What Causes Rapid Intensification of a Hurricane?

Tropical storms and hurricanes feed off of the warmth of the water they pass over. When conditions are ideal, a hurricane can undergo rapid intensification. If you're in the path of a hurricane that is a category 3 storm, it's wise to plan for a category 4 impact for the safety of you and your household.

What Is Rapid Intensification?

A storm is considered to be in a state of rapid intensification when the wind speeds jump at least 35 mph in 24 hours. This 35 mph acceleration could mean the difference between a tropical storm and a hurricane.

Because this rapid wind speed increase raises both the risk of damage to structures on the shore and storm surge, a rapidly intensifying storm greatly increases hazards for citizens. An evacuation notice may be delayed; citizens may find that their address is suddenly within the evacuation zone.

Moving an entire city, such as New Orleans, Houston or Tallahassee, can take up to 72 hours. Rapid intensification of any storm puts city, county and state authorities in the difficult position of having to quickly move many people in a very short amount of time.