Hurricane Katrina Wind Study Conclusions

Conclusions from Gulfport Mississippi to Ocean Springs Mississippi by Geologist David Jungblut Teacher at Oakcrest High School in New Jersey:

Hurricane Katrina damaged the area from Gulfport to Ocean Springs, Mississippi, because the wind and water energy was released from different directions.

As the hurricane approached landfall, it cut off the normal flow of water. Flooding of low-lying areas resulted, eventually causing a backward flow of water upstream.

The direction of this type of flooding would be determined by the topography of the land. As Hurricane Katrina moved closer, the normal hurricane wind circulation or “horizontal winds” started.

In this area of Mississippi, the horizontal winds hit from the southeasterly direction.

As the horizontal winds blew over the Gulf of Mexico’s surface, wind-driven waves resulted, hitting this section area of Mississippi, from the same direction as the horizontal wind was blowing, i.e., from the southeast. Since Hurricane Katrina’s eye hit west of this area, the storm surge flooding resulted from the southwesterly direction.

Multipliable directional winds also struck during Hurricane Katrina from numerous downbursts.

Downbursts can develop into tornadoes or, over water, into waterspouts and, to a lesser degree, mini-swirls and gustnadoes.

Straight-line winds are the normal result of the downburst winds as they radiate outward from the touchdown area.

Downbursts are wind events that happen when the atmosphere is unstable and the air literally falls from the sky.

Numerous microbursts happened from Gulfport to Ocean Springs.

Microbursts are downbursts that are less than four-kilometer winds. Macrobursts are larger.

The evidence can be summarized in outline form:

I. Hurricane wind circulation from southeasterly direction
A. Wind damage from horizontal winds
B. Wind-driven waves’ damage

II. Multi-directional winds damage
A. From tornadoes
B. From mini-swirls
C. From gustnadoes
D. From downbursts
E. From microbursts
F. From macrobursts
G. From straight-line winds

III. Sedimentary evidence deposits
A. Debris from low-lying areas flooding depends on the topography.
B. Causes of moved debris from southeasterly direction

1. Horizontal winds
2. Wind-driven waves
C. Southwesterly direction resulted from storm surge.
D. Causes of other directional damage
1. Tornadoes
2. Mini-swirls
3. Gustnadoes
4. Downbursts
5. Microbursts
6. Macrobursts
7. Straight-line winds
E. Receding water