Civicane49's WunderBlog

TS Alberto forms off the coast of South Carolina

Posted by: Civicane49, 11:13 PM GMT on May 19, 2012

We are at an early start of hurricane season both in the Atlantic and in the East Pacific. Tropical Storm Aletta had formed over the East Pacific basin just one day before the official start of this basin’s hurricane season. Aletta has now dissipated over the Pacific Ocean. However, we now have the first tropical storm of the Atlantic hurricane season: Alberto. It has formed thirteen days before the start of Atlantic hurricane season. According to the ship that is near Alberto's center, it reports that the tropical storm has estimated winds of 60 mph and central pressure of 995 mbar. It is located roughly 130 miles east-southeast of Charleston, South Carolina. Alberto is the earliest-forming tropical storm in the Atlantic Basin since Tropical Storm Ana in 2003.

According to the latest satellite image and radar, Alberto appears to be a small and well-organized storm, although its low-level circulation is at the edge of its deep convection. The majority of the models are forecasting the tropical storm to slowly meander in its current area and subsequently move in the general northeastward direction and accelerate. There is a possibility that Alberto could make landfall in the Carolinas coast on Monday, as the storm moves northeastward. As a result, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) may put the Carolinas coast under the tropical storm watch later today. Regardless of landfall, the Carolinas coast would receive some rain and some high winds. The cyclone is located in a marginally favorable environment with moderate wind shear, relatively warm waters, and some moist air. Therefore, the storm is expected to intensify slowly before entering to an area of unfavorable conditions. Alberto is predicted to become an extratropical storm by the next 96 hours.

Figure 1. Latest infrared satellite image of Tropical Storm Alberto. Image courtesy: RAMMB imagery.

Elsewhere in the tropics
In the eastern Pacific, a tropical disturbance dubbed Invest 92E remains disorganized on satellite images, as it is situated several hundred miles south of Acapulco, Mexico. The low pressure system is moving nearly stationary. However, the system can eventually become a tropical cyclone by the next few days and possibly become the first hurricane of the 2012 East Pacific hurricane season. The NHC is giving this disturbance a 20% chance of becoming a tropical cyclone over the next 48 hours.

Civicane49

Categories:Tropical cyclones of 2012

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Possible subtropical storm later this week

Posted by: Civicane49, 8:38 PM GMT on April 15, 2012

In the central Atlantic, there is a low-pressure trough that may be developing a subtropical storm. In fact, many models are predicting that a subtropical storm would develop in the central Atlantic by late tomorrow or early Tuesday. The models are depicting that a storm cuts off from a trough. The system would then move slowly westward and persist just to the east of Bermuda over several days before moving north-northeastward and being absorbed by another low-press...

Categories:Hurricane

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4.25-inch hailstone sets new Hawaii hail size record

Posted by: Civicane49, 5:15 AM GMT on March 23, 2012

Roughly two weeks ago, the "supercell" thunderstorm had generated both a rare tornado and hail in Kaneohe and Kailua, which both are in the windward side of Oahu. Earlier today, the Honolulu National Weather Service office in coordination with the State Climate Extremes Committee has found that one of the hailstones, from the March 9th storm, broke a new hail size record. The large hailstone was first reported by a windward resident in the Aikahi Neighborhood on the...

Categories:Hail Tornado

Updated: 4:15 AM GMT on March 24, 2012

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Surprising tropical disturbance formed in Yucatan Channel on February

Posted by: Civicane49, 1:32 AM GMT on February 06, 2012

An unseasonably disturbance developed over the northwestern Caribbean Sea on early February. It has recently been classified as Invest 90L by the National Hurricane Center (NHC). In addition, this disturbance has a chance of becoming a rare February subtropical depression or storm. I’m quite surprised that this disturbance formed on February. This similar event had happened on February 1952, when a tropical storm formed from a disturbance on the western Caribbean ...

Categories:Hurricane

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A rare mid-November tropical cyclone in eastern Pacific formed

Posted by: Civicane49, 1:58 AM GMT on November 20, 2011

Aloha everyone. Tropical Depression Thirteen-E has formed on the open eastern Pacific. It is situated about 480 miles south of Acapulco, Mexico and its winds are 35 mph and pressure is 1006 mbar. The system is moving westward at roughly 12 mph. Recent satellite loops show the depression is gradually becoming better organized with deep convection building in the center. According to the historical records, the depression is the latest-forming tropical cyclone in the...

Categories:Tropical cyclones of 2011

Updated: 2:01 AM GMT on November 20, 2011

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