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Understanding Hurricanes and How Metal Buildings Can Help
21Jun 2021Metal Buildings

Understanding Hurricanes and How Metal Buildings Can Help

Understanding Hurricanes and How Metal Buildings Can Help

The United States, particularly in the south and in Florida, has an extensive and devastating history with hurricanes. Galveston, Texas, was nearly destroyed when The Great Storm of 1900 made landfall. Between 6,000 and 12,000 people were killed, with sustained wind speeds of 145 miles per hour.

Florida has been hit with 41% of recorded hurricanes since 1851, with Texas coming in second place. Hurricane season runs from June 1 through November due to warmer ocean temperatures and cooler air temperatures. This creates the perfect environment for hurricanes to form.

Preparing for 2021: Hurricane Predictions

The National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicts a busy hurricane season for 2021 due to the warmer than usual ocean temperatures. They are forecasting six to 10 hurricanes this coming hurricane season. Storms become hurricanes when wind speeds reach 74 miles per hour or higher. Major hurricanes have wind speeds of 111 miles per hour, and NOAA predicts three to five of these.

Forecasters predict these storms and hurricanes to occur mainly in the Atlantic ocean, the Caribbean Sea, and the Gulf of Mexico. Due to the La Nina weather pattern, including warmer ocean temperatures, meteorologists predict another major hurricane season this year with a higher than average chance of landfall in the Caribbean and the United States coastline.

Barometric Pressure Affects Hurricane Strength

• Measure of Air Pressure

Barometric pressure is the measure of the weight, or pressure, of air. While it is hard to understand that air has weight, it actually does. The air closest to the ground receives pressure and weight from the higher air in the atmosphere. When the air in the atmosphere shifts, that creates a change in air pressure, measured by a barometer, hence the term barometric pressure.

• Decreasing Barometric Pressure

When barometric pressure drops, this indicates an approaching storm. The faster the pressure drops, this can signal an increase in storm strength. The farther the pressure drops, the stronger the storm.

• Measurement of Barometric Pressure

Meteorologists measure barometric pressure in minibars, with 1013.2 considered an average number. In recent history, devastating hurricanes had recorded minibars of well under 1000, with Hurricane Wilma in 2005 reaching 882 millibars. Hurricane Katrina, also in 2005, measured 902 millibars and Hurricane Sandy in 2012 reached 940 millibars.

Hurricane Categories

Meteorologists measure hurricanes not by the highest wind speed reached but by sustained wind speed throughout. When the barometric pressure falls, the wind speed increases, which is why quickly dropping and extremely low barometric pressure is directly related to strong and potentially devastating hurricanes.

We measure hurricanes according to the New Saffir Simpson Hurricane Scale;

Tropical Depression - 38 mph or less Tropical Storm - 39-73 mph Category 1 - 74-95 mph Category 2 - 96-110 mph Category 3 - 111-129 mph Category 4 - 130-156 mph Category 5 - 157 mph or greater

Metal Buildings Come to the Rescue

1. Unmatched Strength

Steel is an incredibly strong construction material with a high strength-to-weight ratio. This means that while steel is lightweight, that does not decrease the strength of steel as a building material.

2. Lighter than Wood

While 100 pounds of steel weighs the same as 100 pounds of wood, steel is much stronger than wood, so much less material is required when constructing a building out of steel. This reduction in weight means a lighter building, lower building costs, and less labor needed for construction.

3. Versatile

You forge steel using heat, so it does not lose strength when you need to reshape it. It is heated and bent into whatever shape or form is needed. When you need to reshape wood, material must be removed, ultimately weakening its structure. Because steel is incredibly strong, less material is needed making it a versatile and easily customized material.

4. Sustainable

Wood is a raw material that must be harvested, measured, and cut to be used for construction projects. Steel, however, is recycled and reformed that can be reused again and again without losing its structural integrity. Steel is the ultimate form of recycling!

5. Steel Saves Money

While on the surface, steel appears to be more expensive than wood, in the long run, it will save money. A steel building will last much longer than wood and will withstand damaging storms as well. You do not need to repair or replace them nearly as frequently as other building materials, saving a tremendous amount of money in the long run.

Build Your Hurricane-Resistant Metal Building with Coast to Coast Carports Today!

Coast to Coast Carports offers customized metal buildings with delivery across the USA. With the hurricane season rapidly approaching, quick delivery is an important factor for getting your metal building completed.

2020 was a record-breaking year for the number of Hurricanes recorded in the United States. In total, meteorologists recorded 14 hurricanes, with seven hitting wind speeds of over 111 miles per hour. Damages were over $51 billion. The NOAA is predicting an equally devastating hurricane year in 2021, which is a sobering thought.

Prepare now for hurricane season with a hurricane-resistant building. Contact Coast to Coast Carports, the experts in high-quality metal buildings, to help you secure your next steel structure. Call today at (866) 681-7846.

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