Tables


Table 1
Maximum sustained wind speed, minimum surface pressure, storm surge, and general damaging effects for the five Saffir-Simpson (Simpson 1974) Hurricane Scale values. The last column provides a relative value for median of normalized U.S. hurricane damages per category. A Category 1 hurricane - scaled a "1" in the table - had a median damage of $33 million (Pielke and Landsea 1998). Note how in the table the median damages go up enormously with increasing category of hurricane.
Saffir-
Simpson
Category
Maximum
Sustained
Wind Speed (m s-1)
Minimum
Surface
Pressure (mb)
Storm
Surge
(m)
Relative Value
and Damaging
Effects
1 33 to 42 > 980 1.0 to 1.7 1 - Minimal
2 43 to 49 979 to 965 1.8 to 2.6 10 - Moderate
3 50 to 58 964 to 945 2.7 to 3.8 50 - Extensive
4 59 to 69 944 to 920 3.9 to 5.6 250 - Extreme
5 > 69 < 920 > 5.6 500 - Catastrophic

Table 2
Summary of the twelve upper-air stations used for the August through October index of 200 mb zonal winds for the Caribbean. Listed along with the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) number is the station name and coordinates.
WMO
number
Station Latitude Longitiude
76644Merida, Mexico21.0°N 89.5°W
78367 Guantanamo, Cuba 19.9°N 75.2°W
78384 Roberts Field, Grand Cayman 19.3°N81.3°W
78397 Kingston, Jamaica 17.9°N76.8°W
78501 Swan Island 17.4°N83.9°
78526 San Juan, Puerto Rico18.4°N66.0°W
78806 Balboa, Canal Zone 8.8°N79.6°W
78866 St. Martin 18.1°N63.1°W
78954 Seawell, Barbados 13.1°N59.5°W
78970 Piarco, Trinidad 10.6°N61.4°W
78988 Curacao 12.2°N69.0°W
80001 San Andres Island, Columbia 12.6°N81.7°W

Table 3
Trends in Atlantic all-basin tropical cyclone indices.
Trends calculated for the years 1944-1996 for the all-basin activity and the Caribbean hurricanes, 1899-1996 for the U.S. landfalling hurricanes, and 1925-1996 for the normalized U.S. tropical cyclone damages.
Tropical
Cyclone Index
Linear Correlation
Coefficient (r)
Regression
Coefficient
Named/Subtropical Storms +0.02 +0.04 per decade
Hurricanes -0.11 -0.17 per decade
Intense Hurricanes -0.23 ** -0.23 per decade
Hurricane Days -0.18 * -1.63 days per decade
Mean Intensity -0.26 ** -1.34 ms-1 per decade
Peak Intensity -0.04 -0.45 ms-1 per decade
Northern Named/Subtropical Storms +0.25 ** +0.34 per decade
Southern Named/Subtropical Storms -0.15 -0.30 per decade
Caribbean Hurricanes -0.19 ** -0.15 per decade
U.S. Hurricanes -0.07 -0.04 per decade
U.S. East Coast Intense Hurricanes -0.02 0.00 per decade
U.S. Gulf Coast Intense Hurricanes -0.06 -0.01 per decade
U.S. Normalized Tropical Cyclone Damage -0.14 -$728 Million per decade
Trends significant at the 0.01 level are indicated by "***", at the 0.05 level by "**", and at the 0.10 level by "*".

