Blowing Away Five Big Hurricane Myths
If you're not sure how to tell fact from meteorological fiction, read on as we shed some light on five familiar hurricane myths.
Hurricanes may be a way of life on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico, but since Katrina and Rita, no one takes them and the associated hurricane myths for granted anymore. A lot of people know better than to try to ride them out now, too.
Nevertheless, there are a few persistent myths that can get you and yours hurt -- or even killed -- if you accept them at face value. Let's take a closer look at five of the big ones, shall we?
Myth 1: Hurricanes only occur from June 1 to November 30.
Well, that's the official hurricane season, but Mother Nature has a tendency to ignore our calendars. This hurricane myth can be disproven by the fact that many known hurricanes and tropical storms have arisen well before or after traditional hurricane season.
For example, take Hurricane Zeta of January 2006. Though it never made landfall, it was officially the last hurricane of the 2005 season. Hurricane Lili came ashore in December 1984, and Tropical Storm Anna (remember her?) showed up in April 2003.
Myth 2: Hey, we already get high winds during thunderstorms. How much worse can a hurricane be?
Heh heh. Surely you jest. With the exception of the occasional tornadoes, thunderstorm winds rarely exceed 50 mph -- and those are rare gusts indeed. Sure, that's pretty fast, but it doesn't compare to the 110 mph of a Category 2 hurricane, and it only gets worse from there. That's no hurricane myth, sadly.
Moving right along, Category 3 hurricanes can have wind speeds up to 130 mph, with Category 4 storm winds booming along to 155 mph. Anything beyond that is considered a Category 5 storm. They're rare, but Category 5 winds have been clocked at speeds in excess of 200 miles per hour.
Myth 3: If I open up my windows as a hurricane approaches, I'll equalize the interior and exterior air pressure, and my house won't get damaged.
We've already covered this idea as it applies to tornadoes, and frankly, it's a hurricane myth, too. Take a look at our tornado answer here.
Myth 4: It's safe to go outside in the eye of the storm.
Even though the winds die back when the eye passes over, you have no way of knowing when they'll kick in again (from the opposite direction, yet). Plus, damaged roofs and trees may take the opportunity to fall on you, and of course the scattered debris on the ground will provide quite the obstacle course.
Myth 5: Taping my windows will keep them from breaking.
Actually, it won't -- it'll just keep the fragments from scattering inside your home or business. If you really want to keep windows from breaking, don't bother taping them; just nail some plywood over them. It needs to be at least 5/8 inches to be effective. Shutters can also be effective in shutting out this hurricane myth.
