There is a tropical season going on in the AtlanticPosted Jul02, 2008 at 11:14 PMUPDATE 1:45 PM, THURSDAY 7/3: As Brandon notes in a comment below, the disturbance in the far eastern Atlantic did indeed become Tropical Storm Bertha overnight. (It's not the one circled in the inset photo; Bertha is much farther east) Bertha is relatively weak and, at this time, expected to turn toward the central Atlantic rather than approach the U.S. Of coruse, it is a LONG way out there, so there's still time for its strength and track to change, but it would many days before it would be a threat to the U.S. even if it did change course. 
Clicking on the map on the National Hurricane Center's Web site brings up a satellite image with threat areas circled. The Atlantic tropical season has already begunPosted May31, 2008 at 08:58 PMNever mind the "offiicial" start of the season on Sunday, June 1. A weak tropical storm, named Arthur, formed today just off the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico and moved inland. So we're under way in what is expected to be a busy tropical season in the Atlantic. Remember that a busy Atlantic season doesn't guarantee that anything will hit the U.S., and a relatively inactive season can still allow a violent hurricane or two to strike the U.S. And even if multiple hurricanes do hit the U.S., there is no guarantee that we in Southwest Virginia will feel any effects, including still much-needed rainfall. Thousands die in Myanmar cyclonePosted May05, 2008 at 08:58 AMOur weather looks pretty calm the next few days, but that can't be said for other parts of the world. Myanmar suffered a massive cyclone -- the same as a hurricane, called a cyclone or typhoon in Asia -- that has killed thousands. More than a thousand dead in Bangladesh cyclonePosted Nov16, 2007 at 05:31 PMA cyclone is the same thing as a hurricane, it's just called by a different name in the Indian Ocean. Bangladesh, an extremely crowded lowland nation with persistently humid weather and extremely warm ocean water to the south, is particularly susceptible to deadly cyclones. The most recent has killed more than a thousand. Noel looking less like a hurricanePosted Nov03, 2007 at 12:02 AM
Hurricane Noel will help it get colder herePosted Nov01, 2007 at 11:26 PM
Tropical Storm Noel will brush by FloridaPosted Oct31, 2007 at 06:16 PM
Deadly tropical storm expected to miss U.S.Posted Oct29, 2007 at 04:54 PMThe Atlantic tropical season is largely forgotten by Americans, but it's not gone. Tropical Storm Noel has dumped a ton of rain on some Caribbean nations, but it appears likely to be turned northeastward by the same cold front that has brought us the frosty mornings. As a result, Noel is expected to miss the U.S., and probably will never be a hurricane, anyway. It's been deadly for Haiti though ... click here for the latest from The Associated Press. Keeping an eye on two areas for tropical developmentPosted Oct04, 2007 at 12:43 AMThe National Hurricane Center is monitoring the eastern Gulf of Mexico and western Atlantic Ocean near the Bahamas for possible tropical development over the next three days. Neither of these areas looks impressive yet, but there is some evidence of circulation and conditions are generally favorable for slow development. For the latest, check out the hurricane center's Atlantic tropical outlook. Tropical storms Jerry and KarenPosted Sep25, 2007 at 01:23 PMTropical Storm Karen has formed in the Atlantic east of the Windward Islands. It's probably going to take a turn more out for the open water of the Atlantic, but still too far away to take our eyes off of entirely. Tropical Storm Jerry, we hardly knew ye. It developed over the weekend way out in the central Atlantic and strutted its hour upon the stage before poofing out in the last 24 hours. More on the Atlantic tropical season on the National Hurricane Center Web site. Depression comes ashore without strengtheningPosted Sep21, 2007 at 08:34 PMTropical Depression 10 has moved ashore over the Florida Panhandle without strengthening into a tropical storm. It will bring some rain to parts of Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi and Louisiana as it continues moving west-northwest. Many of these areas need the rain, but it's not going to be a drought-buster. We probably won't see any rain from the system. The tropical storm/hurricane threat is mostly over for the Gulf coast, but forecasters will still keep an eye on the circulation center just in case it drifts back over the water. Depression goes tropicalPosted Sep21, 2007 at 02:20 PMAs of 1 p.m., the previous subtropical storm in the northeast Gulf of Mexico has obtained tropical characteristics and is known as Tropical Depression 10. Tropical storm warnings are in effect for much of the central Gulf coast, and the system is expected to become Tropical Storm Jerry by the evening. (It would be Karen if a central Atlantic system becomes a tropical storm first) Subtropical depression forms in Gulf of MexicoPosted Sep21, 2007 at 11:07 AMThe system that has been monitored the last couple of days as it moved west across Florida has become a subtropical depression in the northeast Gulf of Mexico. To refresh your memory, a subtropical system is one displaying characteristics both tropical in nature and those more like a regular low pressure system. The circulation is broader than a purely tropical system. It is expected to mature into a tropical storm later today, either Jerry or Karen depending on whether it or a circulation out in the central Atlantic develops into a storm first. The central Gulf coast will be affected by the storm. The next Atlantic tropical storm?Posted Sep19, 2007 at 06:59 PM
