Hurricane/Cyclone/Typhoon Journal Entry

Floyd Slams Bahamas and U.S. (September 14, 1999)

Hurricane Floyd slammed the Bahamas and then drenched the Eastern Seaboard of the United States this week, forcing the largest evacuation in the nation's history. The monstrous storm was twice the size of the state of Florida as it initially approached the Eastern Seaboard as a Category 4 hurricane, packing winds in the 131 to 155 mph (210 to 248 km/h) range. Category 4 storms are capable of causing extreme damage.

In the Bahamas, Floyd caused much destruction and killed one person. The storm battered the Bahamas for 12 hours before heading towards the Eastern Seaboard, where more than 2.5 million people scrambled to get out of its path. After churning north just off the coast for two days, Floyd finally slammed ashore near Wilmington, North Carolina and dumped more than 19 inches (42 centimeters) of rain, cut off power, uprooted trees, and triggered floods. The storm continued bringing driving rains, howling winds, and floods as it made its way northward along the coast, but caused much less damage in the U.S. than was feared. Floyd was downgraded to a tropical storm as it moved into New York and New England.

A hurricane gets its energy from warm, humid air at the surface of the ocean. As more moist air is drawn in, winds spiral inward towards the area of low pressure. The lower the air pressure at the center of the storm, the faster the winds blow toward the center. Hurricane winds have been clocked as high as 320 km/h (200 mph).