The National Hurricane Center has issued its final advisory on Tropical Storm Gordon, which has become extratropical as it gets sucked up into a cold front approaching the British Isles and Europe.
Says the 5pm discussion:
AFTER NEARLY 10 DAYS TRAVELING ACROSS THE ATLANTIC…TENACIOUS GORDON IS FINALLY BECOMING EXTRATROPICAL AS A STRONG COLD FRONT INTERACTS WITH THE CYCLONE’S CIRCULATION. THE EXTRATROPICAL STORM WILL CONTINUE RACING ON A GENERAL EAST TO EAST-NORTHEAST TRACK UNTIL IT BECOME ABSORBED BY THE COLD FRONT. THIS WILL BE THE LAST ADVISORY ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER ON GORDON. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THIS SYSTEM CAN BE FOUND IN HIGH SEAS FORECASTS ISSUED BY METEOFRANCE UNDER WMO HEADER FQNT50 LFPW.
Meanwhile, huge Hurricane Helene continues to dominate the central Atlantic.
Maximum sustained winds are 105 mph, and — perhaps more impressively — tropical-storm force winds extend out 175 miles from the center. That’s a diameter of 350 miles. Margie Kieper discussed this yesterday, noting “just how impressive Helene’s circulation is. Helene is still huge. I don’t know why this hasn’t received more mention. Remember how large Katrina was last year in the [Gulf of Mexico]…how it seemed that Katrina almost filled the eastern 2/3 of the [Gulf]? Well, Helene is larger.” And the best part is, Helene isn’t going to hit anybody, so we weather nerds can admire it without guilt!
|
Categories: 2006 Hurricane Season
|
September 20th, 2006 at 8:34:31 pm
Hello there! A teeny tiny correction. The winds don’t extend out the same distance on all four “quads” — and yesterday Helene’s winds had a max diameter of 325 mi. Still, très impressionnant, n’est pas!
This info is always in the Forecast Advisory (I belive it used to be called the Marine Advisory), and every other one, they also list the diameter of the eye. Here’s one from yesterday.
ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE 960 MB
MAX SUSTAINED WINDS 100 KT WITH GUSTS TO 120 KT.
64 KT……. 60NE 50SE 40SW 50NW.
50 KT…….100NE 75SE 60SW 100NW.
34 KT…….200NE 150SE 125SW 175NW.
But poor Helene is just a Cat 1 right now (that 90 kt…no way!). A very large Cat 1. :-) And I think she may be fini. That trough is friend right now, but will soon turn to foe (upper air difluence will be replaced with shear). –mek
September 20th, 2006 at 8:46:42 pm
Hmm… but it looks like you’re looking at yesterday’s 11am advisory (which I’m guessing is the one you based your post on?). According to today’s 5pm advisory, the tropical-storm force winds actually do extend out the same distance in all four quads:
ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE 960 MB
MAX SUSTAINED WINDS 90 KT WITH GUSTS TO 110 KT.
64 KT……. 30NE 30SE 90SW 30NW.
50 KT……. 75NE 75SE 100SW 75NW.
34 KT…….150NE 150SE 150SW 150NW.
12 FT SEAS..375NE 300SE 225SW 350NW.
I actually did look at it before posting this, and was surprised to see that. But, there it is!
So, yesterday Helene’s max diameter was 325 nmi, as you said. But today it was 300 nmi. Its peak was actually 350 nmi, as of today’s 11am advisory.
And now that we’ve bored all the non weather nerds… back to college football. ;) Hehe j/k.
September 20th, 2006 at 8:50:40 pm
P.S. I, too, remember when it used to be called the Marine Advisory. That was back when I used to get my NHC advisories from CompuServe. Ah, memories.
September 20th, 2006 at 8:51:58 pm
P.P.S. I just noticed that you said “Here’s one from yesterday.” So there was no need for the “but” in my statement “but it looks like you’re looking at yesterday’s 11am advisory.” Sorry.
September 20th, 2006 at 9:14:44 pm
Heeheehee. Yeah, I actually didn’t read the 11am Forecast Advisory today (isn’t it always the one
thing you don’t read!…probably too busy rolling my eyes at the 90 kt). So your original statement
correct as it stands, as for that one advisory NHC did increase it. My turn to be sorry!
September 20th, 2006 at 9:16:09 pm
Oh! I forgot to say what prompted my orig comment was I thought you took the 175 and doubled it, that’s
why I put in the Forecast Advis stuff. –mek
September 20th, 2006 at 9:39:51 pm
I figured. :) No worries. Thanks for reading! Love your blog!
September 20th, 2006 at 10:03:28 pm
Thanks! [blush] Did’ja read the comment tonight about the Dry Air Diet? Just the new rage among
hurricanes. Steve Gregory said it was the first laugh he had all day.
So…I think this season’s got just one or two more limp lifeless storms left in it, and then, it’s
history. However NHC is still banging the drum in a story that came out over lunchtime today:
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/nation/4201901.html
‘…forecasters warned that there are two months left in the season, and September and October are
typically among the busiest months.
‘”Don’t be fooled by anybody that they know what’s going to happen in two weeks,” Avila said. “We don’t
know if this pattern is going to go or stay.”‘
–mek