Hurricane Katrina, Now Category 5, May Bring Damage As Far North As Cleveland and Buffalo
Gasoline Production May Be Affected by Katrina; Flood Effects In New Orleans Could Last For Weeks
(State College, PA - August 28, 2005) - Powerful Category 5 Hurricane Katrina, now aimed at the Louisiana coast near New Orleans, also threatens residents in its path well north of the point of expected landfall, warned the AccuWeather.com Hurricane Center. Flooding and high wind gusts could reach as far north as Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and western New York.
"The effects of a storm as strong as Katrina will reach far inland," warned Ken Reeves, AccuWeather.com Director of Forecasting Operations. "Sadly, most of the deaths caused by hurricanes occur from inland flooding and far from the point of landfall." Katrina's Effects to Reach into Great Lakes States Following its landfall in Louisiana, Hurricane Katrina will move inland along a path that will take the center of the storm across eastern Mississippi, western Tennessee and Kentucky and north of the Ohio River. The remains of the hurricane are expected to end up over Indiana, Ohio and Pennsylvania by Wednesday. The rains from the hurricane potentially will reach into Michigan, western New York and parts of Canada. Overall, the inland effects of Katrina may impact parts of sixteen states.
"Katrina could easily produce rains of 4 to 8 inches in Mississippi, Alabama and the western parts of Tennessee and Kentucky, with some locations receiving up to 12 inches," said Reeves. "The good news is that the storm will move rapidly over land, so rainfall may not be as catastrophic as it could be. The bad news is that rapid storm movement means that strong wind gusts will reach further north."
Tornadoes spawned by the storm are likely in Alabama and the Florida panhandle on Monday, and possible in North Georgia, Eastern Tennessee and Eastern Kentucky on Tuesday. The storm may bring isolated tornadoes to West Virginia, Pennsylvania and New York by midweek. Wind gusts of up to 60 mph are likely in northern Mississippi and Alabama and in Tennessee and Kentucky, and winds of up to 45 mph may reach into West Virginia and southern Ohio.
Hurricane Katrina's Landfall Threatens Gasoline Production A major gasoline refinery in Pascagoula, MS is likely to experience wind gusts of 130 mph, posing a threat of major damage. Off-shore petroleum rigs have already been evacuated. Additional refineries near Lake Charles, LA may experience wind gusts up to 45 mph. "We warned Friday that this is a catastrophe in the making, and I still believe it," said Joe Bastardi, AccuWeathher.com Chief Hurricane Forecaster.
AccuWeather.com meteorologists expect Katrina to make landfall near noon local time on Monday. Residents of New Orleans should be particularly concerned. The city lies below sea level and is protected from normal tides and waves by levees. Katrina's huge storm surge will likely breach levees to the southeast of the city, and winds from the north will push the waters of Lake Pontchartrain over the levees on the north side. The resulting flooding may overwhelm the city's pumps and parts of the city could remain under water for days or weeks.
Storm surge will be a significant factor in Mobile Bay and in the resort areas on the Gulf Coast of Alabama and Mississippi. A storm surge of 13 to 18 feet is possible, locally over 25 feet. The storm surge which will accompany Katrina will be worsened by large waves driven on by the strong winds.
Typical Effects of a Category Five Storm As a Category 5 storm, Katrina poses the threat of what is officially described as catastrophic damage. Category 5 hurricanes pack winds of over 155 mph, with a storm surge typically in excess of 18 feet at the point of landfall. Similar in effect to an F3 or F4 tornado, a Category 5 hurricane typically causes destruction of mobile homes, severe damage to most other properties and felling of even the strongest trees along along its eye path in a swath up to 30 miles wide. While less severe, the effects of such a storm will also be felt up to hundreds of miles to the west and east of the storm. As the storm moves inland, its winds weaken, but rainfall, tornadoes and wind gusts caused by the storm remain a major threat.
When Hurricane Katrina made landfall in south Florida on Friday, it was a much weaker Category One hurricane with winds of only 80 mph. Nonetheless, it caused extensive damage over parts of South Florida and is blamed for at least nine deaths in the sunshine state.
Additional News Resources To speak with an AccuWeather.com Hurricane Center meteorologist about breaking weather news, contact 814-235-8710.
AccuWeather.com is offering breaking news videos of Tropical Storm Katrina, which will be filmed on-site from the storm's path. News Director Steve Penstone will be on location to provide the latest updates every 30-60 minutes starting on Thursday, August 25 and continuing through the duration of the storm. For Internet users, videos will be available on the home page of AccuWeather.com as well as in the Hurricane Center and on the News page. The videos will be also be available to wireless subscribers of Verizon Wireless' V CAST video service and the Sprint TV service.
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