Some of the worst hurricanes in history to strike the Northeast have been moving at more than 50 mph, such as a hurricane in 1938 and Hurricane Carol in 1954. Floyd is moving at 30 mph, which is twice as fast as it was moving when it was near Florida. But, fortunately, the steering forces are pushing Gert more to the north than Floyd. This is fortunate because Gert is the fourth major hurricane in 1999. Gert will probably only threaten Bermuda in the next three days.
Nature produces hurricanes to transfer heat from the tropics to the northern latitudes.
If there weren't hurricanes, temperatures would rise in the tropics and cool in the higher latitudes. Hurricanes can cleanse the air. As they move out of the tropics they bring down cleaner, dryer air from the north, which makes things clearer. In southern Maine, Tropical Storm Floyd will have winds around 40 to 50 miles per hour. This is not all that strong, especially when compared to Nor'easters, which ocurr in the wintertime.