I need some mythbusting help

[Jim Cantore]

I'm writing a horror story for a school project and I picked using the imfamous cat 5 NYC hurricane disaster

I used some things that are questionable and I'm wondering if they are possible

1. surge undermines Empire State buildings foundation and causes it to collapse

2. Sand blasts going at 160mph stripping people to the bone

3. A huge rouge waves slams into lower Manhattan

4. 500,000 dead

5. 500 billion dollars in damage

if some of these are ridculously impossible please let me have it

[NCHurricane]

I think most of those are within the realm of possiblity (no matter how far out it may be).

Having never gone to NY, I'm not sure how close the Empire State Building is to open water. If it's close, then yes - plausible. If not, I think the buildings and structures between it and the water would lessen a surges' impact.

I think maybe the sandblasting of people to bone may be stretching it a little, but it makes for an awesome visual.

[Extremeweatherguy]

I am not sure if all of those are probable, but have you seen any horror movies lately? 99% of the things in them are not probable. For your stories sake, leave all those items in it. It will make it much more interesting and exciting. Sandblasting people to the bone. lol

[Jim Cantore]

The sandblasting I hear happened with the 1938 storm but I dont see it in a cat 2

[Jim Cantore]

heres my hurricanes path

[mike815]

thats a nasty path sandblasting people to the bone what lol

[Scorpion]

Impossible. No way it will maintain Cat 5 intensity, especially after going over part of New Jersey. It would be more realistic for it to be a Cat 3 at landfall, as it would still level much of NYC.

[Jim Cantore]

I have it moving from hattaras to NYC in 12 hours and its at 185 at hattaras

[mike815]

lol 185 geez thats one heck of a storm

[isobar]

Sandblasting in fact occurred in the 1935 Labor Day hurricane during estimated 200+ gusts.

[Jim Cantore]

I also note that in this particular story the water temps are 6-9 degrees above normal

[mike815]

yup thats tru i forgot that did occur and i just finished a great book on the 1935 storm called hemmingway's hurricane

[HurricaneBill]

I have it moving from hattaras to NYC in 12 hours and its at 185 at hattaras

Keep in mind, the faster it's moving, the more likely it will begin to undergo extratropical transition. That's what happened with Gloria in 1985.

[Derek Ortt]

the 1938 hurricane was a 5 east of hat. It weakened to a 105KT 3 in the 7 hours it took to reach Long Island

a 3 hitting NYC will devastate NJ, ALL of Long Island and Conn as well. Be prepared for dramatic changes of the American way of life after that as damage may reach into the trillions, and the deaths will likely be in the hundreds of thousands

[Scorpion]

the 1938 hurricane was a 5 east of hat. It weakened to a 105KT 3 in the 7 hours it took to reach Long Island

a 3 hitting NYC will devastate NJ, ALL of Long Island and Conn as well. Be prepared for dramatic changes of the American way of life after that as damage may reach into the trillions, and the deaths will likely be in the hundreds of thousands

How was it able to maintain Cat 5 intensity all the way up to Hat? Was it because its forward motion contributed to that windspeed?

[Jim Cantore]

I have actully 750,000 dead and 500,000 missing

[Derek Ortt]

gulfstream perhaps

[Matt-hurricanewatcher]

[Hurricanehink]

What about a Katrina that moved northward instead of westward? If there was enough room, could a Cat. 5 form over the Gulf Stream?

[milankovitch]

the 1938 hurricane was a 5 east of hat. It weakened to a 105KT 3 in the 7 hours it took to reach Long Island

a 3 hitting NYC will devastate NJ, ALL of Long Island and Conn as well. Be prepared for dramatic changes of the American way of life after that as damage may reach into the trillions, and the deaths will likely be in the hundreds of thousands

Trillions of dollars in damage? Hundereds of thousands dead? What study is that from, because that seems to be a GROSS exaggeration to me.