Sandy WAS stronger than Hurricane Katrina – and is considered the second most powerful storm in modern history
- Sandy was more powerful than the Hiroshima atomic bomb
- The storm surpassed Hurricane Katrina in strength relative to its size
- Sandy could become the second costliest hurricane after Katrina
- Although Sandy was only Category 1 on landfall, it created a significant storm surge hundreds of kilometers away
Hurricane Sandy is the second most powerful hurricane in modern history, with its power exceeding even that of Katrina, according to a measure of the hurricane’s strength relative to its size.
Researchers have found that Sandy’s Integrated Kinetic Energy Index, or IKE, which quantifies a hurricane’s strength based on how far from the center tropical storm winds travel, ranked second only to Hurricane Isabel in 2003.
According to Brian McNoldy, a senior researcher at the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, Hurricane Sandy’s IKE was 140 terajoules, which was about 20 terajoules higher than Katrina’s.
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Sandy only had a Category 1 rating due to wind power, but experienced a significant storm surge after hitting land
Color-enhanced satellite image of Hurricane Sandy
Sandy just hours before it finally landed on the US East Coast
Record-Breaking Storm: Hurricane Sandy was stronger than Katrina, but its power was more widespread, researchers say
“Sandy’s IKE was over 140 terajoules (TJ, 1 TJ = 1 trillion joules = 277,778 kilowatt-hours), meaning she produced more than twice the energy of the Hiroshima atomic bomb,” McNoldy wrote in a blog published by the Washington Post.
“At any given moment, many hurricanes contain more energy than a nuclear bomb in their surface winds alone (even excluding high altitude winds and latent thermal energy),” he added.
The category levels that are more commonly cited to quantify the strength of hurricanes measure wind speed only. Katrina was measured as a Category 3 hurricane on landfall and later rose to a Category 5 hurricane.
The estimated cost of Hurricane Sandy is $20 billion
Residents walk past burned homes in Breezy Point, a neighborhood in the New York borough of Queens after it was devastated by Hurricane Sandy
Sandy, on the other hand, was measured as a Category 1 hurricane upon landfall.
But Sandy could become the second costliest hurricane in history after Katrina because of its high IKE, McNoldy noted.
“Sandy had Category 1 winds on touchdown but was able to create a very significant storm surge for hundreds of miles of densely populated coastline,” he wrote.
General view of downtown New Orleans, Louisiana after Katrina was hit in 2005
“Katrina’s IKE was more concentrated, Sandy’s IKE was more widespread. This metric — more so than wind speed — summarizes the horrifying impact of each storm.”
Sandy was estimated to cost at least $20 billion in damage, while Katrina cost approximately $106 billion.
VIDEO: Follow Sandy from start to finish…
