Hurricane Katrina | The Largest Hurricane of a Larger Season
Hurricane Katrina broke multiple records and may be the most well-known hurricane because of some factors. Learn more here…
Hurricane Katrina was a major hurricane that set several records that still hold the title today. It reached incredible strength and kept that strength for a long time. There is so much information to know about Katrina. In this post, you will learn about this hurricane across several topics including the floodscauses by the levees breaking, financial losses, and more.
This post is all about Hurricane Katrina.
Deadly Katrina
Hurricane Katrina’s Wind Speeds
The first section of this post will be about Katrina’s wind speeds. The max wind speed rating of the hurricane was Category 5 hurricane, with winds of 175 mph in the Gulf of Mexico. It did not make landfall as a Category 5 hurricane, though. The reason why will be said later in the post.
Hurricane Katrina Storm Surge
One of the most surprising records of Hurricane Katrina is the storm surge. The storm surge approached 28 feet at its maximum near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. This beat the record at the time and still holds the record for the highest officially recorded storm surge. Storm surge was the main factor in making this hurricane tied for the costliest ever recorded in the U.S.
Hurricane Katrina Damage
The damage caused by Katrina was record-breaking, with $125 billion in damages due to the hurricane. It was the costliest at the time until Hurricane Harvey hit in 2017 and tied with it. One factor that caused a lot of the damage was the levees breaking, spilling into the streets of many neighborhoods, and damaging blocks and blocks of them, as pictured below. It is still tied with Harvey as the costliest hurricane to land in the United States today.
Hurricane Katrina Levee Breaking
The number one reason there was so much damage from this hurricane was because the levees broke from the extreme height of the storm surge. They broke between 4:30 and 5:00 AM, around 1 1/2 hours before the hurricane made landfall. Up to 80% of New Orleans was flooded with water with some places having water very high, as shown in the photo. Famous images of the hurricane’s aftermath included people on the roofs of their residents because the water was too high for them to stay on the first floor.
It’s Eyewall Replacement Cycle
The last section of this post will discuss what Hurricane Katrina went through during its journey through the Gulf of Mexico. While it was in the Gulf, it went through a phase of its life called an eyewall replacement cycle. The hurricane weakens a bit in intensity but grows in size. That resulted in Katrina going from a Cat. 5 with 175 mph winds, to a Cat. 3 with 125 mph winds when it made landfall a second time. The outcome could’ve been much different if it didn’t go through an eyewall replacement cycle, potentially making it more dangerous. But since it grew, it reached more areas, which is also dangerous.
