Twin States Weather Blog

A Soapbox Moment...

* Many of you have probably seen the recent report by the National Hurricane Center on Hurricane Katrina. In this report, the NHC declares that Katrina was actually a Category Three hurricane at landfall. The reason? Because the Saffir-Simpson scale is based solely on wind - not storm surge. This is one of the most misleading stories of the year, so I want to take some time to discuss it.

* The NHC does a great job - they are among the best in the world at what they do. However, this categorization is straight from left field. Storm surge associated with a Category Three hurricane is generally around 9-12 feet. The surge along the Mississippi coast was over 30 feet. Literally, the storm surge there was off the charts. Part of the public awareness program for hurricanes is stressing that WATER, and not WIND, is the primary killer in coastal areas impacted by hurricanes. It's too bad the official scale of hurricane intensity doesn't reflect this line of reasoning.

* Without doubt, Katrina was one of the most significant natural disasters to strike this country in a long, long time. Over one thousand people were killed, and the Gulf Coast has been destroyed. Hurricane Camille was a "Category Five" storm, yet Katrina damaged homes that Camille left untouched.

* As a scientific scale, the Saffir-Simpson might work. But, as a scale of the HUMAN IMPACT of a storm, it is absolutely awful. The entire point of classifying hurricanes is to give people an idea of what to expect - how this storm will impact the PEOPLE living in its path. Misleading classifications like this do nothing but create confusion and damage the credibility of the scale.

* It is a matter of perception. A Category Five hurricane will get the attention of everyone along the coast, whereas a Category One will garner far less attention and preparation effort. People base their preparation and precautions on the classfication of these storms. Lowering the credibility of the scale endangers lives.

* Again, this is not a complaint session aimed at the National Hurricane Center. They are great at what they do; I certainly do not envy some of the decisions they must make. However, they are working with a faulty scale - one that holds great responsibility of conveying a message to the public.

posted by WTOK Weather Staff @ 12:05 AM