cat 4 or 5 question

[kba981]

here is my question i live in palm beach county florida. about 20 to 25 miles from the coast line if we were to get a cat 4 or 5 should i leave ? already will send my wife and kids but could i stay? to hopefully protect and repair if needed i personally would like to any suggestions would be great already been through francis, jeanne and wilma getting pretty use to it now i know the risk but would you guys stay tim

[Scorpion]

A Cat 4 or 5 would put your house in jeopardy. I would leave unless you are a hardcore hurricane enthusiast who wants to experience such power. It is no
situation for a family to be in, I can say that.

[HurricaneHunter914]

Definitly no. Living on the coast is bad. That is why my family lives in Sanford, the hurricanes are a little less destructive so you can enjoy the thrill of hurricanes a little bit easier.

[meteorologyman]

I have to agree with Scorpion

lets put this in perspective

Cat 4= winds up to approx 135 to 155 sustained (gusts up to 170 lets say) surge up to 14-18 ft or higher depending on gust, and thier could be inland flooding, especially if you live near a lake

Cat5= winds 155 or greater surge up to 18ft or greater (gusts up to 175 to 190)

both cat4 and cat 5 could throw vehicles like toys, if your planning on leaving a vehicle with you for your own transportation after the storm passes, well.... chances are it will land on your or somebody elses house unless its in the garage

also do you have any trees around your home, if you do that could spell BIG TROUBLE

TORNADOS could be a problem for ALL TROPICAL CYCLONES

[kba981]

thanks for the suggestions will really need to think about this for awhile

[meteorologyman]

How long have you been living in florida kba981

[Derek Ortt]

you're 25 miles from the coast. You should NOT be evacuating, unless you are in a flood zone. A Hurricane will lose 1 to 2 categories before it even makes it to you

Unless you ar ein a mobile home, or in a home that is very poorly constructued, hunker down in an interior room during a hurricane. For a Wilma at its record peak, then it may be a differnet issue, but those ar every few and very far between

[Scorpion]

However if it is a hurricane with a large core then parts of the eye could be over water and he can still be getting the eyewall.

[kba981]

i am in a cbs home with a new roof not in a flood zone thanks derek ps keep up the great work and post that ya do

[wxman57]

Storm surge won't be as much of a problem on the east coast of Florida. Even a Cat 4-5 won't produce a surge over about 10 feet. This is due to the very deep water just offshore. So 20-25 miles inland you'll be quite safe from any storm surge. Winds are another issue. A hurricane's winds will drop about 1 category or a little more in that distance inland.

The real problem is that you're going to have to make the decision to leave 2-3 days BEFORE you know how strong the hurricane will be at landfall. Remember that Wilma went from a TS to a Cat 5 in 24 hours? Rita took 36 hours to go from TS to Cat 5. You will have had to make the decision to leave long before 24-36 hours to landfall.

Bottom line, 2-3 days out (when you have to make the decision to evacuate or not), even a TS can become a Cat 3-4-5 before it reaches you. So you have to decide whether you'll evacuate for ANY storm 2-3 days out. That is, unless you know with great certainty that there is no chance of rapid intensification. Wilma's rapid intensification wasn't expected, by the way.

If your home is well-built and you have sturdy shutters and a windowless interior room, then you might ride out a hurricane there. A landfalling Cat 4-5 will probably put Cat 2-3 winds into your home, though. That's enough to cause considerable structural damage, perhaps loss of your roof and some walls. Is there a secure shelter in your area where you could get to in a short time?

