NE Quadrant Question

[deb_in_nc]

Say a hurricane is coming from the West or SW striking the FL west coast.
Is the NE Quadrant still going to be the strongest? Are there any exceptions.

Thanks guys,
Debbie

[vbhoutex]

There basically are not exceptions. The NE quadrant of the TC is almost always the strongest in the Atlantic Basin, no matter which direction the storm is heading.
Part of the reason for this is that because the system is rotating counterclockwise the winds to the E and NE of the center have the added component of the storms forward speed to increase their force whereas it is the opposite on the W side of the center of circulation.
In the scenario you present there is the possibility/probability that as the storm comes onshore that the bad conditions would extend further S than normal, especially the Storm Surge.

[deb_in_nc]

Thanks, David. I just wasn't sure if the direction it was coming from would make a difference or not.

Debbie

[ColdFront77]

Great explanation, David.

I would just like to add that in the southern hemisphere the exact opposite is true... as you may know low pressure systems over and in the same latitude as Australia spin clockwise, rather than counterclockwise and the southwesterern quadrant of the storm is usually the most intense quadrant of the tropical cyclone.