SADLY, a Hurricane will begin hitting NC & SC today.
This is a very slow moving storm, which is not good for the residents; for it will hover over these two states for hours just dumping water, than even more water, etc. Plus, they have the Ocean Surges, etc.
I have listed for you ALL the terms and ratings of Hurricanes (plus a couple articles) to help you understand the terms, etc. as you watch these hurricane unfold.
I feel the most sorry for the poor = most likely to not have Flood Insurance; lack of Disposable Income/Savings for repairs/replace lost property, homes, vehicles, etc.
Just another Devastating, Deadly, Extreme Climate Event(s), that are only rapidly increasing thru-out America/Globally.
--09-13-18:
www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/landfall-storm-surge-and-the-waffle-house-index-hurricane-terms-and-what-they-mean/ar-BBNgYtK?li=BBnb7Kz LandfallThe term does not refer to when the storm meets land; rather, it refers to when the calm center of the storm (or its “eye,” see below) crosses the shoreline. It is an important marker of the storm’s progression.
The high winds and rain of Florence are expected to do heavy damage before that point, or even if there is no landfall. The storm’s diameter was 310 miles on Wednesday, making it wider than either North or South Carolina.
Eye and EyewallThe eye is the roughly circular area of relatively light winds in the middle of a storm. It can range from a 20- to 40-mile diameter of clear skies.
“Inside a well-defined eye, the winds drop down sharply, sometimes almost to nothing,” said Dennis Feltgen, a meteorologist for the National Hurricane Center.
“Skies clear, the sun comes out,” he added. “And it feels like, ‘Wow, the whole thing’s over.’ But it’s not. It’s a very eerie silence.”
Something fierce lurks nearby. That’s the “eyewall,” a ring of cumulonimbus clouds also known as a “wall cloud.” It contains the strongest winds of a hurricane.
Storm surgeThe National Hurricane Center has predicted a life-threatening storm surge on the low-lying coasts of North and South Carolina.
When heavy winds push water toward the shore, the water level rises well above the regular tide. To measure the storm surge, meteorologists compare the height of the sea level during the storm with the predicted astronomical tide.
The storm surge can be incredibly dangerous. As winds whip around, the mass of seawater rushes onto land, resulting in devastating flooding, especially when it coincides with high tide.
Mr. Feltgen said about half of the deaths in a hurricane can be attributed to storm surge, while another quarter generally come from inland flooding, from heavy rainfall and rising rivers.
Flood plainThe low-lying land areas that are likely to be inundated when a river or lake overflows, or as the storm surge washes ashore.
Maps of flood plains are used to plan evacuations and assess flooding risk. A 50-year flood plain is an area that experts think has a one-in-50 chance of flooding in any given year; a 100-year flood plain has a one-in-100 chance. The maps can often be contentious because they affect how much people pay for insurance and where they are allowed to build.
Hurricane, typhoon, cycloneAll three terms refer to tropical cyclones — low-pressure circular storm systems with winds greater than 74 miles per hour that form over warm waters. But they are used in different parts of the world, and they also have different seasons.
CategoriesAs of Thursday morning, Florence had gone from a Category 4 to a Category 2 storm, though it could strengthen again.
The system, known as the Saffir-Simpson scale, is based on wind speed and largely meant to help predict structural damage. The most dangerous is a Category 5 storm, which means winds fast enough to cause extreme, catastrophic damage. Read more here.
The Waffle House IndexLook for this term once the storm passes. It is a simple test that some — including disaster management officials at FEMA — use to gauge damage, particularly in the South, where the Waffle House diner chain is ubiquitous.
As FEMA explained in a blog post last year, looking at data on which diners are closed, or open with full or limited menus, gives a good sense of how the surrounding neighborhood has fared.
--AND: 09-13-18:
www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutsshws.php Category/Sustained Winds/Types of Damage Due to Hurricane Winds
1 74-95 mph 64-82 kt 119-153 km/h
Very dangerous winds will produce some damage: Well-constructed frame homes could have damage to roof, shingles, vinyl siding and gutters. Large branches of trees will snap and shallowly rooted trees may be toppled. Extensive damage to power lines and poles likely will result in power outages that could last a few to several days.
2 96-110 mph 83-95 kt 154-177 km/h
Extremely dangerous winds will cause extensive damage: Well-constructed frame homes could sustain major roof and siding damage. Many shallowly rooted trees will be snapped or uprooted and block numerous roads. Near-total power loss is expected with outages that could last from several days to weeks.
