Cool waters just below the surface of the Gulf of Mexico cause the strongest hurricanes to almost always lose intensity before they hit that part of the U.S. coast, according to new research. The findings could help scientists more accurately forecast the storms during this year's hurricane season, which begins Wednesday.
Most of the strongest hurricanes have decreased in intensity just before hitting the Gulf Coast, where two-thirds of all hurricanes to hit land in the USA have struck in the past 30 years, according to a study from the Journal of Weather and Forecasting. (The other third hit the Atlantic coast.)
As disastrous as it was, "even Hurricane Katrina wasn't as bad as it could have been," says study co-author Mark DeMaria of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Katrina was a Category 5 hurricane with winds of 175 mph in the Gulf but made landfall in 2005 as a Category 3 with a wind speed of 125 mph.
Overall, of the 12 most powerful hurricanes (Categories 3-5) in the Gulf between 1979 and 2008, including Katrina, 10 weakened during the 12 hours before making landfall, DeMaria reports.
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June 1st begins hurricane season. It is time for churches to take stock of their disaster relief plans and how they can best serve their own and other communities in a disaster. It is also time for families in hurricane-affected areas to make preparations for the hurricane season. A hurricane may weaken before it makes landfall but this weakening does not prevent it from killing and injuring people and damaging property. It is a time of year to take a cue from the Boy Scouts and "Be Prepared."
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