Ingrid goes kaputPosted Sep17, 2007 at 09:08 PMNot terribly surprising, Tropical Depression Ingrid (formerly a tropical storm) is dissipating east of the Windward Islands, far, far away from the U.S. The National Hurricane Center put out its last public statement on Ingrid at 5 a.m. today. Humberto hurriedly became a hurricanePosted Sep13, 2007 at 02:02 PMTo put this development in perspective - no tropical cyclone in the historical record has ever reached this intensity at a faster rate near landfall. It would be nice to know, someday, why this happened.-- Hurricane forecaster James Franklin, quoted in an Associated Press article. Humberto became the first hurricane to make U.S. landfall since Wilma crossed Florida in October 2005 this morning. The life cycle of this storm was simply amazing. Two days ago, it was a mass of clouds that forecasters thought might slowly develop. On Wednesday, it became a tropical depression and then intensified into a tropical storm. Shortly after midnight, Humberto's winds increased to 85 mph and it became a Category 1 hurricane before rolling into the Texas coast before dawn. Humberto, now weakening inland, is headed toward Mississippi and Alabama, which is actually great news for a region that is incredibly dry. Forecast models are beginning to show more of the moisture creeping up our way too, possibly between a half-inch and an inch for Friday according to the latest Hydrometeorological Prediction Center map. (The National Weather Service in Blacksburg is hinting at locally 2-3 inches in its afternoon forecast discussion.) While Humberto may bring welcome rain to parts of the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic regions, it has caused some unexpected hardship in Texas and Louisiana. Click here for the latest on the storm's impact from Associated Press. Two new tropical systemsPosted Sep12, 2007 at 03:55 PM
Tropical Storm Humberto nears Texas Tropical Depression Eight has formed out in the central Atlantic and will probably become Tropical Storm Ingrid soon. We have a lot of time to watch this system. Gabrielle gains tropical storm statusPosted Sep08, 2007 at 05:43 PMThough Gabrielle's winds have actually decreased slightly to 40 mph, its overall characteristics are more tropical in nature, and so Gabrielle has been declared a tropical storm rather than a subtropical storm. It is expected to move through the Outer Banks of North Carolina on Sunday and then curve out to sea -- likely keeping its rain well away from our dry ground. A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for the Outer Banks area, with a Tropical Storm Watch northward toward the Virginia Tidewater area. Click here for the latest on Gabrielle from the National Hurricane Center Gabrielle is born -- but she's only SUBtropicalPosted Sep08, 2007 at 12:03 AMThe National Hurricane Center has upgraded the storm in the Atlantic off the East Coast to Subtropcial Storm Gabrielle. I've never quite figured out why the hurricane center blows names from its list on subtropical storms -- but what it means is that the storm in question has some characteristics of a tropical system but, at this time, is more like a regular low pressure system fueled by differences in air masses rather than strictly by the evaporative heat of ocean water. Gabrielle could still lose the "sub" and become a tropical storm before scraping the Carolinas early next week. If it follows its forecast track, it probably won't be much of rain-maker for us -- in fact, we would be in the "subsidence zone" of sinking air around the system, and would stay high and dry. Still some time for any or all of this to change. Atlantic storm starting to get its act togetherPosted Sep07, 2007 at 06:35 PM
System in Atlantic become better organized, likely heading toward Carolinas and Virginia So whatever happened to the Atlantic system?Posted Sep07, 2007 at 12:35 AM
Satellite image of a storm that hasn't got its act together between the U.S. and Bermuda. The NHC has continued to suggest the system might drift to the northwest back toward the East Coast. The Climate Prediction Center is still showing a threat of heavy rain in the Carolinas and the eastern half of Virginia next week. We'll see. The bigger story upcoming may well be some serious Canadian cold fronts slamming into the hot weather next week as the upcoming cool season may take its first serious shots at unseating a long, hot summer. Category 5 Hurricane Felix hammers Central AmericaPosted Sep04, 2007 at 10:05 AMThe 2007 hurricane season has gone down in history in the Atlantic as the first time in recorded history when two hurricanes made landfall as Category 5 storms (155 mph-plus winds). Hurricane Felix has done so this morning along the Honduras-Nicaragua border, following on the heels of Hurricane Dean that made a hit on Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula as a Category 5 storm in August. The latest from on Hurricane Felix from the Associated Press Hurricane Felix goes ballisticPosted Sep02, 2007 at 10:08 PMHurricane Felix, which just became a hurricane on Saturday, has intensified explosively to a Category 5 hurricane today with sustained winds of 165 mph. It's headed on a path to the west across the Caribbean, likely to make an impact on Belize, Honduras or Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula later this week. Also, keep an eye on an area of clouds off the southeast U.S. coast. These clouds, which are from a stalled front -- the same one that moved through