Is one side of a hurricane worse than another?

click to begin

Youtube

There are consistent bits of wisdom you
hear during hurricane season when
there's a storm brewing. If you're along
the Gulf Coast, you know the ones.
Stash enough water for everyone in your family,
have an evacuation plan that
includes pets and get your beer on ice early.
Forecasters also typically have
their own too - like it's the upper-right
side of the storm that's the strongest.
So, why is that? First let's talk about
what's the 'right' side of the storm?
Typically, geography would want us to
think more along the lines of North,
South, East and West. But the right side
of a storm is defined by how it's moving.
Storm swirling to the north? That means
the right side is on the east. Storm
heading west? The right side is on the
north. Think of it like a moving clock,
no matter which way the 12 is pointing,
the "right" side is always between 12 and 6.
Now what makes the upper-right side
the stronger or dirtier side of the
storm? It's because that's where the
strongest winds are located. The strength
of the storm's movement combines with the
strength of the storm's winds and voila,
you have a nastier storm with stronger
winds and higher storm surge. For my
math nerds out there, think of it this
way: if a hurricane with 90 mile per hour
winds is moving at 10 miles per hour it
would have winds at 100 miles per hour
on the right side and 80 on the left.
Remember, our clock example? This means
the toughest, nastiest part of a
hurricane is going to be somewhere
between 12 and 3, no matter which
way that clock is pointing. What it all
means is, if you have to be in a
hurricane's path, it's best to be on the
left side. And remember: all of this gets
reversed if you're south of the Equator.
Do you have Louisiana questions? We've
got Louisianswers. I'm Chelsea Brasted with Latitude by NOLA.com.

Tropical Storm Gordon heads towards Gulf Coast This plane could cross the Atlantic in 3.5 hours. Why did it fail? The Great Pyramid Mystery Has Finally Been Solved President Donald Trump's border wall with Mexico takes shape 11 Scariest Things Caught By Drones This Incredible Animation Shows How Deep The Ocean Really Is Woman On 'Crossing Over' During Cardiac Arrest: I'm No Longer Afraid Of Death | Megyn Kelly TODAY Meet the Judge Who Went Viral For His Creative Punishments Jim Carrey Impressions of Kevin Bacon & Wile E. Coyote on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show 12 of the Worst Places to Live in the U.S.

Is one side of a hurricane worse than another?

Latest Posts