Table 4
Quartile mean (median for U.S. normalized damages) differences (top 25% versus the bottom 25%) of a variety of environmental factors versus Atlantic tropical cyclone activity indices. The first value listed (or only value if just one is provided) shows the quartile differences for the period of 1950-1996 to allow a comparison of all factors based upon the same time period.
Tropical Cyclone
Index
ASO Niño3.4 ASO Caribbean
SSTs 200 hPa Zonal Winds
(1950-1990 Mean) (La Niña/El Niño) (Easterlies/Westerlies)
Named/Subtropical Storms (9.8) 11.6/8.5 *** 11.2/7.9 ***
Hurricanes (5.8) 6.7/4.9 *** 7.3/4.2 ***
Intense Hurricanes (2.2) 3.2/1.3 *** 3.6/1.2 ***
Hurricane Days (23.7) 29.9/19.1 *** 35.0/13.1 ***
Mean Intensity (39.0) 39.7/37.3 *** 40.5/37.1 ***
Peak Intensity (63.1) 65.4/58.8 *** 62.8/59.8 ***
Northern Named/Subtropical Storms (4.9) 5.8/5.1 * 4.2/4.8
Southern Named/Subtropical Storms (4.9) 5.8/3.4 *** 7.0/3.1 ***
Caribbean Hurricanes (1.1) 1.7/0.8 *** 2.0/0.5 ***
U.S. Hurricanes (1.7 [1899-1996: 1.8]) 2.0/1.1 *** (1899-1996: 2.4/1.0 ***) 2.2/1.3 ***
U.S. East Coast Intense Hurricanes (0.32 [1899-1996: 0.36]) 0.58/0.08 *** (1899-1996: 0.33/0.04 ***) 0.58/0 ***
U.S. Gulf Coast Intense Hurricanes (0.32 [1899-1996: 0.36]) 0.33/0.25 (1899-1996: 0.45/0.28 **) 0.17/0.42 ***
U.S. Normalized Damage ($361 [1925-96: $1,065]) $2,358/$691 (1925-96: $3,526/$1,049 **) $1,680/$1,418
Tropical Cyclone
Index
ASO Stratospheric ASO Caribbean
QBO Sea Level Pressures
(1950-1990 Mean) (West Phase/East Phase) (Low/High)
Named/Subtropical Storms (9.8) 11.8/8.8 *** 12.4/7.9 ***
Hurricanes (5.8) 7.3/5.1 *** 8.2/4.3 ***
Intense Hurricanes (2.2) 3.6/1.7 *** 3.7/1.1 ***
Hurricane Days (23.7) 35.2/17.2 *** 39.1/13.3 ***
Mean Intensity (39.0) 41.0/38.1 *** 41.5/37.0 ***
Peak Intensity (63.1) 68.4/59.8 *** 68.9/58.1 ***
Northern Named/Subtropical Storms (4.9) 5.8/4.8 ** 4.0/5.0
Southern Named/Subtropical Storms (4.9) 6.0/4.0 *** 8.4/2.9 ***
Caribbean Hurricanes (1.1) 1.6/1.1 * 2.4/0.4 ***
U.S. Hurricanes (1.7 [1899-1996: 1.8]) 2.5/1.7 ** 2.2/1.1 ***
U.S. East Coast Intense Hurricanes (0.32 [1899-1996: 0.36]) 0.33/0.33 0.50/0.17
U.S. Gulf Coast Intense Hurricanes (0.32 [1899-1996: 0.36]) 0.58/0.25 *** 0.25/0.42 *
U.S. Normalized Damage ($361 [1925-96: $1,065]) $2,712/$2,256 $3,250/$902 *
Tropical Cyclone
Index
ASO Tropical North JJAS West Sahel
Atlantic SSTs Rainfall
(1950-1990 Mean) (Warm/Cool) (Wet/Dry)
Named/Subtropical Storms (9.8) 11.3/8.2 ** 10.7/8.1 ***
Hurricanes (5.8) 7.2/5.1 ** 7.5/4.2 ***
Intense Hurricanes (2.2) 3.0/1.7 ** 3.2/0.9 ***
Hurricane Days (23.7) 31.9/21.0 * 34.8/10.8 ***
Mean Intensity (39.0) 39.9/38.9 42.8/36.5 ***
Peak Intensity (63.1) 66.1/62.4 68.0/55.8 ***
Northern Named/Subtropical Storms (4.9) 3.3/5.3 *** 4.2/5.4
Southern Named/Subtropical Storms (4.9) 8.0/3.7 *** 6.4/2.7 ***
Caribbean Hurricanes (1.1) 1.8/0.8 * 1.9/0.2 ***
U.S. Hurricanes (1.7 [1899-1996: 1.8]) 1.5/1.8 (1899-1996: 1.8/1.7) 2.2/1.0 ** (1899-1996: 2.0/1.3 ***)
U.S. East Coast Intense Hurricanes (0.32 [1899-1996: 0.36]) 0.33/0.42 (1899-1996: 0.46/0.29) 0.83/0.08 ** (1899-1996: 0.62/0.12 ***)
U.S. Gulf Coast Intense Hurricanes (0.32 [1899-1996: 0.36]) 0.25/0.42 (1899-1996: 0.42/0.17) 0.33/0.25 (1899-1996: 0.46/0.29 **)
U.S. Normalized Damage ($361 [1925-96: $1,065]) $541/$1685 (1925-96: $1453/$1534) $5,092/$232 * (1925-96: $1,996/$682)
Differences significant at the 0.01 level are indicated by "***", at the 0.05 level by "**", and at the 0.10 level by "*". Significance levels are adjusted to account for any serial correlation (Reid et al. (1989).


