When Did Hurricane Katrina Hit?

Hurricane Katrina hit Florida on August 25, 2005 and Louisiana on August 29th. It was the costliest hurricane to date and goes in the record books as the sixth strongest hurricane formed in the Atlantic since hurricanes have been recorded.

Hurricane Katrina formed as a tropical depression in the southeastern region of the Bahamas and was upgraded as a tropical storm on August 24th 2005. It became a hurricane right before it hit Florida, and then weakened over land.

Upon entering the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, it quickly became a hurricane again and, within two days, became a Category 5 hurricane. This intensification was incredibly fast for a hurricane and was due to unusually warm waters and other factors.

When Katrina made lanfall in Louisiana on August 29th, it was a Category 3 hurricane. Hurricane force winds were felt 120 miles outward from the center of the storm and this powerful storm remained a hurricane as it traveled more than 150 miles over land. It became a tropical depression as it neared the state of Tennessee.

Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina

The economic effects of Hurricane Katrina were devastating. Other than substantial wind and water damage to homes, businesses, and highways there was other major damage:

• 30 oil platforms were obliterated and nine refineries had to be closed
• Many thousands of people were left homeless and jobless
• Environmentally, there was a huge amount of beach erosion and some islands were severly damaged

Over a million acres of forest were gone and 16 National Wildlife Refuges have been closed. Basically, all habitats where Katrina hit have been severely affected and that will have far-reaching consequenses to wildflife.

How Hurricanes Form

Tropical cyclones in the Atlantic Ocean are called hurricanes. Cyclones that form in the northeastern and southern parts of the Pacific Ocean are also called hurricanes. Typhoons are tropical cyclones that form in the northwestern part of the Pacific Ocean.

To understand how these storms form, you need to know that an area of high pressure always rushes to fill in areas of low pressure. This is the principal in “lift,” which allows airplanes to fly.

Tropical cyclones form over the very warm, humid waters near the equator. As the warm air rises from the surface of the water, it leaves less air at the surface and this becomes an area of low pressure. The higher pressure area around this spot fills in towards the spot, and starts rising also.

Clouds are formed as moist, warm air rises and cools and soon this whole area is spinning and growing. This is the beginning of a tropical storm.

As the storm develops, an eye forms in the center as the system turns faster. A tropical storm needs a water temperature of 79 degrees Fahrenheit to grow. If it moves over cooler water or land, it will start to die.

When the winds become 74 miles per hour, it is classified a tropical cyclone, or hurricane. Hurricanes are categorized according to the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale:

• Category 1: Winds 74 to 95 miles per hour, minimal damage and flooding, 4 to 5 foot storm surge
• Category 2: Winds 96 to 110 miles per hour, moderate damage to buildings, more damage to vegetation, flooding, 6 to 8 foot storm surge
• Category 3: Winds 111 to 130 miles per hour, extensive damage to buildings, mobile homes destroyed, extensive flooding, 9 to 12 foot storm surge
• Category 4: Winds 131 to 155 miles per hour, extreme damage to buildings, erosion of beach, massive flooding, 13 to 18 foot storm surge
• Category 5: Winds more than 155 miles per hour, catastrophic damage with complete roof or building destruction, extreme flooding, a storm surge of over 18 feet

Hurricane Katrina Broke the Records

Hurricane Katrina hit the United States during the most active Atlantic hurricane season in recorded history. The 2005 season probably holds the record for the most records broken. Katrina was the costliest and most intense storm ever recorded. Records broken include the most tropical and subtropical storms formed, 15 hurricanes formed, seven major hurricanes, and four became Category 5 hurricanes.