3 (major) 111-129 mph 96-112 kt 178-208 km/h
Devastating damage will occur: Well-built framed homes may incur major damage or removal of roof decking and gable ends. Many trees will be snapped or uprooted, blocking numerous roads. Electricity and water will be unavailable for several days to weeks after the storm passes.
4 (major) 130-156 mph 113-136 kt 209-251 km/h
Catastrophic damage will occur: Well-built framed homes can sustain severe damage with loss of most of the roof structure and/or some exterior walls. Most trees will be snapped or uprooted and power poles downed. Fallen trees and power poles will isolate residential areas. Power outages will last weeks to possibly months. Most of the area will be uninhabitable for weeks or months.
5 (major) 157 mph or higher
137 kt or higher 252 km/h or higher
Catastrophic damage will occur: A high percentage of framed homes will be destroyed, with total roof failure and wall collapse. Fallen trees and power poles will isolate residential areas. Power outages will last for weeks to possibly months. Most of the area will be uninhabitable for weeks or months.
--AND THEN, THIS 03-13-18:
www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/six-nuclear-power-plants-are-in-hurricane-florences-path-officials-say/ar-BBNfFAj?li=BBnbcA1 Federal officials expressed confidence the six nuclear power plants in Hurricane Florence's path are safe, but some experts aren't so sure, warning that flooding and torrential rains could overwhelm their defenses.
The six nuclear power plants in North and South Carolina sit directly in the storm's projected path, according to Mary Catherine Green, spokeswoman for Duke Energy, which owns all six.
Duke's Brunswick Nuclear Plant and its Shearon Harris Nuclear Plant near Raleigh, both in North Carolina, are the closest to where the hurricane is forecast to make landfall, Green said.
In a press briefing, Jeff Byard, associate administrator for the FEMA Office of Response and Recovery, said the agency was not concerned about the power plants in the storm's path "at this time."
"Those power plants are, one, obviously hardened. Two, they have backup generators for power and we will rapidly assess any impacts to a nuclear power plant post-storm," Byard said in a call with media. "Obviously, it's something that we track and monitor but at this time we're not concerned with any issues pertaining to the nuclear power plants."
However, The Union of Concerned Scientists, a science-oriented public policy organization, is concerned about the Brunswick plant's ability to withstand the storm, because of what the group says is a lack of publicly available information about the plant's readiness.
According to the group, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has not released public information validating that the plant has been properly updated to protect against flooding.
In 2012, Duke Energy reported to the NRC that there were hundreds of "missing or degraded flood barriers" at the plant. The follow-up report sent to the NRC by Duke Energy in 2015 was not made publicly available, according to The Union of Concerned Scientists.
NRC spokesman Roger Hannah said if the report wasn't made public it may have been because the report contained security-related information, but he wasn't aware of the 2015 report's status. Hannah said the Brunswick plant was up to code ahead of the storm.
"We have inspected their storm protections. We have looked at their preparations," Hannah said. "We're satisfied they met current NRC requirements."
--09-12-18:
www.huffingtonpost.com.mx/entry/north-carolina-sea-level-rise-hurricane-florence_us_5b985a87e4b0162f4731da0e STUPID BE STUPID...
In 2012, North Carolina legislators passed a bill that barred policymakers and developers from using up-to-date climate science to plan for rising sea levels on the state’s coast.
Now Hurricane Florence threatens to cause a devastating storm surge that could put thousands of lives in danger and cost the state billions of dollars worth of damage.
The hurricane, which is expected to make landfall on Friday, is shaping up to be one of the worst storms to hit the East Coast. Residents of North Carolina’s Outer Banks and mainland coasts have already been ordered to evacuate.
President Donald Trump declared a state of emergency in both North and South Carolina, and a Federal Emergency Management Agency administrator said that the Category 4 hurricane will likely cause “massive damage to our country.”
And the rise in sea levels, experts say, is making the storm surge worse.
Sea level rise is a direct consequence of global warming; the warming of the ocean has resulted in thermal expansion and melted ice sheets and glaciers that are causing the oceans to rise. Since 1950, the sea level has risen 6.5 inches ― a number that sounds small but has actually had major consequences across the country.
“Sea level rising, simply put, makes every coastal flood deeper and more destructive,” said Ben Strauss, CEO of Climate Central, a climate change research organization that has published dozens of studies about rising sea levels and the risks of ignoring the problem. “Ignoring it is incredibly dangerous.”
