PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC
SUN MAY 20 2007

THIS IS NATIONAL HURRICANE AWARENESS WEEK. IT IS TIME FOR YOU TO 
PREPARE FOR ANOTHER HURRICANE SEASON. HURRICANE SEASON BEGINS EACH 
YEAR ON JUNE 1ST AND ENDS NOVEMBER 30TH. BEING PREPARED CAN MAKE A 
BIG DIFFERENCE IN YOUR ABILITY TO COPE WITH THESE VIOLENT STORMS.

TODAYS TOPIC IS A GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF HURRICANES. HURRICANES ARE 
INTENSE TROPICAL WEATHER SYSTEMS WITH A WELL DEFINED CIRCULATION AND 
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS OF 74 MPH (64 KNOTS) OR HIGHER. PACIFIC 
HURRICANES ARE CALLED TYPHOONS AND IN THE INDIAN OCEAN THEY ARE 
CALLED CYCLONES.

THE COMBINATION OF WARM OCEAN WATER AND A WIND PATTERN THAT SPIRALS 
INWARD ARE FAVORABLE FOR HURRICANE FORMATION. THE CENTER...OR EYE OF 
A HURRICANE IS RELATIVELY CALM. THE MOST VIOLENT ACTIVITY TAKES 
PLACE IN THE EYE WALL CLOUDS IMMEDIATELY AROUND THE EYE. 

HURRICANE INTENSITY IS CATEGORIZED ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE BY 
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WIND RANGES. A CATEGORY 1 HURRICANE IS THE LEAST 
INTENSE AND A CAT 5 IS THE MOST INTENSE. ROUGHLY SPEAKING...THE WIND 
IN A CATEGORY 2 HURRICANE CAN BE TWICE AS STRONG AS A CATEGORY 
1...AND IN A CATEGORY 3...THE WIND CAN BE 3 TIMES AS STRONG AS IN A 
CATEGORY 1 HURRICANE.

SINCE SIR FRANCIS DRAKE WAS STRUCK IN THE 16TH CENTURY...HURRICANES 
HAVE A LONG AND VIOLENT RECORDED HISTORY ALONG THE CAROLINA COAST. 
MORE RECENTLY...HUGO...FRAN...FLOYD AND OTHERS HAVE CAUSED BILLIONS 
OF DOLLARS OF DAMAGE...MORE THAN 100 HUNDRED DEATHS...AND UNTOLD 
SUFFERING. ALONG THE EAST COAST OF THE UNITED STATES...THE CAROLINAS 
ARE SECOND ONLY TO FLORIDA IN HURRICANE LANDFALLS.