Hurricane Katrina
The most destructive hurricane
ever to strike the US NOAA
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/
Katrina’s Intensity
The storm rapidly intensified after entering the Gulf of
Mexico, growing from a category 3 into a category 5 in only
9 hours.
The rapid
intensification was
due to the storm's
movement over the
"unusually warm“
waters of the Loop
Current, which
increased wind
speeds.
http://www.katrina.noaa.gov/
Katrina’s Intensity
• On Saturday, August 27, the storm reached
Category 3 intensity on the Saffir-Simpson scale. An
eyewall displacement cycle disrupted the
intensification, but caused the storm to nearly
double in size.
• Katrina again rapidly intensified, attaining
Category 5 status on the morning of August 28 and
reached its peak strength at 1:00 p.m. CDT that day,
with maximum sustained winds of 175 mph
(280 km/h) and a minimum central pressure of
902 millibars.
• Katrina made landfall as a category 3 on August
29,2005 at 7 am EST. Winds near the eyewall were
an estimated 125 mph. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Katrina
Saffir-Simpson Scale
Type Category Winds Winds Pressure Surge
(mph) (knots) (mb) (feet)
Tropical TD 980 4-5
Hurricane 2 96-110 83-95 965-980 6-8
Hurricane 3 111-130 96-113 945-965 9-12
Hurricane 4 131-155 114-135 920-945 13-18
Hurricane 5 > 155 >135 18
http://www.fas.org/irp/imint/docs/rst/Sect14/Sect14_1d.html
Katrina’s Intensity Compared
to Previous Storms
1. 2005 – Wilma: 882 millibars
2. 1988 – Gilbert: 888 millibars Millibars are used to measure
pressure, the lower the
3. 1935 – Labor Day: 892 millibars pressure typically the greater
4. 2005 – Rita: 895 millibars the intensity of the storm.
5. 1980 – Allen: 899 millibars
6. 2005 – Katrina: 902 millibars
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Category_5_Atlantic_hurricanes#Listed_by_minimum_pressure
Category 5 Atlantic Storms
by Decade
• 1920s – 1
• 1930s – 3
• 1940s – 1
• 1950s – 4
• 1960s – 6
• 1970s – 3
• 1980s – 3
• 1990s – 2
• 2000s – 8
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Category_5_Atlantic_hurricanes
Katrina’s Destruction
Compared to Previous Storms
• 1900 – Galveston, TX
– 6,000-12,000 lives lost
• 1992 –Andrew
– $21 billion in economic
losses
• 2005 – Katrina
– $100 billion in
http://www.gthcenter.org/exhibits/storms/1900/victims/st
economic losses ormvic.htm
– 1,836 lives lost
http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2005/09/02/59111.htm
Economic Losses Due to Katrina
• 300,000 homes were
destroyed.
• Most residential and
commercial damage on
shore was due to they
storm surge and extreme
flooding.
• Off-shore oil rigs as well
as refineries were also
damaged and forced to
shut down resulting in a
significant financial loss.
http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2005/09/02/59111.htm
Katrina Fatalities
• Alabama -2
• Florida – 14
• Georgia – 2
• Kentucky – 1
• Louisiana – 1,577
• Mississippi – 238
• Ohio – 2
• Total = 1,836 http://blog.nola.com/times-picayune/2007/12/large_04EISEN2.JPG
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Katrina_effects_by_region
“Global Weirding”
• Global Warming has recently
been referred to as “Global
Weirding” because of the
“weird” weather that occurs
due to overall warming of the
atmosphere.
• Katrina was a weird and
extreme weather event, but it
alone cannot validate
scientists predictions of
extreme weather due to global
warming.
• Now it’s your turn to do some
investigating into other weird
weather events occurring
around the globe. Then you
decide!
http://www.katrinadestruction.com/images/d/27522-
4/18kd166-hurricane-katrina