Sep 12, 2022 03:30 AM
(This post was last modified: Sep 12, 2022 03:52 AM by C C.)
The absolute peak of Atlantic hurricane season: But it’s dead quiet out there
https://arstechnica.com/science/2022/09/...out-there/
EXCERPTS: . . . Everyone from the US agency devoted to studying weather, oceans, and the atmosphere -- the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration -- to the most highly regarded hurricane professionals predicted a season with above-normal to well above-normal activity.
[...] Perhaps what is most striking about this season is that we are now at the absolute peak of hurricane season, and there is simply nothing happening. Although the Atlantic season begins on June 1, it starts slowly, with maybe a storm here or there in June, and often a quiet July before the deep tropics get rolling in August. Typically about half of all activity occurs in the 14 weeks prior to September 10, and then in a mad, headlong rush the vast majority of the remaining storms spin up before the end of October.
While it is still entirely possible that the Atlantic basin [...] produces a madcap finish, we're just not seeing any signs of it right now... This is the exact opposite of what we normally see this time of year, when the tropics are typically lit up like a Christmas tree.
So what has happened [...] A detailed analysis will have to wait until after the season, but to date we've seen a lot of dust in the atmosphere, which has choked off the formation of storms. Additionally, upper-level winds in the atmosphere have generally been hostile to storm formation -- basically shearing off the top of any developing tropical systems... (MORE - missing details)
RELATED (wikipedia): 2022 Atlantic hurricane season
In contrast...
2022 Pacific hurricane season
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_Pacif...ane_season
EXCERPTS: The 2022 Pacific hurricane season is the current cycle of the annual tropical cyclone season in the Eastern and Central Pacific Ocean in the Northern Hemisphere. The season officially began on May 15 in the Eastern Pacific, and on June 1 in the Central Pacific; both will end on November 30. These dates historically describe the period each year when most tropical cyclogenesis occurs in these regions of the Pacific and are adopted by convention.
There has been near average activity in the eastern Pacific so far this season, with twelve named storms, eight hurricanes, and two major hurricanes forming, including one Atlantic storm entering the basin.
The first named storm of the season, Hurricane Agatha, formed on May 28, and made landfall two days later at Category 2 strength on the Saffir–Simpson scale, making it the strongest hurricane on record to make landfall during the month of May in the Eastern Pacific basin.
In June, Hurricane Blas and Tropical Storm Celia caused heavy rainfall over southwestern Mexico despite remaining offshore.
The season's first major hurricane, Hurricane Bonnie, entered into the basin from the Atlantic on July 2, after crossing Nicaragua as a tropical storm, becoming the first storm to survive the crossover from the Atlantic to the Pacific since Hurricane Otto in 2016. Also in July, Hurricane Darby became the first Category 4 hurricane of the season.
[...] Hurricane Kay. On August 30, the NHC noted that an area of disturbed weather had formed a few hundred miles south of Acapulco, Guerrero. This disturbance became organized as a tropical depression on September 4, and strengthened into Tropical Storm Kay later that same day. The storm continued to intensify, and on the morning of September 5, became a Category 1 hurricane.
On the following day, the eye of the hurricane passed over Socorro Island with sustained winds of 85 mph (140 km/h). Then, while moving north-northwestward early on September 7, Kay intensified into a Category 2 hurricane. This intensification proved short-lived however, as the cloud tops surrounding Kay's eye warmed and its overall cloud pattern became less organized and somewhat elongated later that same day, resulting in the hurricane weakening to Category 1 strength.
Kay made landfall along the central Baja California peninsula coast with 75 mph (120 km/h) winds on September 8, then weakened to a tropical storm, before moving back over the ocean. The storm became a post-tropical cyclone about 145 mi (230 km) southwest of San Diego, California, overnight September 9–10, while slowly curving further offshore.
As Kay paralleled the coast of southwestern Mexico its rainbands drenched coastal states from Oaxaca north to Nayarit with up to 5.5 in (140 mm) of rain. In addition to flooding and minor damage, the hurricane was also responsible for three deaths in Guerrero. Kay also raked most of the Baja California peninsula with strong winds and heavy rain, which caused flooding and mudslides; there were no reports of injuries.
Before the storm hit, over 1,600 people evacuated to shelters according to Baja California Sur state officials. Kay's outer bands also hit Southern California, bringing wind gusts of near 100 mph (160 km/h) to some areas, primarily in San Diego County, and causing flash flooding concerns.
