thank you for the several people who offered information to explain the dynamics. I did know it was a mass of swirling clouds with an EYE.. and had read about pilots flying into the eye to get measurements.
Another question. Is the brunt of the wind the same all up and down the hurricane? So when it gets to NYC or another area with high buildings, the force of the winds will be as strong high up as at the ground.?
I guess I was always under the impression the main winds were low but am thinking that is probably erroneous and in many cases most things HIT are pretty low anyway.. Under 100 feet.
Sorry to seem like such a blonde == hey, I am! As a biology major I never did anything with physics, meteorology etc even though there was a passing interest. Now I regret not taking a couple courses to have some basics as I am sure understanding some basic principles would make the entire situation more clear.
One fatality attributed to the storm in NC thus far. highest recorded windspeed has been 115 at the Cedar Island ferry landing north of Lejeune. multiple piers damaged, most notably Atlantic Beach, half gone reportedly.
High speed winds forced through the Canyons of NYC skyscrapers will actually accelerate...it’s the same as when a narrow river channel is flooded..the water goes faster..
Sorry so late... took a quick nap! I have two answers about wind speed:
1. With altitude, wind speeds will increase naturally as there is less air to move around. It’s not gonna be that significant, however, at altitudes that matter to most of us.
2. In the bigger cities, there may be a slightly different concern: the wind tunnel effect. When you push a lot of wind at a wall (or building), its still gotta go someplace, so it runs around the buildings and down the streets with a higher velocity. So anything loose will be thrown around violently.
I don’t expect there would be any danger of buildings getting knocked over or anything like that.