Hurricane Impacts

Hurricanes are very fascinating to track and view on satellite, but beyond the fascination, there is some harsh reality to these storms. Hurricanes are among the most powerful and deadliest forces in nature, which bring various kinds of impacts to the area it makes landfall over.

Some of these effects such as copious amounts of rain can be beneficial during a drought, but most of the time these effects are unwanted. Below, are some of the common effects of a hurricane.

Storm surge and tidal flooding–This is the most devastating and notable effect of a hurricane. Storm surge is the rising wall of water that comes ashore with a landfalling hurricane, and is responsible for 90 percent of all hurricane-related deaths.

High Winds–This is the most important effect of a hurricane since it determines how powerful the storm is, and how much storm surge and damage it can cause. Winds in a hurricane can reach up to 200 mph.

Tornadoes–This is probably the least thought-of effect of a hurricane, but they do occur. Tornadoes occur in a hurricane as a result of the tremendous energy and instability created when a hurricane makes landfall. Most tornadoes that occur in hurricanes are only minimal in strength.

Heavy rain and flooding–This is the effect of a hurricane that is completely taken for granted. After hurricanes make landfall, and their winds abate, the tremendous amounts of rainfall become a major factor and can cause significant flooding as with Hurricane Floyd in September 1999.