How long do Hurricanes last?

Question

I live in the Midwest, so I have no idea about this. I'm planning a trip to New Orleans next week, and I'm wondering how long the actual problems last ON AVERAGE with a hurricane. As in, how long after landfall does the rain, storming, and flooding last?

And, for those who have lived through a hurricane, how catastrophic is a hurricane, in reality? They can't all be like Katrina; some must just dump a bunch of water and knock over some trees, right?

Help me out: I really want my trip to work out!!!

Answer 1

like 3 days tops

Answer 2

After landfall, a hurricane quickly weakens, as far as the winds are concerned.  However, tropical systems have copious amounts of water vapor in them, thus the heavy rains and flooding can last for many days and even over a week as the remnants of the system persist.  It may be only a day or two for any one location, unless the system becomes trapped in weak wind flow, much like what happened with Tropical Storm Fay.  The resultant flooding can be a problem for a long time after the storm system has ended.  

Answer 3

Hurricanes can last for a period of a week or longer because they are synoptic scale events. A hurricane's life span depends on many factors, including its origin, track, and how much heat and moisture its gained.

After landfall, periods of high winds, heavy rain, and storm surge last for a period of hours or days.

Personally, I have never experienced a hurricane. Most are not as powerful as Katrina and other record-breaking hurricanes. In truth, tropical storms are powerful enough as it is. Its the flooding that does the most damage after all.

Answer 4

a few weeks but the longest was 30 days!