Hurricane

Hurricanes originate in the Atlantic basin, which includes the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, and Gulf of Mexico, the eastern North Pacific Ocean, and, less frequently, the central North Pacific Ocean. Those with maximum sustained winds of 39 mph or higher are called tropical storms. When the maximum sustained winds of a tropical storm reach 74 miles per hour it’s called a hurricane. Hurricane season begins on June 1 and ends on November 30, but these powerful storms can occur before and after the official season.

The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale is a 1 to 5 rating based on a hurricane's sustained wind speed. This scale estimates potential property damage, where hurricanes reaching category 1 are still dangerous and require preventive measures. Hurricanes reaching category 3 and higher are considered catastrophic like Hurricane Andrew (1992) an example of a hurricane that brought Category 5 winds and impacts to coastal portions of Cutler Ridge.

On this section you will find specialized software which allows of probabilistic modeling of hurricane threat.