09.02.10
Posted in Tropical Weather, Weather News at 4:48 pm by Rebekah
Hurricane Earl sets his sights on the mid-Atlantic Coast tonight, brushing past the Outer Banks of North Carolina as a weakening Category 3 storm. Winds are currently 115 mph, with a minimum pressure of 947 mb.
Latest NHC track for Earl:
I’m off to chase some storms (with other researchers from the National Severe Storms Lab) developing along a cold front moving through western Oklahoma, hence the short message. We’ll be launching balloons into the storms, with instruments that will measure electric field, temperature, relative humidity, winds, and pressure, as well as take images of particles (ice, rain, etc.) within the clouds.
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09.01.10
Posted in Non-US Weather, Tropical Weather, Weather News at 5:04 pm by Rebekah
While the U.S. is concerned with what will happen to the East Coast when Category 4 Hurricane Earl passes by (starting tomorrow), as well as what will eventually happen with newly formed Tropical Storm Gaston, another hurricane is just now making landfall at Seoul, South Korea.
Typhoon Kompasu’s eye is coming ashore, with maximum sustained wind speeds estimated at 85 mph (Category 1 on the Saffir-Simpson scale) and a minimum central pressure of 975 mb.
Infrared satellite image of Typhoon Kompasu making landfall, courtesy of Weather Underground.
As of the time I write this post, the pressure is still dropping at Seoul and the wind speeds are still climbing. At the top of the last hour, Seoul recorded rain, winds of 43 mph, gusts to 63 mph, and a pressure of 992 mb. For the latest observations, see the Weather Underground weather history page for Seoul.
Here is a series of radar images from the Korean Meteorological Administration (weather service for South Korea) over the last several hours, showing Kompasu approaching Korea and making landfall.
Kompasu will weaken further over land and will be steered out towards Japan.
For the latest Korean weather information, see the Korean Meteorological Administration and Weather Underground.
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08.31.10
Posted in Tropical Weather, Weather News at 9:47 pm by Rebekah
This week’s post in the global weather and climate series features Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.
Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, Hatteras Island, North Carolina. Courtesy of Wikipedia.
Cape Hatteras is the point that just about sticks out the farthest along the North Carolina coast. On Hatteras Island in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, Cape Hatteras is most famous for its 208-ft-tall lighthouse, built in 1870. Cape Hatteras is also sometimes known as the “Graveyard of the Atlantic”, as so many ships have been lost there. The nearest town to the lighthouse is Buxton, an unincorporated community of nearly 1,500 people.
The Outer Banks is a 200-mile-long barrier island chain off the North Carolina coast. The islands are very narrow but separate Currituck Sound, Albemarle Sound, and Pamlico Sound from the Atlantic Ocean. The Wright brothers’ first flight took place from the Outer Banks, at Kill Devil Hills near Kitty Hawk, on the northern side of the island chain. Ocracoke Island, just southeast of Hatteras Island, was the home of the famed pirate Blackbeard (as well as the location of his death). The islands are highly prone to hurricanes; in September 2003, Hurricane Isabel’s storm surge washed out part of Hatteras Island.
A few more facts about Cape Hatteras (average weather data from Climate Zone, records from NWS):
- Time zone: Eastern Standard Time (UTC-5) or Eastern Daylight Time (UTC-4)
- Elevation: at sea level
- Climate zone: Temperate
- Average high temperature: 69 °F (21 °C)
- Average low temperature: 55 °F (13 °C)
- Record high temperature: 96 °F (36 °C)
- Record low temperature: 6 °F (-14 °C)
- Average annual precipitation: 56.1 inches (1,425 mm)
- Average annual snowfall: 1.9 inches (48 mm)
Current weather: In case you hadn’t guessed, I picked Cape Hatteras this week because Hurricane Earl is about to deal a glancing blow to the Outer Banks Thursday night/Friday morning. The last time I picked a North American City, Hurricane Alex was about to make landfall just south of Brownsville.
