(20 to 25 feet) for up to 160 km (100 miles) along a coastline. If a storm surge is channeled
into a narrow bay, it will greatly increase in height.
Figure 16.33: Storm surge effects on sea level. ( 17 )Waves created by a hurricane’s high winds and high tide further increase water levels during
a storm surge. Flooding can be devastating, especially along low-lying coastlines like the
Atlantic and Gulf Coasts. Hurricane Camille in 1969 had a 7.3 m (24 foot) storm surge that
traveled 125 miles (200 km) inland.
Hurricanes can last from three hours to three weeks, but 5 to 10 days is typical. Once a
hurricane travels over cooler water or onto land, its latent heat source is shut down and it
will soon weaken. However, an intense, fast-moving storm can travel quite far inland before
its demise. In September, 1938 a hurricane made it all the way to Montreal, Canada before
breaking up. When a hurricane disintegrates, it is replaced with intense rains and tornadoes.
There are about 100 hurricanes around the world each year, plus many smaller tropical
storms and tropical depressions. As people develop coastal regions, property damage from
storms continues to rise. However, scientists are becoming better at predicting the paths of
these storms and fatalities are decreasing. There is, however, one major exception to the
previous statement: Hurricane Katrina.
The 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was the longest, costliest, and deadliest hurricane season
so far. Although the hurricane season officially runs from June 1 to November 30, the 2005
hurricane season was active into January 2006. Total damage from all the storms together
was estimated at more than $128 billion, with more than 2,280 deaths. Of the 28 named
storms, 15 were hurricanes, including five Category 4 storms and four Category 5 storms on
the Saffir-Simpson Scale.
Hurricane Katrina was both the most destructive hurricane and the most costly (Figure
16.34). The storm was a Category 1 hurricane as it passed across the southern tip of
Florida. It was pushed westward by the trade winds, blowing over the Gulf of Mexico where
temperatures were as high as 32oC (89oF). The warm Gulf waters and latent heat fueled