Jamaica in 2012, but it weakened before reaching the east coast of the United States.Ĭategory 2 hurricane: Extremely dangerous winds will cause extensive damage Hurricane Dolly in 2008 was an example of a Category 1 hurricane that whipped through southern Texas. Frame homes, apartments and shopping centers may experience some damage, and snapped power lines could result in short-term power outages. Protected glass windows will generally make it through the hurricane without major damage. Falling debris could strike people, livestock and pets, and older mobile homes could be destroyed. In a Category 1 hurricane, winds range from 74 to 95 mph.

Category 1 hurricane: Very dangerous winds will produce some damage See how the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration breaks down the hurricane category scale here.

This means the different hurricane category designations won’t tell you about the flooding or tornadoes that might accompany hurricanes, but they can give you a sense of how strong a hurricane might be and what kind of threat they present. The hurricane category scale has evolved over time, but in its current version, it only measures the wind speeds produced by a hurricane. According to The Weather Channel, the scale was developed in the 1970s by Miami engineer Herbert Saffir and Robert Simpson, a meteorologist who was director of the National Hurricane Center. Hurricanes are measured on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, which runs from Category 1 up to Category 5.

Hurricane maria