earlier this week to cool things off, don't look like much now but, according to the National Hurricane Center, conditions are favorable for slow development of a circulation here that might, just might, become a tropical depression. You can see both areas on the infrared satellite photo linked here. Hurricane Felix taking the southern routePosted Sep02, 2007 at 12:09 AMLike its predecessors, Hurricane Dean and Tropical Storm Erin, Hurricane Felix is taking the southern track through the Caribbean and toward the Yucatan Peninsula and Bay of Campeche, which is the region of the Gulf of Mexico west of the Yucatan. In fact, Felix appears going much farther south than either of those storms did. It's unlikely to have a direct impact on our weather. Only if something could sweep some of its moisture from Mexico northward and eastward would we get anything out of it. The tropical Atlantic is producing some storminess, but so far, it's giving the continental U.S. a wide berth. We've got many weeks before we can sleep on that, however. Hurricane Dean pummels Mexican resort coastPosted Aug21, 2007 at 10:33 AMAs expected, Hurricane Dean slammed ashore this morning along the eastern coast of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula as a Category 5 storm with 165 mph sustained winds ... making it the strongest storm to make landfall in 20 years. That's right, stronger than Andrew, and much, much stronger than Katrina, which was only a Category 3 hurricane (after weakening slightly from Category 5) when it made its devastating hit on Mississippi and New Orleans in 2005. You have to go back to Hurricane Gilbert in 1988 to find a stronger hurricane at landfall. Gilbert followed a similar track as Dean but slightly more northerly, directly running over Jamaica and striking the Mexican coast farther north near Cancun. More on the storm here from Associated Press. I will note down near the bottom of the story AP is reporting this as the third worst hurricane in Atlantic history based on central barometric pressure, trailing the 1935 Labor Day hurricane and Gilbert. They are forgetting that Hurricane Wilma in 2005 surpassed both of those storms in central pressure, so this would actually be the fourth worst storm. Dean stays away as Erin's remnants scrape byPosted Aug20, 2007 at 09:38 PMHurricane Dean is far out of our weather picture, but it will likely make a catastrophic hit on a portion of the Yucatan Peninsula coast in Mexico the next 24 hours. It's just shy of Category 5 status. The remnants of Tropical Storm Erin, which have contributed to widespread and deadly flooding in parts of the Midwest, are expected to drift just north of our area on Tuesday, interacting with a stalled front to cause thunderstorms and heavy rains in Ohio and Pennsylvania. We might get enough effects for an increase in thunderstorms on Tuesday, but it will still be a hot, sticky day that might push well into the 90s. But they don't need the rainPosted Aug16, 2007 at 11:54 AMTropical Storm Erin has come ashore in Texas and weakened to a tropical depression. It's headed northwest across the Lone Star State, scattering tropical downpours across an area that has been absolutely inundated over the past several years. Meanwhile, Hurricane Dean is moving toward the Caribbean. Current forecasts have the storm taking a track farther to the south than earlier thought, headed toward Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. If this track continues, it, too could end up closer to Texas than the areas of the Southeast that desperately need rain. We don't want to wish a destructive hurricane on anyone, but it may well take some tropical moisture to start turning the drought around. Two tropical stormsPosted Aug15, 2007 at 12:15 PMTropical Storm Erin has formed in the Gulf of Mexico, but it should not be around too long as it moves toward Texas and Mexico. Tropical Storm Dean continues to move through the open Atlantic toward the Caribbean. It may be a factor for the U.S. in a week or so. It is much more likely to affect our weather than Erin. Keep up with the latest on both storms on the National Hurricane Center Web site. Tropical Storm Dean forms in the AtlanticPosted Aug14, 2007 at 01:52 PMThe tropical depression in the Atlantic that we've been talking about has officially been upgraded to Tropical Storm Dean. This one has a pretty good chance of affecting the U.S. next week, if it can dodge or otherwise survive some mountainous islands in the Caribbean. Click here for the latest on Dean from the National Hurricane Center. Shake, rattle and blow in HawaiiPosted Aug14, 2007 at 10:26 AMIt's a weird time to be in Hawaii ... a 5.3-magnitude earthquake occurred close to the island chain even as Hurricane Flossie moves closer. More on Hurricane Flossie from the Central Pacific Hurricane Center. Meanwhile ... we're waiting to see if Tropical Depression Four way out in the Atlantic matures into Tropical Storm Dean today. We've got days and days to see where this one is going and how strong it will be. There's a lot of folks in the Southeast who would take a tropical storm or a mild hurricane to get some rain for their 2-foot rainfall deficits. Hurricane heads toward HawaiiPosted Aug13, 2007 at 10:35 AMThe Atlantic Ocean is still pretty quiet for tropical activity, but a ferocious hurricane with the somewhat un-ferocious name of Flossie is threatening Hawaii. Click here for the latest. Way out in the Atlantic, a disturbance just off the coast of Africa has potential to become a tropical depression later today. We'll keep our eyes on that as it heads west. |
