Facts About Hurricanes in Houston

Facts About Hurricanes in Houston

Tropical storm

A tropical storm is an organized system of strong thunderstorms with a defined surface circulation and maximum sustained winds between 17 metres per second (33 kn) (39 miles per hour (63 km/h)) and 32 metres per second (62 kn) (73 miles per hour (117 km/h)). At this point, the distinctive cyclonic shape starts to develop, although an eye is not usually present. Government weather services, other than the Philippines, first assign names to systems that reach this intensity (thus the term named storm).

Hurricane or typhoon

A hurricane or typhoon (sometimes simply referred to as a tropical cyclone, as opposed to a depression or storm) is a system with sustained winds of at least 33 metres per second (64 kn) or 74 miles per hour (119 km/h). A cyclone of this intensity tends to develop an eye, an area of relative calm (and lowest atmospheric pressure) at the center of circulation. The eye is often visible in satellite images as a small, circular, cloud-free spot. Surrounding the eye is the eyewall, an area about 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) to 80 kilometres (50 mi) wide in which the strongest thunderstorms and winds circulate around the storm's center. Maximum sustained winds in the strongest tropical cyclones have been estimated at about 85 metres per second (165 kn) or 195 miles per hour (314 km/h).

Hurricane Season

The Atlantic hurricane season is officially from 1 June to 30 November. However, keep in mind that after Sept. 24, the chance of a hurricane striking Texas falls dramatically. Since the 1850s only three hurricanes have ever struck Texas after Sept. 24. So, if Sept 24 has passed, relax !!

Costliest Texas hurricane seasons (adjusted for inflation)

2008 (Dolly and Ike): $28.2 billion
2005 (Rita): $11.8 billion
2001 (Allison): $6.4 billion
1983 (Alicia): $4.8 billion
1970 (Celia): $3.0 billion

Costliest Texas hurricane seasons (adjusted for inflation, population and wealth)

1900 (Galveston hurricane): $104.3 billion
1915 (Galveston hurricane): $71.4 billion
2008 (Dolly and Ike): $28.2 billion
1961 (Carla): $14.9 billion
1919 (South Texas hurricane): $13.8 billion

Deaths caused by Hurricane Ike that hit Houston and Galveston on Sept. 13, 2008

Five days after the storm hit Houston area, the total number of those considered victims of Hurricane Ike in or from the Houston area stood at 23. The Ike death toll else where in Texas stood at 18, with 51 deaths in the U.S.

Eight deaths in Harris County were blamed on fumes from generators, falling tree limbs and house fires where candles were being used. Meanwhile, deaths in Galveston linked to the storm remained at six.

Eight others in surrounding counties died while cleaning up debris, and a woman was killed when a tree fell on her home. In another Ike-related death, a Houston toddler, who fled to Dallas with his family, was struck and killed in a parking lot.

Manuel Ramirez, 22, died when he was removing a tree which had fallen across a Mid-South Synergy electric line south of Lake Conroe.

A 59-year-old man died cutting trees in his yard.

Joel Smith, 10, was killed while his father was attempting to remove a dead tree from his yard.

Elizabeth G. Garza, 39, was killed when a tree fell on her western Montgomery County home.

Power outage caused by Ike

Both CenterPoint and Entergy reported 99 percent of customers without power on Sunday after Ike, a strong category 2 storm with winds around 100 mph (160 kph) and a significant storm surge that wiped out entire neighborhoods on historic Galveston Island and the Bolivar Peninsula and severely flooded areas near Sabine Pass in Texas.

Even six days after Ike hit, two million U.S. homes and businesses were still without electricity after Hurricane Ike landed in Texas before cutting a destructive path all the way to New York. About 1.5 million Texas power customers were not connected, followed by Ohio with 324,000 out and Kentucky where 130,000 had no electricity, the U.S. Department of Energy said. It will be October before some Texans can re-energize refrigerators and lights, utilities said.