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Tag: National Hurricane Center

  • Tropical Storm Amanda Turns Into Hurricane Amanda, Kicks Off 2014 Hurricane Season

    Tropical Storm Amanda is now officially Hurricane Amanda, the first hurricane of the 2014 pacific season.

    The National Hurricane Center released this bulletin giving the latest updates of Amanda:

    AT 800 AM PDT…1500 UTC…THE EYE OF HURRICANE AMANDA WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 11.4 NORTH…LONGITUDE 109.9 WEST. AMANDA IS MOVING TOWARD THE WEST-NORTHWEST NEAR 5 MPH…7 KM/H. A TURN TOWARD THE NORTHWEST WITH A SLIGHT DECREASE IN FORWARD SPEED IS EXPECTED BY EARLY SUNDAY…FOLLOWED BY A TURN TOWARD THE NORTH BY EARLY MONDAY.

    AMANDA IS STRENGTHENING RAPIDLY…AND MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS HAVE INCREASED TO NEAR 75 MPH…120 KM/H…WITH HIGHER GUSTS. CONTINUED RAPID STRENGTHENING IS POSSIBLE…AND AMANDA COULD BECOME A MAJOR HURRICANE BY SUNDAY.

    HURRICANE-FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 25 MILES…35 KM…FROM THE CENTER…AND TROPICAL STORM-FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 70 MILES…110 KM.

    THE ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS 989 MB…29.21 INCHES.

    But before you panic, you should read the last part:

    HAZARDS AFFECTING LAND
    ———————-
    NONE

    This storm however, has been full of surprises. Amanda began as a tropical depression and was upgraded to a tropical storm a few days ago. At first, it was expected that Amanda wouldn’t make it to hurricane status.

    But more likely than not Amanda will be gone and forgotten within 48 hours. “Amanda is forecast to continue strengthening rapidly, potentially reaching the threshold for major hurricane in about 24-36 hours. After 48 hours, southerly vertical shear is expected to increase, which is likely to cause Amanda’s low- and mid-level circulations to decouple,” The National Hurricane Center stated, “Therefore, fast weakening is indicated toward the end of the forecast period. The updated NHC forecast is higher than the previous one during the first 48 hours to account for the high likelihood of continued rapid intensification, but it is largely unchanged thereafter.”

    Image via Central Pacific Hurricane Center.

  • Tropical Storm Sonia Headed For Mexico

    Tropical Storm Sonia, named Saturday, is expected to hit mainland Mexico by early Monday. Sonia is currently about 205 miles south of Los Cabos, at the edge of California’s Baja Peninsula. The storm is traveling north at 14 miles per hour.

    According the the National Hurricane Center in Miami, Sonia’s maximum sustained winds are reaching 45 mph, and she is expected to subject much of western Mexico to heavy rainfall and, potentially, deadly flooding and mudslides.

    The Mexican government issued a hurricane watch yesterday for an area of the coast extending from the port of Topolobampo down to La Cruz. The warning also includes the mainland areas from Mazatlan through Altata. The water commission suggested that as many as seven other states, both western and northern, could expect to receive heavy rainfall, as well.

    Western Mexico has already experienced heavy rains and flooding in recent months, and will now likely be hit again. September brought two tropical storms, Manuel and Ingrid, which caused the deadliest flooding on record in the country, and approximately $6 billion worth of damages. Combined, Manuel and Ingrid killed a total of more than 150 people. Then, last month, Hurricane Raymond hit Mexico and caused more flooding, though no fatalities were reported.

    The National Hurricane Center describes the Atlantic hurricane season as being June 1 – November 30, and the Eastern Pacific season as May 15 – November 30.

    You can follow the storm’s path on the NHC’s Web site, www.nhc.noaa.gov.

    Main image courtesy @CNNweather via Twitter.

  • Tropical Storm Octave Off Baja Coast

    Tropical Storm Octave Off Baja Coast

    Tropical Storm Octave gained power Sunday as it rotated south of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula. The storm is expected to fluctuate in strength through to Monday before weakening. No hazards to land are anticipated, according to Miami’s National Hurricane Center.