Rainfall totals varied across the region, with Mt. Laguna, in San Diego County, recording the highest amount at 5.08 in (129 mm). The rainfall was beneficial to crews in Riverside County battling the Fairview Fire, as it mitigated some of the threat posed by the high winds and dry conditions. (MORE - missing details)
https://arstechnica.com/science/2022/09/...out-there/
EXCERPTS: . . . Everyone from the US agency devoted to studying weather, oceans, and the atmosphere -- the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration -- to the most highly regarded hurricane professionals predicted a season with above-normal to well above-normal activity.
[...] Perhaps what is most striking about this season is that we are now at the absolute peak of hurricane season, and there is simply nothing happening. Although the Atlantic season begins on June 1, it starts slowly, with maybe a storm here or there in June, and often a quiet July before the deep tropics get rolling in August. Typically about half of all activity occurs in the 14 weeks prior to September 10, and then in a mad, headlong rush the vast majority of the remaining storms spin up before the end of October.
While it is still entirely possible that the Atlantic basin [...] produces a madcap finish, we're just not seeing any signs of it right now... This is the exact opposite of what we normally see this time of year, when the tropics are typically lit up like a Christmas tree.
So what has happened [...] A detailed analysis will have to wait until after the season, but to date we've seen a lot of dust in the atmosphere, which has choked off the formation of storms. Additionally, upper-level winds in the atmosphere have generally been hostile to storm formation -- basically shearing off the top of any developing tropical systems... (MORE - missing details)
RELATED (wikipedia): 2022 Atlantic hurricane season
In contrast...
2022 Pacific hurricane season
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_Pacif...ane_season
EXCERPTS: The 2022 Pacific hurricane season is the current cycle of the annual tropical cyclone season in the Eastern and Central Pacific Ocean in the Northern Hemisphere. The season officially began on May 15 in the Eastern Pacific, and on June 1 in the Central Pacific; both will end on November 30. These dates historically describe the period each year when most tropical cyclogenesis occurs in these regions of the Pacific and are adopted by convention.
There has been near average activity in the eastern Pacific so far this season, with twelve named storms, eight hurricanes, and two major hurricanes forming, including one Atlantic storm entering the basin.
The first named storm of the season, Hurricane Agatha, formed on May 28, and made landfall two days later at Category 2 strength on the Saffir–Simpson scale, making it the strongest hurricane on record to make landfall during the month of May in the Eastern Pacific basin.
In June, Hurricane Blas and Tropical Storm Celia caused heavy rainfall over southwestern Mexico despite remaining offshore.
The season's first major hurricane, Hurricane Bonnie, entered into the basin from the Atlantic on July 2, after crossing Nicaragua as a tropical storm, becoming the first storm to survive the crossover from the Atlantic to the Pacific since Hurricane Otto in 2016. Also in July, Hurricane Darby became the first Category 4 hurricane of the season.
[...] Hurricane Kay. On August 30, the NHC noted that an area of disturbed weather had formed a few hundred miles south of Acapulco, Guerrero. This disturbance became organized as a tropical depression on September 4, and strengthened into Tropical Storm Kay later that same day. The storm continued to intensify, and on the morning of September 5, became a Category 1 hurricane.
On the following day, the eye of the hurricane passed over Socorro Island with sustained winds of 85 mph (140 km/h). Then, while moving north-northwestward early on September 7, Kay intensified into a Category 2 hurricane. This intensification proved short-lived however, as the cloud tops surrounding Kay's eye warmed and its overall cloud pattern became less organized and somewhat elongated later that same day, resulting in the hurricane weakening to Category 1 strength.
Kay made landfall along the central Baja California peninsula coast with 75 mph (120 km/h) winds on September 8, then weakened to a tropical storm, before moving back over the ocean. The storm became a post-tropical cyclone about 145 mi (230 km) southwest of San Diego, California, overnight September 9–10, while slowly curving further offshore.
As Kay paralleled the coast of southwestern Mexico its rainbands drenched coastal states from Oaxaca north to Nayarit with up to 5.5 in (140 mm) of rain. In addition to flooding and minor damage, the hurricane was also responsible for three deaths in Guerrero. Kay also raked most of the Baja California peninsula with strong winds and heavy rain, which caused flooding and mudslides; there were no reports of injuries.
Before the storm hit, over 1,600 people evacuated to shelters according to Baja California Sur state officials. Kay's outer bands also hit Southern California, bringing wind gusts of near 100 mph (160 km/h) to some areas, primarily in San Diego County, and causing flash flooding concerns.
Rainfall totals varied across the region, with Mt. Laguna, in San Diego County, recording the highest amount at 5.08 in (129 mm). The rainfall was beneficial to crews in Riverside County battling the Fairview Fire, as it mitigated some of the threat posed by the high winds and dry conditions. (MORE - missing details)