Lots of action in the tropics, and it’s not just Ernesto. Here’s a round-up of activity world-wide, from strongest to weakest:
Category 5 Super Typhoon Ioke
In the Pacific Ocean
Sustained winds of 155 mph, max gusts 190 mph
Passed over Wake Island (elevation 20 feet) with reported 40 foot storm surge
More from ABC 33/40 in Birmingham
Category 3 Hurricane John
In the eastern Pacific off Mexican Coast
Sustained winds of 126 mph, max gusts 155 mph
Will hit Mexico’s southern Baja California peninsula tomorrow, including popular resort town of Cabo San Lucas
Category 1 Hurricane Kristy
West of Hurricane John in Pacific Ocean over open water
Sustained winds of 75 mph, max gusts 92 mph
Tropical Storm Ernesto
105 miles south-southeast of Charleston, SC
225 miles south-southwest of Wilmington, NC
Sustained winds of 60 mph, max gusts 69 mph
Landfall expected near SC/NC coast tonight
3′ to 5′ (foot) storm surge expected
4″ to 8″ of rain (isolated spots to 12″) up and down the Mid-Atlantic states
Flash flooding will be an issue in the Appalachian Mountains the next couple of days
Forecast track from the NHC takes it to Pennsylvania and New York as a tropical depression by Saturday
It seems the Eastern Pacific storms are always nasty…is it because there is not alot of terrain to tear them up before they hit larger land masses?
Also, is the Pacific beginning to feel an El Nino or La Nina effect (I can’t remember which one heightens activity)?
Wasn’t there a Hurricane John that went on record as being the LONGEST named storm EVER (in terms of time-Pacific)…Maybe it was another name, but it seemed like from the beginning to the end, the storm lasted over 30 days…
AND FINALLY, is Ernesto (with winds now up to 70 MPH) going to run out of its liquid-feeding real estate before it reaches hurricane status later this evening? It’s forward speed has REALLY picked up today…I guess that trough has helped move it along, eh?
There, I’m out of questions…I now return you to your regularly scheduled blog…already in progress…
Looks like Mother Nature has been one VERY BUSY LADY! Wish she’d take a break for a little while at least. Whew!
Looks like Mother Nature has been one VERY BUSY LADY! Wish she’d take a break for a little while at least. Whew!
The dreaded DOUBLE POST got me!
Anyone playing Battlefield 2 will be saddened at the news of Wake Island getting flooded. Hopefully the carrier is still in tact though.
It seems the Eastern Pacific storms are always nasty…is it because there is not alot of terrain to tear them up before they hit larger land masses?
Yes! Often the storms will stay off the Mexican coast and peter out when the hit the cold water California current that comes from the Gulf of Alaska down the West Coast.
Also, is the Pacific beginning to feel an El Nino or La Nina effect (I can’t remember which one heightens activity)?
According to the Climate Prediction Center we’re in a neutral pattern. They say there’s a 50% chance a weak El Nino will develop by the end of the year. Check out the rain anomolies in the Pacific during a La Nina here:
http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/analysis_monitoring/ensocycle/laninarain.gif
Wasn’t there a Hurricane John that went on record as being the LONGEST named storm EVER (in terms of time-Pacific)…Maybe it was another name, but it seemed like from the beginning to the end, the storm lasted over 30 days…
Dang you’re good! Hurricane/typhoon John lasted 31 days in the northeast/northwest Pacific basin in 1994 (the / comes from crossing the international dateline, if that makes sense). The longest Atlantic basin hurricane was Ginger in 1971 at 28 days.
AND FINALLY, is Ernesto (with winds now up to 70 MPH) going to run out of its liquid-feeding real estate before it reaches hurricane status later this evening? It’s forward speed has REALLY picked up today…I guess that trough has helped move it along, eh?
It’s close, but given the 4pm update with continued max sustained winds at 70 mph, it’s running out of time and warm water real estate. The NHC mentions in their latest discussion that it could be upped to a category one before landfall.
Hey, thanks Justin!! I guess I must’ve paid attention to something while I was living in South Florida…or Skippy-Land as I like to call it now…
Now, I need to check out that link.
Thanks again!!!