If a category 5 hit the Texas Gulf Coast, what impact would it have on the Dallas area?

Question

Okay, I've asked a question simulair to this before and I got no straight answer on this. I have an extreme fear of tornado's and I know that hurricane's can spawn tornado's. Could a cat 5 hurricane still be a hurrican this far in-land? Or would it just be a tropical storm?

Answer 1

It's hard to get a straight answer because the category does not really express the extent of the hurricance, but rather its maximum intensity. A very widespead category 5 hurricane could potentially still be a hurricane in Dallas. Tornados are extremely likely in any case, since hurricanes and tropical storms are formed from bands of thunderstorms.

Answer 2

Ok, I will be straight up and honest as I can.

Joseph II answer is very good, Would agree with what's said there. A very large category 5 would make it to the Dallas area most likely with sustained winds in the low range of the tropical storm category at best. More likely it would be in the tropical depression range that far inland.

The tornado threat would be there but I would minimize that threat and would say there likely would be more damage from flooding than from the combined wind/tornado threat. But, tornadoes from tropical systems are very difficult to warn for due to their very short lifespan.

Joseph II is correct there also, the springtime tornado threat is by far potentially more damaging that any tornado from a tropical system.

My greatest fear on a slowly winding down major hurricane is that rain threat. Again, Joseph II answer of 5 to 10 inches is a good conservative estimate of an average from a large storm that far inland.

Although the Dallas/Fort Worth area is a long way inland, if the remains become nearly stationary (and that can happen) the potential for heavy rain in excess of 20 to 30 inches is there (unlikely, but we have seen winding down storms 500 to 1000 miles inland have produced local amounts in excess of 40 inches over several days some cases.

That would by far be my biggest fear for Dallas.

Hope this helps you.

Answer 3

Dallas could get 5 or 10 inches of rain- if the remains of the storm passed nearly overhead... -But it's WAY too far inland to get hit by any serious wind damage. Tornado's are always an "outside possibility" with hurricanes... But you're MUCH MORE likely to be hit by one of THOSE on a sticky, hot Spring or Summer afternoon- than from a Hurricane of ANY strength. So fear not! :)

Answer 4

Good luck finding a straight answer here to that one..
But you could look on the Weather Channel .com
Good luck to you.