Heather
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OK, a friend's 4 th grade daughter has homework with this question:
What is the largest hurricane in US history?
Don't know if it's size they want to know-sounds like it.
Anyone know?? Thanks!
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Clark
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It's really, really tough to categorize "size" for hurricanes, mainly because we don't have those records before the satellite era in many cases. Intensity-wise, the strongest in terms of wind speed to hit the US is Camille (190mph); the strongest in terms of pressure was the 1935 Fl. Keys hurricane (892mb).
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Tazmanian93
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If they are asking miles covered (largest) would it not be based on the info captured to date? I thought at landfall covered about 1108 miles?
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SkeetoBite
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In terms of overall size, last year I read that it was estimated that Hurricane Floyd covered an area of approximately 84,000 square miles. This is much larger than most states in America, in fact, I think only 11 or 12 states are larger in total area. I'll search around for the source.
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Clark
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To follow up on others mentioning Floyd, I do recall that Floyd prompted the largest evacuation (# of people-wise) in US history at the time -- however, I do not know if this has since been surpassed by or another storm.
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Heather
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Thanks everyone, who would've thought 4th grade would be so tough?!  
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Lysis
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SuperTyphoon Tip is supposed to be the largest, and debatably most intense cyclone for any basin (1350 miles in diameter –in the NW pacific), so if you want to give her ‘mad props’ from her peers, you can equip her with that info as well. Also, stress the fact that girth is not in any way indicative of strength. Some of the strongest land-falling hurricanes in US history have all been, size wise, meteorological pipsqueaks in comparison to some of their larger brethren. is obviously a horrible exception.
Funny Floyd story: I remember my school in Miami being (fortunately it was needlessly) cancelled due to Floyd. We were all very happy for this, as it was the height of ‘sex ed’ week in middle school.
Pertinent visual size comparison between Andrew, and a weaker albiet much larger Floyd, reiterating what I was talking about above:
http://www.noaa.gov/images/hurr-floydandrew-compare.jpg
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cheers
Edited by Lysis (Wed Sep 14 2005 08:56 PM)
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Kevin
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Quote:
Thanks everyone, who would've thought 4th grade would be so tough?!
Actually, the question is horrible in design. Largest in size? Largest as far as damage goes? Largest in overall effects?
Is the answer supposed to be in a textbook?
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