What Category Hurricane will cause you to leave your home?
Moderator: S2k Moderators
Forum rules
The posts in this forum are NOT official forecasts and should not be used as such. They are just the opinion of the poster and may or may not be backed by sound meteorological data. They are NOT endorsed by any professional institution or STORM2K. For official information, please refer to products from the National Hurricane Center and National Weather Service.
- NC George
- Category 2

- Posts: 635
- Age: 55
- Joined: Sun Sep 14, 2003 11:44 am
- Location: Washington, NC, USA
Cat 5 for wind, maybe if a 4 was passing just to my west. I've been through multiple 2's and one 3 at my present location. I live 70 miles inland (but I flooded in Floyd, flash flood before eye even hit land!) Of course, the shelter is less than 1/2 mile from my house, but with any flooding I can't get there as there is a stream between my house and there.
0 likes
The question is fundamentally wrong and it's incredibly dangerous that people even think along those lines.
I've long believed the Saffir-Simpson scale is now backfiring.
Intensity cannot be predicted accurately and as we've repeatedly seen storms can very easily gain 2 Saffir-Simpson categories within 12 hours during Rapid Intensification episodes, and far too late to allow one to change their decision to evacuate.
You basically should do the exact same thing for all situations where you are under a Hurricane Warning.
I've long believed the Saffir-Simpson scale is now backfiring.
Intensity cannot be predicted accurately and as we've repeatedly seen storms can very easily gain 2 Saffir-Simpson categories within 12 hours during Rapid Intensification episodes, and far too late to allow one to change their decision to evacuate.
You basically should do the exact same thing for all situations where you are under a Hurricane Warning.
0 likes
Cat 3. I live on the barrier island. I have friends inland whose places I feel are safe for a cat 4. Anything stonger and I am hopping on a plane to Georgia or somewhere out of harms way.
Brevard county, where I live, would likely be completly underwater in a direct hit from a cat 5. The highest point in the county is 40 feet above sea level, which is actually a dune line from ancient times. Most of the county is below 20 feet and with St. Johns river to the west and the intracoastals and ocean to the east, the county would be totalled.
Brevard county, where I live, would likely be completly underwater in a direct hit from a cat 5. The highest point in the county is 40 feet above sea level, which is actually a dune line from ancient times. Most of the county is below 20 feet and with St. Johns river to the west and the intracoastals and ocean to the east, the county would be totalled.
0 likes
-
gkrangers
I was living inland in the same county when Andrew was brewing, before it became a major storm my dad was packing up for an evacuation because he just knew from the satellite and SSTs that it was ready to explode, fortuanly for us Andrew never made the north turn in was at one point forecasted to make. I would do the same for any system that has the potential to rapidly intensify like that.
0 likes
-
WXFIEND
- Tropical Depression

- Posts: 58
- Joined: Wed Jun 01, 2005 4:47 pm
- Location: Jersey City, NJ
- Contact:
up here
I live really basically on Manhattan Island in NYC. Luckily we've never had a direct hurricane hit or even tropical storm (I mean in the past 15 years of my life).
I live directly between the Hudson River and another river, which is only a few blocks from my house.
I don't know what I'd do... I don't know how to tell where would flood and where wouldn't - I guess it'd depend.
I live directly between the Hudson River and another river, which is only a few blocks from my house.
I don't know what I'd do... I don't know how to tell where would flood and where wouldn't - I guess it'd depend.
0 likes
- Hurricanehink
- S2K Supporter

- Posts: 2044
- Joined: Sun Nov 16, 2003 2:05 pm
- Location: New Jersey
Probably Cat. 2. I know it sounds wimpy, but considering the location of New Jersey, geography and whatnot, it would have to be a strong hurricane from further south with a large circulation (unless it was from subtropical origins, then I don't know what). Classic cases, Gloria and Isabel. They had the possibility of hitting Atlantic City, so we had to be prepared. A cat. 1 we would be able to handle, due to the strong Nor'easters we get.
0 likes
Maybe a cat 4, but definitely a cat 5. My husband has to stay regardless, and I cant' forget the horrendous time we had trying to get back after Floyd. Every road was flooded or had downed trees or power poles. It was a nightmare. (We both worked for city gov't at the time, and were required to return immediately). I don't relish dealing with that again any time soon.
0 likes
My place is 20mi north of Grand Isle, La. on Bayou Barataria. A strong Cat 2 storm coming in from BOC and we go. Flooding will be a major problem. Now, a storm crossing the Fla peninsula and then heading for LA does not make me as nervous. Mainly because of Large long river levee along both sides of Mississippi act as barrier to storm surge from that direction.
0 likes
- SeaBrz_FL
- S2K Supporter

- Posts: 472
- Age: 69
- Joined: Thu Aug 12, 2004 10:47 am
- Location: Cape Canaveral, FL
Good topic, and not always easy to answer.
I only live 700 feet from the Atlantic Ocean, but (like jrod) I have to cross two rivers over high-rise causeway bridges to get to the mainland to the west, and the public safety officials close the bridges down when gusts start exceeding 50 mph. For strong storms like Frances and Jeanne last year, that meant making a decision over 24 hours before landfall as the outer rain bands start kicking things up ahead of time.
My concrete block townhome suffered very little damage from last year's storms, and I never lost electricity, but I evac'd 20 miles inland for Frances and Jeanne because I wasn't willing to gamble on ultimate landfall and intensity and not have a chance of leaving.
Bottom line, I'll stay for a direct east coast hit of Cat 1 or lower, but will probably leave again if I'm in the cone for a bigger storm at the time the causeways will close.
I only live 700 feet from the Atlantic Ocean, but (like jrod) I have to cross two rivers over high-rise causeway bridges to get to the mainland to the west, and the public safety officials close the bridges down when gusts start exceeding 50 mph. For strong storms like Frances and Jeanne last year, that meant making a decision over 24 hours before landfall as the outer rain bands start kicking things up ahead of time.
My concrete block townhome suffered very little damage from last year's storms, and I never lost electricity, but I evac'd 20 miles inland for Frances and Jeanne because I wasn't willing to gamble on ultimate landfall and intensity and not have a chance of leaving.
Bottom line, I'll stay for a direct east coast hit of Cat 1 or lower, but will probably leave again if I'm in the cone for a bigger storm at the time the causeways will close.
0 likes
- crazycajuncane
- S2K Supporter

- Posts: 1097
- Joined: Sun Aug 15, 2004 2:51 pm
- Location: Lafayette, Louisiana
- Contact:
I live 18 miles inland, so I think we'll be ok up until a Cat 4.
We survived Lili, but she was a Cat 4 that lost a lot of punch and hit the coast as a Cat. 2
Now if Lili would have maintained Cat 4 through its landfall we woulda been hurt. We recieved lots of damage and thats with Cat 1 or 2 winds by time it hit us.
Never been on the East side of a storm, always on the west.
We survived Lili, but she was a Cat 4 that lost a lot of punch and hit the coast as a Cat. 2
Now if Lili would have maintained Cat 4 through its landfall we woulda been hurt. We recieved lots of damage and thats with Cat 1 or 2 winds by time it hit us.
Never been on the East side of a storm, always on the west.
0 likes
Who is online
Users browsing this forum: KirbyDude25, Team Ghost and 506 guests






