Except for Papa, everything [Zavion] had known his whole life was gone. The big oak tree and its shade and the brick walkway leading up to his house. Gone. The house. Gone. Everything inside the house. Gone. And the one last thing that had reminded him of Mama. Gone.
All of them swept away in the hurricane.
from Another Kind of Hurricane
written by Tamara Ellis Smith
Schwartz & Wade Books, 2015
The Atlantic hurricane season begins June 1, each year and concludes September 30. That doesn’t mean Mother Nature will follow the guidelines climatologists, meteorologists, or regular weather-watchers expect. She makes up her own rules. We humans are only beginning to understand them.
Almost everyone agrees with the scientific facts pointing to changes we humans have caused to our climate. Without blame or oversimplification, we can acknowledge that warm air holds more moisture than cool air.
Severe weather occurs when air blows across the warm ocean. The water evaporates and the vapor rises. As the water vapor moves higher and higher, it cools and condenses back into large water droplets. Storm clouds form. As more water evaporates and cools, the clouds get bigger and bigger and start to spin with the earth’s rotation. If enough water gathers into storm clouds, they organize into the familiar pattern we see on weather maps.
Tropical cyclone is a generic name. Hurricanes, typhoons, and cyclones are all names for the same weather system, a large-scale, atmospheric wind-and-pressure system characterized by low pressure at its center and a circular wind motion. Storms forming in the North Atlantic, central North Pacific, and eastern North Pacific are known as hurricanes. A storm in the Northwest Pacific is a typhoon. Storms originating in the South Pacific and Indian Ocean are called cyclones. A tropical cyclone in Australia is called a willy willy. Really.
No matter what we call them, hurricanes need two conditions to form. First, a weather disturbance like a thunderstorm must be present to pull in warm surface air from all directions. Second, the storm must occur over ocean water at least 80 degrees F. In the tropics, between 23.5 degrees N and 23.5 degrees S latitude, seawater is hot enough to give storms their strength. Earth’s rotation gives them their spin.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)’s Fact Sheet, Ocean Exploration, "[r]ecent studies have shown a link between ocean surface temperatures and tropical storm intensity - warmer waters fuel more energetic storms." And ocean temperatures are indeed getting warmer.
NOAA is expecting an above-average hurricane season in 2024. But NOAA’s Administrator, Rick Spinrad, PhD, assures the public that his organization’s commitment to keeping Americans safe remains its highest priority.
AI-enhanced language translations and new depictions of inland wind threats are one way to keep the public informed.
New forecast models developed by NOAA researchers began operation this season. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) is now able to update the public immediately instead of waiting for the next full advisory, issued every six hours.
A new generation of Flood Maps was made possible through President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Signed in November 2021, up-to-the-minute information is provided to help local officials prepare and protect people and infrastructure.
NOAA is predicting between 17 and 25 named storms. We’ve already experienced Alberto, and Beryl, wreaking havoc in Texas at this writing, is predicted to barrel her remnants all the way to Ohio late tonight and continue dumping rain till the end of this week.
Storms are named each year according to where in the world’s six basins the storm originates. Each basin has an organization that comes up with names for storms. The Atlantic and Eastern North Pacific share a six-year alphabetical list. The difficult letters, Q, U, X, Y, and Z are skipped. Naming began in 1953 and men’s names were finally added in 1979. Each year, gender-specific names are alternated. If a male name goes first one year, the next year a female name is chosen first. At the end of six years, the lists start over. Some day, maybe gender-specific names will become irrelevant. Names will just be names. But that’s a subject for a different day.
If a hurricane is particularly severe, its name is retired. Since 1953, when storms were first named, 96 names have been retired. Any country may request a name be retired and the World Meteorological Organization has the final say. The last names to be retired were Fiona and Ian, both in 2022.
The Greek alphabet, adding 24 more names, is used if more than twenty-one named storms occur in any one calendar year.
Hurricanes are classified according to their wind speed.
Category 1 winds 74-95 mph
Category 2 winds 96-110
Category 3 winds 111-129
Category 4 winds 120-156
Category 5 winds 157- higher
Here's a chart from the National Weather Service describing the projected damage in each category.
Meteorologists are discussing whether to add a Category 6 to the classification schedule. Some say a new scale is needed since the Saffir-Simpson scale which is in current use measures wind speed only.
A new scale could consider the damage and loss of life caused by amount of rainfall, storm surges, and flooding. In light of the increasing severity of the storms and their increasing frequency, this might be a good idea. Especially with the newly implemented tools and forecasting abilities. The (NHC) has not weighed in yet.
The most active Atlantic hurricane season on record in terms of total storms took place in 2020, with 30 named storms documented. Fourteen became hurricanes, seven of them Category 3 or higher.
Hurricane Beryl is the earliest occurring Category 5 storm in recorded history.
