Hurricane Size
As mentioned previously, hurricane size can vary considerably. Size is not necessarily an indication of hurricane intensity or damage potential. For example, Hurricane Katrina (2005) was a very large Category 3 storm (400 miles in diameter, or about 650 km) when it made landfall in Louisiana/Mississippi. Hurricane Charley (2004), in contrast, was a tiny Category 4 storm (150 miles or about 240 km) that at the time became the second most costly hurricane in U.S. history, behind Andrew (1992) which was also small in size (250 miles wide, or about 400 km) but a devastating Category 5 hurricane. As we'll see in the "Hazards" section, damage is a complex function of size, intensity, and location.
Hurricane Katrina, 2005, (left) was a Category 3 hurricane whose incredible devastation was due partly to its large size and the location where it came ashore. Hurricane Charley, 2004, (right) was a much smaller, but more intense storm (Category 4) that also caused significant damage.
Do not focus on the location and track of the center, because the hurricane’s destructive winds and rains cover a wide swath. Hurricane-force winds can extend outward to about 25 miles (40 km) from the storm center of a small hurricane and to more than 150 miles (240 km) for a large one. The area over which tropical storm-force winds occur is even greater. Typically, these winds range from 125 to 175 miles (200-280 km) out from the center, although in a large hurricane they can extend as far out as about 300 miles (~500 km).