Interesting Facts about Hurricanes and its Details

Here are some of the Facts About Hurricanes and Details about the biggest casualties till date: 

• A hurricane is a rotating tropical storm with winds of at least 74 miles (119 kilometers) an hour.
• These storms are called hurricanes when they develop over the Atlantic or eastern Pacific Oceans.
• They are called cyclones when they form over the Bay of Bengal and the northern Indian Ocean.
• They are called typhoons when they develop in the western Pacific.
• Most Atlantic Ocean hurricanes form near the Cape Verde Islands off Africa's west coast.
• Once a tropical storm's winds hit a constant speed of at least 74 miles (119 kilometers) an hour, it becomes a hurricane.
• The eye is the low-pressure center of the hurricane. Air sinks inside the eye, clearing the skies and making it relatively calm.
• A ring-shaped eye wall surrounds the eye and carries the storm's most violent winds and its most intense rains.
• Hurricane season in the Atlantic, Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and central Pacific is from June 1 to November 30. In the eastern Pacific, it is from May 15 to November 30.
• Hurricanes can cause floods, flash floods, tornadoes, and landslides.
• Storm surge, an abnormal rise in sea level, is usually the most dangerous part of a hurricane. Surges can cause beach erosion, wash out roads, and decimate homes.
• Forecasters at the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Florida use satellite imagery, airborne reconnaissance, and computer-model projections to track storms.

Some of the Hurricanes Disaster Details:

Hurricane Katrina
U.S. Gulf of Mexico Coast, August 2005
Intensity at landfall: Category Four
Dead: over 1,000
Damage: over $125 billion (catastrophic damage to Louisiana and Mississippi from the hurricane and subsequent flooding; over 1 million people displaced)

Typhoon Toraji
Taiwan, China, July 2001
Dead: Estimated at more than 200
Damage: More than $100 million (U.S.)

Hurricane Floyd
North Carolina, September 1999
Intensity at landfall: Category Two
Dead: 57
Damage: About $6 billion

Hurricane Georges
Gulf of Mexico, October 1998
Intensity at landfall: Category Two

Hurricane Mitch
Central America, October 1998
Intensity at landfall: Category Five
Dead: Nearly 10,000

Hurricane Pauline
West coast of Mexico, October 1997
Intensity at landfall: Category Three
Dead: Over 200

Hurricane Fran
Southeast United States, September 1996
Intensity at landfall: Category Three
Damage: $5 billion

Hurricane Opal
Northwest Florida, Alabama, October 1995
Intensity at landfall: Category Three
Damage: $3 billion

Hurricane Iniki
Kauai, Hawaii, September 1992
Intensity at landfall: Category Four
Damage: $1.8 billion

Hurricane Andrew
South Florida, August 1992
Intensity at landfall: Category Five
Dead: 43
Damage: $25 billion (1992 dollars)

Hurricane Hugo
South Carolina, North Carolina, September 1989
Intensity at landfall: Category Four
Dead: 82
Damage: $7 billion

Hurricane Liza
West coast of Mexico, September 1976
Intensity at landfall: Category Four
Dead: At least 630 people

Hurricane Agnes
Florida, entire Atlantic coast of U.S., July 1972
Intensity at landfall: Category One
Damage: $3.1 billion (record flooding from New York to Virginia—1972 dollars)

Hurricane Camille
U.S. South, August 1969
Intensity at landfall: Category Five
Dead: 256
Damage: $1.4 billion (1969 dollars)

Hurricane Beulah
Texas, September 1967
Intensity at landfall: Category One
Dead: 38
Damage: $100 million

Hurricane Betsy
Florida, Louisiana, September 1965
Dead: 75
Damage: $1 billion (1965 dollars)

Unnamed Hurricane
West coast of Mexico, 1959
Intensity at landfall: Category Four
Dead: More than 1,000

Hurricane Diane
Northeast United States, September 1955
Intensity at landfall: Category One
Damage: $831 million

Hurricane Hazel
South Carolina, October 1954
Intensity at landfall: Category Four
Damage: $2.8 billion (1954 dollars)

Galveston Hurricane
Galveston, Texas, September 1900
Intensity at landfall: Category Four
Dead: At least 10,000
Injured: At least 5,000
Damage: $30 million (1900 dollars)

Great Hurricane
Eastern Caribbean, October 1780
Dead: Estimated between 22,000-30,000

Source & Read More: National Geographic