[kba981]

been in south florida for 20 years and all trees were taken down last year

[meteorologyman]

Derek Ortt I might have to disagree with you just a bit thier

The way hurricanes have been lately they have been survivng a lot longer than usual inland, Charley was a Cat 4 when it hit land it was in Ocseola county as a Cat 3, an I am a good 50-100 mile from landfall, I lost both sheds and a tree, also I had roof damage their are water spots on my roof and it is becoming very unstable and I do live in a regular home

[JPmia]

I agree Derek. Think about this...when will you evacuate? 3 days before? 2? 1? You know how it works, you really only know a hurricane is about to hit about 1-2 days in advance; and sometimes 1 day. My fear is that I will try to evacuate and cannot because me and about 2 million other South Floridians are on the road at the same time. My fear of staying home is not only losing the house, but the cars (don't have a garage). If I lose both, then what? I'm stranded. Most people don't think about it, but imagine losing your home and also your car. How will you get food, water, repair materials. Something to think about.

[Audrey2Katrina]

I have ridden out major storms, and can assure you that were I more than 20-30 miles inland from any coastal/flood areas, I'd do it again--providing I were in a sturdy home, AND no trees were within "fall on your house" distance--those things can and have been--killers. As far as tornados, you run that risk if you're 200 miles away from the landfall--IMO it'd be like running from a thunderstorm because lightning might strike your house. I feel such a storm would be a 3 at best while coming over that area, and like I said earlier... a sturdy home with no big trees to topple on it would be safe if you hunkered down for the ride in an interior room with no windows... at least that's MY opinion. The mass evacuations of hundreds of thousands, if not millions of folks who do NOT live in a flood zone, or even within 15-20 miles of the coast is something I just don't think is necessary, sets off unnecessary alarms, and has the potential to set up a rather dangerous scenario in and of itself.

Just my 2 cents... I speak for no one but myself, here; but that's how I'd view it.

A2K

[CHRISTY]

been in south florida for 20 years and all trees were taken down last year

hard to believe wilma was only a cat 1 maybe 2 here in miami.

[Jim Cantore]

For a category 5 anyone within 30 miles of the coast who stays to ride it out is insane and anyone within 5 miles of the coast has signed their own death certificate.

[kba981]

For a category 5 anyone within 30 miles of the coast who stays to ride it out is insane and anyone within 5 miles of the coast has signed their own death certificate.

well then i guess i am insane then will not leave my home

[Jim Cantore]

For a category 5 anyone within 30 miles of the coast who stays to ride it out is insane and anyone within 5 miles of the coast has signed their own death certificate.

well then i guess i am insane then will not leave my home

I hope you have a dome home or a bomb shelter

[Normandy]

here is my question i live in palm beach county florida. about 20 to 25 miles from the coast line if we were to get a cat 4 or 5 should i leave ? already will send my wife and kids but could i stay? to hopefully protect and repair if needed i personally would like to any suggestions would be great already been through francis, jeanne and wilma getting pretty use to it now i know the risk but would you guys stay tim

Absolutely.
Let put a Katrina size hurricane, 30 mile wide eye, cat4 hurricane on a course for your house at a speed of 15 mph. By the time the hurricane makes official landfall (center of eye crossing the coast), the eyewall will be a mere 5-10 miles from your house. in 40 mins to an hour, its over your house. I would think that a 145 mph hurricane will not drop to a 110 cat2 40 mins after landfall. thats just one scenario, you could have a charley sized storm moving really slow, and in that case yes you probably wouldnt need to evacuate. But still, i would play it safe.

[Extremeweatherguy]

You would need to consider the following things:

-How long can you go without power?
-How long can you go without water?
-Do you have large trees around your home?
-Was your home properly built?

If you do not mind no power and no water (both of which would likely be gone after a Cat. 4/5 landfall for many days or weeks), then it may not be such a bad idea to stay. If you NEED power and water, however, I would get out of there. Also, if you have large trees around your home or your home is poorly built I would get out of there as well. Another thing to consider would be the storms speed. A Category 5 hurricane that is moving at a speed of, let's say, 25mph will reach you in an hour or less and could still be a steady Cat. 4 at your home. If it is a Weaker Cat. 4 moving at, let's say, 5mph then it would probably only be a Cat. 1/2 once it reached your area. If it was slow moving, however, then inland flooding could be a problem. Overall I would say that it really depends on the situation and your tolerance to having no power and water on whether or not you shoudl leave.