Earl is currently a Category 4 hurricane, moving northwest at 14 mph, with estimated maximum sustained wind speeds of 135 mph and a minimum central pressure of 940 mb. Here’s the latest National Hurricane Center forecast track for Earl (click to enlarge):
A hurricane watch was issued today for the Outer Banks, meaning hurricane conditions are possible and tropical storm conditions are expected to begin within 48 hours. Specific hazards mentioned in the watch include storm surges of 3 to 4 feet at Ocracoke Island and 1 to 2 feet elsewhere, hurricane-force winds (greater than 74 mph), and a high chance for rip currents as breaking waves may reach 15 feet. North Carolina officials announced tonight that an estimated 5,000 tourists have been ordered to evacuate Ocracoke Island (the only way to leave is by ferry), though year-round residents may choose to stay (estimated 800 residents).
Effects from the hurricane are anticipated to begin sometime Thursday afternoon.
Hurricane Earl approaches the U.S. GOES infrared satellite image courtesy of NOAA. Click to enlarge.
For weather maps and information on current and forecast Cape Hatteras weather, see the Newport / Morehead City National Weather Service site. For the latest hurricane intensity and track information, as well as hurricane satellite images, see the National Hurricane Center.
For more information on Cape Hatteras, here’s a link to Wikipedia. For information on the Outer Banks, here’s another link to Wikipedia.
Next Tuesday I plan to take a look at the climate and weather in another part of the globe. As always, if you have any comments or suggestions for future cities, please leave a comment on this post!
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08.30.10
Posted in Non-US Weather, Severe Weather Nowcast, Tropical Weather, Weather News at 8:23 pm by Rebekah
There’s so much going on today weatherwise, it would be difficult to discuss it all, or even to just pick one topic. So tonight I’ll just stick with showing a few maps and noting a few highlights of each.
First up: tropical cyclones in the Atlantic.
Figure from the National Hurricane Center.
The big story today is Earl, now a Category 4 hurricane with estimated sustained winds of 135 mph and a central minimum pressure of 938 mb, the lowest pressure in the Atlantic Basin since Hurricane Ike in 2008 (935 mb). Earl could become a borderline Category 5 hurricane tomorrow, when the cyclone is expected to peak at 150 mph (Category 5 has winds of over 155 mph).
Earl has brought heavy rain and strong winds to the Leeward Islands and Puerto Rico today, but is starting to move west-northwest away from Puerto Rico. Earl’s eye is expected to remain offshore, but some of the outer bands could affect the New England Coast by the end of the week.
Tropical Storm Fiona formed this evening, but is expected to remain weak. Danielle is now a tropical storm as well, moving well off into the north central Atlantic.
Second: tropical cyclones in the western Pacific.
Figure from Weather Underground.
The western Pacific has been surprisingly quiet so far this year, but there are currently three tropical cyclones in this ocean basin as well. Typhoon Kompasu, with maximum sustained winds of 105 mph, is currently a Category 2 on the Saffir-Simpson scale and is forecast to become a Category 3 as it enters the East China Sea tomorrow. This typhoon is expected to hit the western North/South Korea border as a Category 2 on Thursday.
Tropical Storm Lionrock, with maximum sustained winds of 65 mph, is forecast to become a Category 1 tomorrow and make landfall as a tropical storm in southeast China (just west of Taiwan) on Thursday.
Tropical Storm Namtheun, with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph, is moving southwest and is expected to dissipate between Taiwan and China by Thursday, after running into Lionrock.
Third: severe thunderstorms in the Northern Plains.
Figure from the Storm Prediction Center.
A trough in the western United States is providing a chance for severe weather today and tonight in the Northern Plains. There is currently a line of thunderstorms from the Nebraska/South Dakota border up into Canada. None of these storms are particularly strong at the moment, but there were tornado warnings out earlier this evening in South Dakota.
Fourth: rain and cooler weather in Oklahoma.
Figure from the National Weather Service in Norman.
We finally have showers and thunderstorms back in the forecast for this week! We are also expecting another cold front Thursday night, cooling down the temperatures a bit again for the weekend.
Autumn is on its way!
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08.27.10
Posted in Tropical Weather, Weather News at 9:09 pm by Rebekah
Hurricane Danielle reached Category 4 status today, with estimated sustained winds of 135 mph and a minimum central pressure of 942 mb. Danielle is expected to begin weakening within the next 12 hours or so, as she moves just east of Bermuda (see the infrared satellite image above, from NOAA NESDIS).
Tropical Storm Earl is still expected to become a hurricane soon, and a major hurricane (Category 3 or above) within 5 days.
Another area of interest is just southwest of the Cape Verde Islands again, as the National Hurricane Center has an 80% chance for a tropical depression to form there within the next 48 hours.
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