Hurricanes and Tropical Storms

Category 1: MinimalCentral Pressure: Greater than 980 millibars (mb)

Wind: 74-95 miles per hour (mph) Storm Surge: 4-5 feet (ft)

Damage: Damage mainly to trees, shrubbery, and unanchored mobile homes

Category 2: Moderate Central Pressure: 965-979 mb

Wind: 96-110 mph Storm Surge: 6-8 ft

Damage: Some trees blown down; major damage to exposed mobile homes; some damage to roofs of buildings

Hurricanes and Tropical Storms

Category 3: Extensive Central Pressure: 945-964 mb

Wind: 111-130 mph Storm Surge: 9-12 ft

Damage: Foliage removed from trees; large trees blown down; mobile homes destroyed; some structural damage to small buildings

Category 4: Extreme Central Pressure: 920-944 mb

Wind: 131-155 mph Storm Surge: 13-18 mph

Damage: All signs blown down; extensive damage to roofs, windows, and doors; complete destruction of mobile homes; flooding inland as far as 6

miles; major damage to lower floors of structures near shore

Hurricanes and Tropical Storms

Category 5: Catastrophic Central Pressure: Less than 920 mb

Wind: Greater than 155 mph Storm Surge: Greater than 18 ft

Damage: Severe damage to windows and doors; extensive damage to roofs of homes and industrial buildings; small buildings overturned and blown away; major damage to lower floors of all structures less than 15

feet above sea level within 500 yards of shore

Hurricane or Tropical Storm (September 16 – 17, 1903)

Hurricane made landfall near Atlantic City.

Hurricane or Tropical Storm (Great New England Hurricane of 1938,

September 21, 1938)

186 mile per hour gust at Blue Hill, Massachusetts. The worst hurricane to strike the Northeast U.S. in recorded history.

Hurricane or Tropical Storm (September 14 - 15, 1944)

Atlantic City measured a wind gust of 100 mph. NYC measured a wind gust of 97 mph.

Hurricane or Tropical Storm (Hurricane Hazel, October 15, 1954)

Winds gusted to 94 mph from the south in PHL. Sustained winds of 73 mph.

Hurricane or Tropical Storm (“Connie”, August 12 -13, 1955)

Hurricane or Tropical Storm (Hurricane Gloria, September

1985)

Hurricane Gloria, September 1985

Hurricane or Tropical Storm (Hurricane Floyd, September 16, 1999)

Major flooding across the Delaware Valley with many local rivers going well over flood stage.

Hurricane or Tropical Storm (Hurricane Isabel, September 2003)