HURRICANES — GENTRY AND SIMPSON 319 



Figure 10. — The 300-mb. contour map when hurricane Carol was centered over eastern 

 Long Island and moving rapidly northward. (For further explanation see legend of 

 Fig. 9.) 



This is particularly true because the force of the wind increases not 

 with the speed but with the square of the speed of the wind; for 

 example, winds of 150 m.p.h. exert four times as much force as winds 

 of 75 m.p.h. A hurricane in which the maximum wind speed is only 

 75 m.p.h. may do relatively little damage except in exposed areas and 

 to the weaker varieties of trees and shrubbery. Winds of 150 m.p.h. 

 will, however, tear away and batter most anything that is not securely 

 attached to some sturdy structure. Winds of 200 m.p.h. will do great 

 damage to all except the very strongest of buildings. If it were 

 possible to forecast intensity of hurricane with more accuracy and 

 with greater precision, it should be practical to issue grades of 

 hurricane warnings. 



We have had many examples of hurricanes changing intensity 

 within a period of 24 hours. In 1935 a small hurricane started forming 

 in the Bahama Islands area. By September 1 this storm was believed 



