LONDON - Powerful Hurricane Katrina roared toward the Louisiana coast on Monday with 145 mile per hour (233 kph) winds and a massive storm surge that threatened to swamp the historic city of New Orleans.
At least a million people had fled the area ahead of the powerful storm, which was once a fearsome Category 5 storm with 175 mph (280 kph) winds, but as of 6 a.m. EDT (1000 GMT) was a Category 4 on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale.
A tropical storm becomes a Category 1 hurricane when its sustained winds reach at least 74 mph (119 kph). A Category 2 hurricane has winds of at least 96 mph (154 kph), followed by Category 3 with at least 111 mph (178 kph), Category 4 with 131 mph (210 kph), and Category 5 of winds greater than 155 mph (249 kph).
New Orleans has not been hit directly by a hurricane since 1965 when Hurricane Betsy blew in, flooding the city. The storm killed about 75 people in the United States.
The following are five facts about the Atlantic hurricane season from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration:
* Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through Nov. 30, with most activity in August and September.
* Average hurricane season has 10 tropical storms. Of those, 6 become hurricanes and 2 are ranked as major ones with winds of at least 111 mph.
* 2005 hurricane season prediction calls for 21 tropical storms. Of those, 11 may become hurricanes and 7 may have powerful enough winds to rank as major ones.
* 2004 hurricane season had 15 tropical storms. Of those, 9 became hurricanes and 5 were ranked as major ones.
* Most active Atlantic hurricane season was in 1933 with 21 tropical storms, followed by 1995 with 19 tropical storms. The most hurricanes in a season occurred in 1969, when there were 12 hurricanes.
Sources: Reuters/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. http://www.noaa.gov/
REUTERS NEWS SERVICE
