East Coast Nightmare

The remnants of the former Hurricane Ida have merged with a frontal system and created a nightmare for folks along the Atlantic Coast from New England to the Carolinas. This has been one of the worst Nor’easters we have seen for quite some time. Many places such as the Outer Banks, NC and Virginia Beach, VA have had winds of category 1 hurricane strength and deadly waves and flooding. Virginia has been declared a state of emergency.

For us here in Youngstown, we will see no rain or wind from this or any storm systems for quite some time. Our stretch of dry weather should continue all weekend, with only the chance of a few sprinkles on Sunday. Friday we will see highs in the middle 50s, but expect those numbers to increase into the low 60s for Saturday and Sunday, under partly cloudy to sunny skies!!!

The Landfall of Tropical Storm Ida

Ida has weakened today and will make landfall overnight as a strong tropical storm. A lot of the storm’s rain is onshore, displaced from the actual center of the storm which is still not inland. The center will probably come ashore around 2 am on the Mississippi and Alabama Gulf Coasts. Winds along the coasts have been gusting upwards of 50 mph, while waves have been breaking at 15 to 20 feet. As Ida moves onshore, it will become connected with another area of low pressure and a cold front, creating a mess of a system for the eastern United States.

The First of the Season!

Just about 3 weeks from the close of Hurricane Season 2009, we will more than likely have our first landfalling hurricane in the United States in over a year. Hurricane Ida is located around 400 miles south-southeast of the Mississippi River and is chugging through the Gulf of Mexico at 14 mph. A hurricane warning is in effect for the US mainland from Pascagoula, MS to Indian Pass, FL. Ida is a category two hurricane with winds of 105 mph. However, As the upper level wind shear increases over the storm, and it begins to feel the effects of another area of low pressure as well as a cold front approaching from the north, Ida will weaken – but should remain a hurricane through landfall. Thereafter, Ida should transition into an extra-tropical cyclone as it merges with the other systems. Heavy rain will be the main threat across the southeastern United States, but where the storm comes ashore we can see winds of hurricane force, storm surge of 3 to 6 feet and a few isolated tornadoes. Landfall should be sometime late Monday into Tuesday. Keep it here and to the National Hurricane Center for the latest. I have a link straight to the Hurricane IDA information on my blogroll.  If Ida does make landfall as a hurricane, it would be only the 5th hurricane to make landfall in the United States in the month of November since 1900.

Ida Regains Hurricane Strength

After making landfall in Central America and then re-emerging into the Caribbean late Friday, Ida is now between Cuba and the Yucatan Peninsula as a Category One Hurricane with winds of 90 mph. Ida has about 24 hours to continue strengthening before encountering wind shear in the central and northern Gulf of Mexico. A full update will be available later Sunday as the path becomes more certain. At this time, people from Louisiana to the west coast of Florida should monitor Ida’s progress.

Ida Weakening

Hurricane Ida is now a tropical depression, located inland over Nicaragua and Honduras – dumping heavy rain and producing flooding across the poor countries. The center of the tropical depression should move northwestward and re-emerge over the northwestern Caribbean Sea late Friday or early Saturday. Thereafter it could restrengthen a bit – but the upper level environment won’t favor too much strengthening. We will have to see what Ida looks like tomorrow as it emerges before we see how much it can develop. In the meantime, Ida will continue to produce heavy rainfall over the mountains of Central America.

SURPRISE!!!

Just when we thought hurricane season 2009 was over, we have a hurricane out in the Caribbean Sea this morning! Hurricane Ida strengthened from a tropical storm earlier this morning and has made landfall near Tasbapauni, Nicaragua – in Central America as a category one hurricane with winds of 75 mph. Over the next 36 hours or so, the center of Ida should weaken as it tracks over the mountainous terrain of Honduras and Nicaragua. People there should brace for very heavy rains and potentially life threatening mudslides. If Ida survives the next 36 hours or so over land, then it would emerge over the Caribbean Sea and perhaps into the Gulf of Mexico. We will keep you updated on the latest developments on Ida.

Second Strongest EPAC Hurricane

The Atlantic Hurricane Season has sure put the meteorological nap in full swing…however, that is not the case in the Eastern Pacific basin. Tonight Hurricane Rick has become the 2nd strongest Eastern Pacific Hurricane as the maximum sustained winds have increased to 180 mph – making Rick a potentially catastrophic Category FIVE hurricane! The strongest EPac Hurricane was Hurricane Linda in 1997, who’s winds topped 185mph. Currently Rick is located 605 miles SSE of Cabo San Lucas, MX. Rick is currently moving away from the Mexican coast, but should turn back towards Baja California next week. However, by then cooler water temperatures and shear should induce significant weakening on the storm. However, all those along the Baja coast should monitor this potentially deadly storm!

Another Short Storm

Just 18 hours after Tropical Storm Grace had her one day of fame, yet another tropical storm formed in the Atlantic Ocean. Tropical Storm Henri formed early this afternoon and is located about 510 miles east of the Northern Leeward Islands. However, Henri is located in a region of high wind shear and probably won’t last more than a day or two.

24 Hour Storm

The seventh named storm of the 2009 Atlantic hurricane season, Tropical Storm Grace, formed late Sunday in the far Northeast Atlantic Ocean – west of the British Isles. As of late Monday though, Grace has been absorbed by a large frontal system that will spread moisture and gale force winds to Ireland. While her life as a tropical storm was short, Grace strengthened to just under hurricane strength this afternoon and at one point had winds of 70 mph. Even though she lasted only 24 hours, that allowed one more tick to be added to this boring hurricane season!!!

And now we Wind Down

We have made it though the peak months of the hurricane season and this year so far we only have had one named tropical system make landfall along the US coastline. This was Tropical Storm Claudette in mid August, which made landfall as a 50 mph tropical storm along Florida’s panhandle. Other than that, this has been one of the most boring seasons of my lifetime. As of today, October 1st, we have had 6 named storms, two hurricanes – both of which have become major hurricanes. We also had Tropical depressions one and eight, that never strengthened to become tropical storms. On average by October 1st, we should see about 9 storms by now. However, if we look at an average over the last two decades, we are way below normal. This time last year we were on our 12th storm. The 2009 hurricane season will last through November 30th, so it is important to still not let your guard down. October, while less climatologically active, has had a history of extremely dangerous hurricanes. Hurricanes Mitch and Wilma, two of the Atlantic Basin’s strongest hurricanes ever (both had winds up to 170 to 180 mph) developed in the month of October. Keep it here for the latest developments on Hurricane Season 2009!!!