More hurricane resources

Bay News 9's Web site has a page with lots of resources and links you might want to check out, too. Evacuation routes, lists for getting ready, etc.

Here's how to get to it: http://www.baynews9.com/Hurricane.html

Here's some interesting info, from their FAQ section:

How are hurricanes ranked?

A tropical cyclone becomes a hurricane when sustained winds reach 74 mph.

According to the Saffir-Simpson scale, a category 1 hurricane has winds of 74-95 mph. It's associated with a storm surge of 3 to 5 feet.

A category 2 hurricane has winds of 96-110 mph. It can have a storm surge of 6 to 8 feet.

A category 3 hurricane has winds of 111-130 mph and a 9-to-12-foot storm surge.

A category 4 hurricane has winds of 131-155 and a 13-to-18-foot storm surge is possible.

A category 5 hurricane has winds of 156 mph and greater. It can have a storm surge of 19 feet or greater. Category 3, 4 and 5 hurricanes are also classified as major hurricanes or intense hurricanes.



What does an average hurricane season mean?

An average hurricane season brings 10.6 tropical storms. Six of those become hurricanes and two become major hurricanes, meaning category 3 or greater. The average is based on data from 1968 to 2003. Officially, the Atlantic hurricane season is from June 1 to November 30, although storms can form outside this time period.



What year was the most active? What year was the least active?

Until recently, 1933 had the most named storms on record with 21. In 2005, that record was broken when the National Hurricane Center identified 28 storms. Since all of the traditional names had been used for 2005, the last six named storms were called "Alpha," "Beta," "Gamma," "Delta," "Epsilon," and "Zeta," the first six letters of the Greek alphabet.
1933 is now second, and 1995 is third with 19 tropical storms. 2005 also had the most hurricanes in one season with 15. The least number of tropical storms happened in 1983 when just four storms formed. In 1982, just two hurricanes formed, making it the year with the least amount of hurricanes since 1968.

There's lots more there, so you might want to check it out.