By
Rich Johnson
More and more people are drawn to the beach for vacations or to
build a primary or secondary residence. The allure of the coast is
powerful with the beautiful vistas, fishing, boating, or just walking on
the beach. Before deciding to purchase a home or condominium on or
close to the beach, it would be wise to understand the effects of
hurricanes in that location. Let's look at which coastal locations are
most likely to have a hurricane strike and which effects could pose
problems to you.
Hurricane "hot zones"
Any coastal location on the eastern seaboard or Gulf coast has a risk from hurricanes. When you choose to build or buy a home on the coast, there is a chance that it could suffer serious damage or be destroyed. Due to the layout of the geography, some locations are less likely to see a hurricane strike. For example, the northeast Florida and Georgia coast has a smaller chance of seeing a hurricane than the coast north or south of the area due to the concave shape of the coast. Also, hurricanes are less frequent on the Mid-Atlantic and New England coasts because of colder offshore water temperatures and the fact that hurricanes usually move northeast away from the coast at that latitude. The most likely location to be affected by a hurricane is south Florida, specifically the Florida Keys. This is a climatologically favored location for hurricanes to track from the Atlantic Ocean. Over the past roughly 100 years, this location averages a minimal hurricane about once every four to five years. A major hurricane - category three or higher on the Saffir-Simpson scale can be expected about once every ten years.
The second most likely location to be affected is eastern North Carolina. Hurricanes many times recurve north, then northeast near the Southeast coast. Eastern North Carolina is far enough to the east that makes this stretch of land vulnerable. This location can expect to see a minimal hurricane on average about once every five to eight years. A major hurricane is only likely to return once every twenty or more years on average. For those interested in living on the gulf coast from northwest Florida to Texas, a minimal hurricane is seen about once every seven to twelve years. The southeast Louisiana coast is slightly more frequent. Keep in mind that averages can be misleading. Hurricane climatology shows some decades had "favored" patterns. Some favored the Gulf coast, other decades the east coast. So it's possible for a location to see a hurricane strike a number of times, and then be quiet for decades.
Hurricane effects
The effects from a hurricane include flooding from heavy rain, wind damage, tornadoes and storm surge. Flooding rain and tornadoes can occur well inland and do not make a difference in the location for buying a home. Buying a home far enough inland away from the effects of storm surge would minimize that aspect of hurricane damage. Locations on the coast are not only suspect to the rise in water with the storm surge, but also the battering effects of waves. The wind damage effects are also concentrated on the coast. The reason for this is because tropical cyclones lose their strength once moving over land. It is still possible to have very strong winds well inland with major hurricanes.
Summary
The most likely location to see the effects from a hurricane is south Florida, with eastern North Carolina second. Remember, it is possible for any location on the east or Gulf coasts to be hit by a hurricane. You can always choose to buy or build a home farther inland and still somewhat near the coast and be considerably safer.
Hurricane "hot zones"
Any coastal location on the eastern seaboard or Gulf coast has a risk from hurricanes. When you choose to build or buy a home on the coast, there is a chance that it could suffer serious damage or be destroyed. Due to the layout of the geography, some locations are less likely to see a hurricane strike. For example, the northeast Florida and Georgia coast has a smaller chance of seeing a hurricane than the coast north or south of the area due to the concave shape of the coast. Also, hurricanes are less frequent on the Mid-Atlantic and New England coasts because of colder offshore water temperatures and the fact that hurricanes usually move northeast away from the coast at that latitude. The most likely location to be affected by a hurricane is south Florida, specifically the Florida Keys. This is a climatologically favored location for hurricanes to track from the Atlantic Ocean. Over the past roughly 100 years, this location averages a minimal hurricane about once every four to five years. A major hurricane - category three or higher on the Saffir-Simpson scale can be expected about once every ten years.
The second most likely location to be affected is eastern North Carolina. Hurricanes many times recurve north, then northeast near the Southeast coast. Eastern North Carolina is far enough to the east that makes this stretch of land vulnerable. This location can expect to see a minimal hurricane on average about once every five to eight years. A major hurricane is only likely to return once every twenty or more years on average. For those interested in living on the gulf coast from northwest Florida to Texas, a minimal hurricane is seen about once every seven to twelve years. The southeast Louisiana coast is slightly more frequent. Keep in mind that averages can be misleading. Hurricane climatology shows some decades had "favored" patterns. Some favored the Gulf coast, other decades the east coast. So it's possible for a location to see a hurricane strike a number of times, and then be quiet for decades.
Hurricane effects
The effects from a hurricane include flooding from heavy rain, wind damage, tornadoes and storm surge. Flooding rain and tornadoes can occur well inland and do not make a difference in the location for buying a home. Buying a home far enough inland away from the effects of storm surge would minimize that aspect of hurricane damage. Locations on the coast are not only suspect to the rise in water with the storm surge, but also the battering effects of waves. The wind damage effects are also concentrated on the coast. The reason for this is because tropical cyclones lose their strength once moving over land. It is still possible to have very strong winds well inland with major hurricanes.
Summary
The most likely location to see the effects from a hurricane is south Florida, with eastern North Carolina second. Remember, it is possible for any location on the east or Gulf coasts to be hit by a hurricane. You can always choose to buy or build a home farther inland and still somewhat near the coast and be considerably safer.
Rich is a Certified Broadcast Meteorologist with more than 25
years of weather forecasting and television experience with The Weather
Channel. Visit his website for more on expert hurricane forecasts and
travel resources.
Hurricane Forecasts & Travel - Disney World Resources - Vacation Beach Rentals
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Hurricane Forecasts & Travel - Disney World Resources - Vacation Beach Rentals
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