Categories
Tropical Weather

Hurricanes Igor, Julia, Karl & PreInvest PGI45L

Hurricane Igor still a threat to Bermuda with winds of 120MPH and is still a Category 3 storm. The inner eyewall of Igor has been broken on the west side, but there is still time for this to regenerate. Igor is an environment of very light shear and warm SST’s. Within 48 hours, Igor will start to feel the effects of cooler waters and some gradual increasing of south to southwesterly shear. The steering flow of a subtropical ridge will keep Igor on a NW – NNW for the next few days. After that forecast period, a series of strong short wave troughs that is located in the Northeastern US will turn Igor NE.

Visible Satellite image of Igor
Visible Satellite image of Igor, SW Troughs

Hurricane Julia is slowly decreasing in strength mostly due to an increasing N to NW shear from the large upper-level outflow from Hurricane Igor. The outflow is from top of the storm Igor and rotates clockwise. Continued weakening is forecast in two of the models and the Dynamical models are forecasting dissipation with Julia being absorbed within the circulation of Hurricane Igor.

Visible Satellite image of Hurricane Julia
Visible Satellite image of Igor & Julia with outflow

Dangerous Hurricane Karl is a Category 3 storm. The eye of Karl will be making landfall in Mexico within minutes, if not now. Karl will start to lose strength once the eye has made landfall due to the interaction with land and the high mountains in Mexico. Major flooding will be a problem.

Visible Satellite image of Karl
AVN Satellite image of Karl

ADDENDUM: The Eye of Hurricane Karl has made landfall just northwest of Veracruz, Mexico – just before 2PM EST.


Pre invest PGI45L is still a very series of thunderstorms associated with a broad low pressure system. Since this is the peak of the hurricane season and this area is in the Cape Verde Islands – this system has to be monitored. I feel any development, if any, will probably head NW and away from any land masses.

IR Satellite image of PGI45L
AVN Satellite image of PGI45L
Categories
Tropical Weather

Invest 92L, TS Igor

A wave in the eastern Caribbean, just south-southeast of the Windward Islands has become better organized and has been designated as Invest 92L. Once Invest 92L can move away from the South American coast, 92L will be in a position to strengthen and develop into a tropical cyclone. Most models are in agreement of 92L developing into a hurricane and the flow will be a W to WNW movement. An outlier model (the Canadian CMC) model has it closer to Cuba and possibly Florida. Shear will be very light and the environment will be conducive for further development. The pattern for this system will be for 92L to have landfall toward the Yucatan and if it follows a more WNW-NW flow it will get into the southern GOM and this might be another threat to Texas if it holds together.

IR Satellite image if 92L
Visible Satellite image of Invest 92L
Wind Shear West Atlantic/Caribbean
Models for Invest 92L

Tropical Storm Igor overnight and this morning was being assaulted by moderate easterly shear but as the day progressed the shear began to relax a little and this allowed deep convection within the center to form along with an expanding convective field. There was a weak low to the northeast of Igor but that has been absorbed by Igor. The shear will be relaxing over the next few days along with warm SST’s and a very moist envelope, Igor will be in an environment conducive for steady intensification. Both Statistical and Dynamical models are in agreement for Igor to be a hurricane with 2-3 days. Further intensification is also forecast. There is a mid-level ridge to the north of Igor and this will keep Igor on a W to WNW track along with a gradual increase of forward speed. On day 4 Igor will be be in the Central Atlantic and will be near a trough which should cause Igor to turn toward the NW. Exactly how much of a turn and when has caused the different models to slightly disagree. Some models tend to believe that Igor will follow a path similar to Danielle and therefore the will not affect Bermuda where as other models are taking a slower track and taking a path similar to Earl being between the coast of the SE U.S. and Bermuda.

IR Satellite image of TS Igor
Visible Satellite image of TS Igor
Shear Map of the Eastern Atlantic
Models for TS Igor
Categories
Tropical Weather

Invest 96L

Although Invest 96L has been around for a few days it is now over the Yucatan Peninsula.

The upper level winds now are in the 20-30 knots range and are not conducive for anything to develop, but the wind shear is forecast to relax in about 36 hours or so.

Wind Shear

The Dynamic Models do seem to have a better grip than the Statistic Models but remember the models will always fluctuate. At the moment I would tend to stick with the Dynamic Models consensus.

Dynamic Models
Statistic Models

The Steering Layer forecast from PSU Meteorology (not shown) appears that Texas could be threatened but since we don’t even have a center of circulation or developed system yet – time will tell what type of an impact Texas will have, if any.