Table 5
Linear correlation coefficients (r) of a variety of environmental factors versus Atlantic tropical cyclone activity indices. The first value listed (or only value if just one is provided) shows the correlation for the period of 1950-1996 to allow a comparison of all factors based upon the same time period.
Tropical Cyclone Index ASO Niño3.4 ASO Caribbean
(1950-1990 Mean) SSTs 200 hPa Zonal Winds
Named/Subtropical Storms (9.8) -0.33 ** -0.45 ***
Hurricanes (5.8) -0.30 ** -0.56 ***
Intense Hurricanes (2.2) -0.40 *** -0.62 ***
Hurricane Days (23.7) -0.28 ** -0.60 ***
Mean Intensity (39.0) -0.30 ** -0.38 ***
Peak Intensity (63.1) -0.25 * -0.25 *
Northern Named/Subtropical Storms (4.9) -0.14 0.15
Southern Named/Subtropical Storms (4.9) -0.24 * -0.57 ***
Caribbean Hurricanes (1.1) -0.29 ** -0.47 ***
U.S. Hurricanes (1.7 [1899-1996: 1.8]) -0.15 (1899-1996: -0.30 ***) -0.24 *
U.S. East Coast Intense Hurricanes (0.32 [1899-1996: 0.36]) -0.22 (1899-1996: -0.20 **) -0.25 *
U.S. Gulf Coast Intense Hurricanes (0.32 [1899-1996: 0.36]) -0.16 (1899-1996: -0.16) 0.11
U.S. Normalized Damage ($361 [1925-96: $1,065]) 0.00 (1925-96: -0.04) 0.00
Tropical Cyclone Index ASO Stratospheric ASO Caribbean
(1950-1990 Mean) QBO Sea Level Pressures
Named/Subtropical Storms (9.8) 0.42 *** -0.56 ***
Hurricanes (5.8) 0.41 *** -0.62 ***
Intense Hurricanes (2.2) 0.39 *** -0.59 ***
Hurricane Days (23.7) 0.46 *** -0.64 ***
Mean Intensity (39.0) 0.17 -0.41 ***
Peak Intensity (63.1) 0.23 -0.44 ***
Northern Named/Subtropical Storms (4.9) 0.15 0.06
Southern Named/Subtropical Storms (4.9) 0.33 ** -0.62 ***
Caribbean Hurricanes (1.1) 0.19 -0.54 ***
U.S. Hurricanes (1.7 [1899-1996: 1.8]) 0.14 -0.27 *
U.S. East Coast Intense Hurricanes (0.32 [1899-1996: 0.36]) -0.10 -0.10
U.S. Gulf Coast Intense Hurricanes (0.32 [1899-1996: 0.36]) 0.24 * 0.03
U.S. Normalized Damage ($361 [1925-96: $1,065]) -0.23 * -0.03
Tropical Cyclone Index ASO Tropical North JJAS West Sahel
(1950-1990 Mean) Atlantic SSTs Rainfall
Named/Subtropical Storms (9.8) 0.42 *** 0.30 **
Hurricanes (5.8) 0.38 *** 0.51 ***
Intense Hurricanes (2.2) 0.29 ** 0.52 ***
Hurricane Days (23.7) 0.33 ** 0.59 ***
Mean Intensity (39.0) 0.05 0.52 ***
Peak Intensity (63.1) 0.16 0.35 **
Northern Named/Subtropical Storms (4.9) -0.32 ** -0.21
Southern Named/Subtropical Storms (4.9) 0.56 *** 0.45 ***
Caribbean Hurricanes (1.1) 0.24 0.45 ***
U.S. Hurricanes (1.7 [1899-1996: 1.8]) 0.02 (1899-1996: 0.07) 0.28 * (1899-1996: 0.21 **)
U.S. East Coast Intense Hurricanes (0.32 [1899-1996: 0.36]) 0.00 (1899-1996: 0.11) 0.40 *** (1899-1996: 0.23 **)
U.S. Gulf Coast Intense Hurricanes (0.32 [1899-1996: 0.36]) -0.10 (1899-1996: 0.07) -0.03 (1899-1996: 0.09)
U.S. Normalized Damage ($361 [1925-96: $1,065]) -0.04 (1925-96: 0.07) 0.07 (1925-96: 0.07)
Correlations significant at the 0.01 level are indicated by "***", at the 0.05 level by "**", and at the 0.10 level by "*".
Significance levels are adjusted to account for any serial correlation (Reid et al. (1989)).

