Air pressure drop and ears

[jes]

I've decided not to leave this year if we have a hurricane since I'm not in danger of flooding etc. However, I have one concern--When you talk about barometric pressure drops with storms is that the same as when you're on an airplane that is landing? I've read of people experiencing inner ear problems with the pressure changes when a plane descends. Would the pressure change be as severe with a major hurricane

I am hoping you will say "no" since I assume the pressure drop would be much slower or maybe not as extreme. I don't want to take the chance of ending up completely dizzy in the middle of a major storm.

Jess

[Anonymous]

Every day the atmospheric pressure changes, but usually it is a slow enough change and we swallow often enough to make the change in pressure come in small enough increments that we do not notice the happening.
The air pressure in an aircraft, in flight, is about 50% of sea-level pressure. The popping is just the equalizing of air pressure between the air around the passenger and the pressure in the passenger's inner ears. When a person swallows, the tubes from the back of the mouth to the ears open, hence the equalizing of the two pressures and much relief to the air passenger. Now you know why they hand out lollies on board, just before descending.

[Scorpion]

Usually pressures inside hurricanes dont get nearly as low enough to cause that kind of problem. However, if an unusually intense hurricane landfalls (sub 900 mb) with a small eye then the rapid pressure change could probably be the same as suddenly taking off on an airplane.

[HeatherAKC]

Having been through Hurricane Andrew, I can say that the pain I experienced in my ears was almost unbearable. I have only one other friend here that experienced the same thing. Dizzyness wasn't a problem for me, just pain.

[Orlando_wx]

Last year during Hurricane Jeanne had the same problem watching my weather station my ears closed up but nothing bad a simple swallow or yawning opened the ears back up .

John

[TreasureIslandFLGal]

When Hurricane Fran went over our house I remember my ears popping a lot. It wasn't as bad as being on a plane, more like when your ears pop on an elevator or when you suddenly close the window in a fast-moving car. Noticeable, but not painful if you can swallow or "pop" them by chewing gum. If I had problems doing this, I'm sure it would have hurt. My neighbors baby was crying a lot, and we thought it was the noise, but maybe her ears weren't popping. hmmm... that never occurred to us that that coul dhave been the problem at the time.

[BigO]

I fled from New Orleans to Tuscaloosa, AL for Ivan (I know...but I have family there and the routes east weren't jammed like they were to the north and west) and the eye passed very close to us. I was suffering with a raging sinus infection at the time and the drop in barometric pressure was excruciating as the air pressure in my sinuses was unable to quickly equalize with atmospheric pressure due to all the mucus.

I'm generally sensitive to air pressure changes anyway, but I'll never forget that experience.

[cyclonaut]

During Andrew I was 25 miles north of the eye & I still felt occasional discomfort in my ears..It depends on the individual on how bad the symptoms can get.Some are more sensitive than others.

[Swimdude]

Hmmm the consensus seems to be that no, hurricanes don't cause horrible damage to the ears...

With the possible exception of hurricane Andrew.

[Scorpion]

I wouldnt want to be in the middle of a hurricane such as Gilbert. That would probably cause some ear damage.

[HurriCat]

Ever since my USAF/SAC days, I carry a pair of earplugs in my pocket. I guarantee that I have saved a great deal of my hearing by using them. In relation to a storm encounter, certainly the plugs would reduce the noise and maybe a bit of the stress. I'm not a medical type, but I'd guess that they would help with the sensation of the pressure, too. Also, when you're at the supply house, and those big monkeys are slamming plywood around or running the saws - those earplugs are a blessing - including in the checkout lines, where it's WWF Smackdown for water and batteries.

[jrod]

Just clear your ears as u=you would do if scuba diving or going up in an airplane. Pinch your nose close with your fingers, look up and breath out, you will feel a pop inside your head and the pain should go away.

I have never experienced something like this with weather but I would bet that in the vortex of an F5 that sensation is unimaginable, and I have heard from some friends that went through the worst of Andrew that they had a lot of pain in the ears b/c of the fast pressure drop.

[Wthrman13]

During the DOW mission to Frances last year, I remember distinctly my ears popping right as we were transitioning from the inner edge of the eyewall to the eye itself. The others in my truck felt it, too. During the mission to Isabel in 2003, however, I don't remember feeling any discomfort or popping in my ears, even though that hurricane was moving faster and had a lower central pressure than Frances.

As stated earlier in this thread, the pressure changes during ascent and descent in an aircraft are far more severe than during a hurricane. I took a digital barometer up in an airplane once, just to see for myself how low the pressure in the cabin got. At our cruise altitude of 35000-40000 feet, my barometer was reading around 700 mb (this means that the cabin was pressurized by roughly 500 mb over ambient, which is around 200 - 250 mb or so at this height). Considering that it takes on the order of an hour or so to reach that altitude from approximately sea level, that's a pressure drop of roughly 300 mb in one hour, or 5 mb per minute during ascent.

[abajan]

...I've read of people experiencing inner ear problems with the pressure changes when a plane descends. Would the pressure change be as severe with a major hurricane

I am hoping you will say "no" since I assume the pressure drop would be much slower or maybe not as extreme. I don't want to take the chance of ending up completely dizzy in the middle of a major storm.

Jess

Actually, if the plane is descending the pressure would be rising not dropping!

[NativeFloridaGirl]

I've decided not to leave this year if we have a hurricane since I'm not in danger of flooding etc. However, I have one concern--When you talk about barometric pressure drops with storms is that the same as when you're on an airplane that is landing? I've read of people experiencing inner ear problems with the pressure changes when a plane descends. Would the pressure change be as severe with a major hurricane

I am hoping you will say "no" since I assume the pressure drop would be much slower or maybe not as extreme. I don't want to take the chance of ending up completely dizzy in the middle of a major storm.

Jess

Last year during Jeanne my ears weren't the problem, but I was temporarily blinded. I looked like a scuba diver that tried to ascend too quickly and had damage to my optical nerve (they don't know why it happened when Jeanne's eye passed over and not Frances'). All I know is if a hurricane threatens the treasure coast again I am not staying. The pain was far too intense and losing my sight (even temporarily) was terrifying.