    No coastal watches or warnings have been issued though the NHC warns those in the southern portion of Baja to monitor the system. By the time the storm does make landfall, approximately Thursday morning, it is expected to have dissipated to post-tropical strength.

    As of about mid-day Sunday, the storm was about 315 miles off the tip of the peninsula and was headed north-northwest running about 13 miles per hour. The NHC placed it well west of Socorro island. Sunday wind speeds reached 65 miles per hour.

    Octave and moisture off the Gulf of Mexico is anticipated to scatter Texas with rain and thunderstorms.

    NHC

    In the North Atlantic, the NHC is also monitoring a low pressure area that currently has about a 10 percent chance of developing into a tropical cyclone over the next 48 hours and the same probability over the next five days. The area is located about 900 miles east of the lesser Antilles and will likely move west-northwest at about 10 miles per hour. The system is dropping rain and thunderstorms, with unfavorable winds.

    Based on the NHC naming convention for storms, Octave (as it starts with an “O”) is the 15th such storm to have reached Tropical Cyclone status. The previous few storms for the Eastern North Pacific being Narda, Manuel, Lorena and Kiko. The lists are reused every six years, so these names will reappear in 2019, except in cases where the storm is so impactful that using the name again would be, “inappropriate for reasons of sensitivity.” The next name on the list is Priscilla.

    [Images via National Hurricane Center.]

  • Mexico Flooding: Ingrid Upgraded to Hurricane

    Either side of Mexico’s coast is being battered by weeks of bad weather causing landslides, flooding, bridge collapses and multiple deaths. Tropical Storm Ingrid threatens even more damage as it forms about 60 miles off the coast and as of the latest from the National Hurricane Center, the Mexican government has changed Ingrid alerts to a hurricane watch. Forecasts put Ingrid making landfall on Sunday or Monday.

    (image)

    Rainfall from Ingrid is expected to reach up to 15 inches over much of eastern Mexico, and up to 25 inches in some locations, specifically the mountains. The authorities warn of further mudslides and flash flooding. Hurricane force winds will likely affect land starting Sunday.

    Parts of southern Veracruz, an eastern state in Mexico, are under the highest alert possible: orange. No less than three major rivers in the state are flooding or close to overflowing their banks and hundreds have evacuated at-risk areas according to officials.

    On Monday, 13 people were killed when a landslide buried them in their homes due to heavy rains influenced by Tropical Depression Fernand.

    Tropical storm Manuel is looming on the opposite side of Mexico, with anticipation of nearing the southwestern coast by late Saturday or early Sunday. Rainfall forecasts are up to 15 inches of rain over the states of Oaxaca and Guerrero, prompting more flash flooding and mudslides.

    (image)

    Earlier tropical events Humberto and Gabrielle weakened over the last day, resulting in no threat to land.

    [Image via National Hurricane Center and CIA World Factbook official website.]

  • Tropical Storm Andrea Heads Toward Florida

    On Wednesday, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) upgraded Andrea from a tropical disturbance to a tropical storm. The storm has been building recently in the Gulf of Mexico, and is now the first named storm of the 2013 hurricane season.

    A tropical storm warning is now under effect for the west coast of Florida, and particularly the Tampa Bay Area. In addition, a tornado watch is under effect for some portions of the west coast and the Gulf of Mexico. The NHC states that the main threats from the storm are the isolated tornadoes that could spin off throughout the day on Thursday, along with flooding and heavy rainfall. Tampa could be hit with as much as 7 inches of rain, with higher amounts possible in some areas.

    The NHC is advising residents to prepare for the rain and heavy winds by securing outdoor objects and abandoning mobile homes that are not well-anchored.

    Andrea is expected to twist to the northeast over the weekend, hitting most of the eastern coast of the U.S. Tropical storm warnings have also been issued for the eastern coasts of Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia.