Re: Continental shelf and hurricane question
Posted by cypresstx on 8/28/2011, 12:42 am
I've never read or heard anything that suggested the continental shelf has an effect on the structure of a hurricane.  It does affect surge, so if you consider surge as part of the strength, then yes, it can affect strength

Since the continental shelf varies, it would have differring effects on surge, depending upon where a hurricane made landfall.  

From the link:

"Other factors which can impact storm surge are the width and slope of the continental shelf. A shallow slope will potentially produce a greater storm surge than a steep shelf. For example, a Category 4 storm hitting the Louisiana coastline, which has a very wide and shallow continental shelf, may produce a 20-foot storm surge, while the same hurricane in a place like Miami Beach, Florida, where the continental shelf drops off very quickly, might see an 8 or 9-foot surge. More information regarding storm surge impacts and their associated generalizations can be found in the FAQ section."

Jim has a Hurricane FAQ link on the front page of Hurricane City toward the bottom right,  that is a great place to get answers from the experts with NOAA
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Continental shelf and hurricane question - Snowdog, 8/27/2011, 11:03 pm
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