[Labyrinthos]

Water temp in the Gulf the week Katrina hit - 98 degrees. Water temp off NYC at the height of summer - 72 degrees. What does a Cat 1 need to become a Cat 3-5....warm water.

Water tempretures are currently in the 80's as far north as Va. (I think 81 degrees is the minimum tempreture needed for a hurricane to form, but the storm can sustain itself at lower temps.) As hurricanes hit cooler water, they tend to speed up, which means you can have to consider both wind speed and the speed of the hurrincane itself.

[CollegeRepublican]

Actually, the coastal waters in NY and NJ are around 72 degrees, but if you go about 200 nm offshore that gulf current runs about 8-10 degrees warmer. http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/ <-- Bouy stations up and down the coast. Check out 44025, 44009, and 44004.