Table 6
Mean (median for U.S. normalized damage) values for Atlantic tropical cyclone activity based upon Atlantic Multidecadal Mode variations. Differences between warm North Atlantic (all years) and cold North Atlantic (all years) are tested for significance in the last column.
Tropical Cyclone Index Cold North Warm North Cold North Warm North Cold North Significance
(Years available)1899-1925 1926-70 1971-94 All Years All Years
Named/Subtropical Storms (1944-94) - 9.9 9.2 9.9 9.2
Hurricanes (1944-94) - 6.2 5.0 6.2 5.0 **
Intense Hurricanes (1944-94) - 2.7 1.5 2.7 1.5 ***
Hurricane Days (1944-94) - 27.7 16.5 27.7 16.5 ***
Mean Intensity (1944-94) - 39.5 37.4 39.5 37.4 *
Peak Intensity (1944-94) - 62.5 62.0 62.5 62.0
Northern Named/Subtropical Storms (1944-94) - 4.0 5.3 4.0 5.3 **
Southern Named/Subtropical Storms (1944-94) - 5.9 3.9 5.9 3.9 ***
Caribbean Hurricanes (1944-94) - 1.5 0.5 1.5 0.5 ***
U.S. Hurricanes (1899-1994) 1.7 2.1 1.4 2.1 1.6 *
U.S. East Coast Intense Hurricanes (1899-1994) 0.22 0.53 0.17 0.53 0.20 **
U.S. Gulf Coast Intense Hurricanes (1899-1994) 0.41 0.36 0.29 0.36 0.35
U.S. Normalized Damage (1925-94) $0 $1,747 $528 $1,747 $317
Differences significant at the 0.01 level are indicated by "***", at the 0.05 level by "**", and at the 0.10 level by "*".


Table 7
Correlations of normalized U.S. hurricane damages versus indices of Atlantic basin hurricane activity. Correlations are calculated for the years 1944-1996 for the all-basin activity and the Caribbean hurricanes and 1925-1996 for the U.S. landfalling hurricanes.
Tropical
Cyclone Index
Linear Correlation
Coefficient (r)
Named/Subtropical Storms 0.00
Hurricanes +0.12
Intense Hurricanes +0.08
Hurricane Days +0.15
Mean Intensity +0.26 **
Peak Intensity +0.21 *
Northern Named/Subtropical Storms 0.00
Southern Named/Subtropical Storms +0.02
Caribbean Hurricanes +0.16
U.S. Hurricanes +0.51 ***
U.S. East Coast Intense Hurricanes +0.61 ***
U.S. Gulf Coast Intense Hurricanes +0.29 ***
Correlations significant at the 0.01 level are indicated by "***", at the 0.05 level by "**", and at the 0.10 level by "*".
Significance levels are adjusted to account for any serial correlation (Reid et al. (1989)).