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Category Archives: Tropical
Do all hurricanes have an eye?
Seen from space, a hurricane appears as a vast spiral of clouds stretching across hundreds of miles. Near the center of strong hurricanes is the eye, a roughly circular region of comparatively calm weather, light winds, and low pressure.
The eye is one of the storm’s most recognizable features, but it is not the most dangerous part. That distinction belongs to the eyewall, the ring of towering thunderstorms that surrounds the eye and contains the hurricane’s strongest winds and most intense weather. Continue reading
What is the prediction for the 2026 hurricane season?
Tropical cyclones are large, whirling storms that obtain their energy from warm ocean waters.
Tropical cyclones with maximum sustained surface wind speeds of less than 39 miles per hour are called tropical depressions. Those with maximum sustained winds of 39 mph or higher are called tropical storms. Hurricanes are tropical cyclones that have sustained wind speeds of greater than 74 mph and that originate in the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, or the eastern North Pacific Ocean. A general rule of thumb is that hurricanes will not form unless the water temperature is at least 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Continue reading
Category: Meteorology, Tropical, Weather Dangers
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Does North America have a hurricane season?
Recently FEMA Director David Richardson claimed he was unaware that there is a hurricane season in the United States. There most certainly is such a season. The Atlantic hurricane season climatologically runs from June 1 through November 30, with the most active part of the season being mid-August through mid-October. Hurricanes are tropical storms over the Atlantic Basin (Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, and Gulf of Mexico). Based on a 30-year climate period from 1991 to 2020, the average Atlantic hurricane season has 14 named storms, 7 hurricanes, and 3 major hurricanes. A developing tropical cyclone is given a name when it reaches sustained winds of 39 mph and it becomes a hurricane at 74 mph.
Hurricanes can occur outside this season but these are the months with favorable conditions for formation of the storms. One such condition is the ocean temperature exceeding 79.7F, which is common in the Atlantic Basin between June and November. Hurricanes have difficulty forming off the U.S. west coast due to cold water, cold currents, and unfavorable winds. Continue reading
Was Hurricane Beryl a special storm?
All hurricanes are special, given the extensive damage they can cause when they make landfall. Beryl was considered extra special because it was a record-breaking storm.
Beryl rapidly intensified from a tropical storm to a major hurricane (Category 3 or higher) with wind speeds that increased to 95 mph in less than two days. Category 3 storms have sustained winds between 111 mph and 129 mph. Only six other Atlantic Basin storms have intensified this quickly and those storms all happened after August, the typical time of year with conditions favorable for hurricanes. Continue reading
Why aren’t South America and the west coast of Africa hit by hurricanes?
Tropical storms hitting South America have distinct disadvantages compared with the North American situation. The energy to drive tropical systems is derived from warm ocean waters. For tropical storms to form, the ocean temperature needs to exceed 79.7 Fahrenheit, which … Continue reading
Category: Meteorology, Tropical
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