No book this week. Too much fun with grandkids and 4th of July festivities.
Be curious! (and be prepared)
All of them swept away in the hurricane.
from Another Kind of Hurricane
written by Tamara Ellis Smith
Schwartz & Wade Books, 2015
The Atlantic hurricane season begins June 1, each year and concludes September 30. That doesn’t mean Mother Nature will follow the guidelines climatologists, meteorologists, or regular weather-watchers expect. She makes up her own rules. We humans are only beginning to understand them.
Almost everyone agrees with the scientific facts pointing to changes we humans have caused to our climate. Without blame or oversimplification, we can acknowledge that warm air holds more moisture than cool air.
Severe weather occurs when air blows across the warm ocean. The water evaporates and the vapor rises. As the water vapor moves higher and higher, it cools and condenses back into large water droplets. Storm clouds form. As more water evaporates and cools, the clouds get bigger and bigger and start to spin with the earth’s rotation. If enough water gathers into storm clouds, they organize into the familiar pattern we see on weather maps.
Tropical cyclone is a generic name. Hurricanes, typhoons, and cyclones are all names for the same weather system, a large-scale, atmospheric wind-and-pressure system characterized by low pressure at its center and a circular wind motion. Storms forming in the North Atlantic, central North Pacific, and eastern North Pacific are known as hurricanes. A storm in the Northwest Pacific is a typhoon. Storms originating in the South Pacific and Indian Ocean are called cyclones. A tropical cyclone in Australia is called a willy willy. Really.
No matter what we call them, hurricanes need two conditions to form. First, a weather disturbance like a thunderstorm must be present to pull in warm surface air from all directions. Second, the storm must occur over ocean water at least 80 degrees F. In the tropics, between 23.5 degrees N and 23.5 degrees S latitude, seawater is hot enough to give storms their strength. Earth’s rotation gives them their spin.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)’s Fact Sheet, Ocean Exploration, "[r]ecent studies have shown a link between ocean surface temperatures and tropical storm intensity - warmer waters fuel more energetic storms." And ocean temperatures are indeed getting warmer.
NOAA is expecting an above-average hurricane season in 2024. But NOAA’s Administrator, Rick Spinrad, PhD, assures the public that his organization’s commitment to keeping Americans safe remains its highest priority.
AI-enhanced language translations and new depictions of inland wind threats are one way to keep the public informed.
New forecast models developed by NOAA researchers began operation this season. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) is now able to update the public immediately instead of waiting for the next full advisory, issued every six hours.
A new generation of Flood Maps was made possible through President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Signed in November 2021, up-to-the-minute information is provided to help local officials prepare and protect people and infrastructure.
NOAA is predicting between 17 and 25 named storms. We’ve already experienced Alberto, and Beryl, wreaking havoc in Texas at this writing, is predicted to barrel her remnants all the way to Ohio late tonight and continue dumping rain till the end of this week.
Storms are named each year according to where in the world’s six basins the storm originates. Each basin has an organization that comes up with names for storms. The Atlantic and Eastern North Pacific share a six-year alphabetical list. The difficult letters, Q, U, X, Y, and Z are skipped. Naming began in 1953 and men’s names were finally added in 1979. Each year, gender-specific names are alternated. If a male name goes first one year, the next year a female name is chosen first. At the end of six years, the lists start over. Some day, maybe gender-specific names will become irrelevant. Names will just be names. But that’s a subject for a different day.
If a hurricane is particularly severe, its name is retired. Since 1953, when storms were first named, 96 names have been retired. Any country may request a name be retired and the World Meteorological Organization has the final say. The last names to be retired were Fiona and Ian, both in 2022.
The Greek alphabet, adding 24 more names, is used if more than twenty-one named storms occur in any one calendar year.
Hurricanes are classified according to their wind speed.
Category 1 winds 74-95 mph
Category 2 winds 96-110
Category 3 winds 111-129
Category 4 winds 120-156
Category 5 winds 157- higher
Here's a chart from the National Weather Service describing the projected damage in each category.
Meteorologists are discussing whether to add a Category 6 to the classification schedule. Some say a new scale is needed since the Saffir-Simpson scale which is in current use measures wind speed only.
A new scale could consider the damage and loss of life caused by amount of rainfall, storm surges, and flooding. In light of the increasing severity of the storms and their increasing frequency, this might be a good idea. Especially with the newly implemented tools and forecasting abilities. The (NHC) has not weighed in yet.
The most active Atlantic hurricane season on record in terms of total storms took place in 2020, with 30 named storms documented. Fourteen became hurricanes, seven of them Category 3 or higher.
Hurricane Beryl is the earliest occurring Category 5 storm in recorded history.
No book this week. Too much fun with grandkids and 4th of July festivities.
Be curious! (and be prepared)
RSS Feed