Emily now the second category 3 storm this month.

[NNadir]

Record warmth in the Atlantic...two major hurricanes in July.

Got anybody's attention?

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/text/refresh/MIATCPAT5+shtml/150000.shtml

"...MAXIMUM SUSTAINED ARE NEAR 115 MPH... 185 KM/HR... WITH HIGHER
GUSTS. EMILY IS A CATEGORY THREE HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON
SCALE. SOME STRENGTHENING IS FORECAST DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS.

HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 25 MILES... 35 KM...
FROM THE CENTER... AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP
TO 115 MILES... 185 KM.

THE MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE REPORTED BY A UNITED STATES AIR FORCE
RECONNAISSANCE AIRCRAFT WAS 962 MB... 28.41 INCHES..."

[gulfcoastliberal]

1. I hope DU allows us to change our handles again...

I think I'm going to go back to Cali and be a NorcalLiberal again. Forget the Gulf Coast. After Ivan 10 months ago, and Dennis last week, and now this - I've had it. It's like being nuked yearly.

[soothsayer]

4. This one might hit the TX coast as a cat 2 or 3

[Glorfindel]

2. Global warming is a myth perpetuated by eco-terrorists!

Pay no attention to those inconvenient category 3 hurricanes. We need to clear-cut more national forests and burn more fossil fuels. The only important issues are abortion and gay marriage. Everything else is unpatriotic to Our Great Dear Leader "PResident" *!

:crazy: :spank: :kick:

[funflower]

15. Yeah, man, it's them eco-terrorists and their femi-nazi friends....

Welcome to DU, Glorfindel!

:toast:

[funflower]

16. Either that or God has removed his protection from our nation because

we have turned away from him and become harlots and sodomites.

:puke:

[soothsayer]

3. Oooh! Might make it all the way thru the names this season!

And then it goes to Alpha, Bravo, etc., I think.

[funflower]

5. I'm a left coaster, and I'm clueless about the hurricane season.

How many hurricanes are usual in a year and when do the ordinarily occur?

[BeFree]

9. Hurricanes

Not an expert here, but have been interested in 'canes most of the time.

An average year, in modern history mind you, will see about 10 Atlantic 'canes during the summer months in the northern hemisphere. The Pacific season has about double that number.

A hurricane needs many climatic and environmental factors to be favorable before twisting up and staying in shape. This year, many of those factors are favorable for the Atlantic, including winds from the Pacific ocean.

This year looks to be one for the Atlantic record books. Already there have been more 'canes in July than ever recorded.

Hurricanes have been described as natures way of transfering heat from the equator to the poles.

In very simple terms, the tropics heat up causing an expansion of the air, which begins to rise, which creates a low pressure at the surface which enduces convection, which causes spin..round and round she goes.

One factor I find very curious is that any proper 'cane requires a high pressure system at the very top in order to form, a high pressure which is counter to the low pressure at the surface. Go figure!

[funflower]

11. Thanks very much, BeFree.

This climate change thing is very scary.

[funflower]

17. Do July 'canes usually differ qualitatively from later 'canes?

[Strelnikov_]

6. She Is Now A 4

2 AM AST FRI JUL 15 2005

...DANGEROUS HURRICANE EMILY REACHES CATEGORY 4 STRENGTH OVER THE
EAST-CENTRAL CARIBBEAN SEA...

INFORMATION FROM AN AIR FORCE RESERVE RECONNAISSANCE AIRCRAFT
INDICATE THAT MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS HAVE CONTINUED TO INCREASE
AND ARE NOW NEAR 135 MPH...215 KM/HR...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. EMILY IS
NOW A CATEGORY 4 HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON HURRICANE SCALE
SCALE. SOME ADDITIONAL STRENGTHENING IS POSSIBLE DURING THE NEXT
24 HOURS.

[XemaSab]

7. we're hosed

has california ever had a hurricane or tropical storm?

[phantom power]

8. they generally track east to west, so it would be very rare.

[XemaSab]

10. I know the winds go different directions

depending on the latitude, but isn't it subject to some flexibility exactly what latitude the westerlies are moving at?

[NNadir]

12. After falling to category 2, it has risen to category 4 again.

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/text/refresh/MIATCPAT5+shtml/150000.shtml


"BULLETIN
HURRICANE EMILY ADVISORY NUMBER 23
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL
11 AM EDT SAT JUL 16 2005

...EXTREMELY DANGEROUS CATEGORY FOUR EMILY MOVING
WEST-NORTHWESTWARD...RAINBANDS SPREADING OVER JAMAICA...

A HURRICANE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR JAMAICA AND FOR ALL OF THE
CAYMAN ISLANDS.


A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE ENTIRE SOUTHWESTERN
PENINSULA OF HAITI FROM THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC/HAITI BORDER TO
PORT-AU-PRINCE. THIS WARNING WILL LIKELY BE DISCONTINUED LATER
TODAY.

AT 11 AM EDT...THE GOVERNMENT OF BELIZE HAS ISSUED A TROPICAL STORM
WATCH FOR THE COAST OF BELIZE FROM BELIZE CITY NORTHWARD TO THE
BELIZE-MEXICO BORDER.



...EMILY IS MOVING TOWARD THE WEST-NORTHWEST NEAR 18 MPH...30 KM/HR...
AND THIS GENERAL MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE FOR THE NEXT 24
HOURS. THIS MOTION SHOULD BRING THE CENTER OF EMILY SOUTH OF
JAMAICA TODAY AND NEAR GRAND CAYMAN ISLAND TONIGHT.

REPORTS FROM AN AIR FORCE RESERVE HURRICANE HUNTER AIRCRAFT INDICATE
THAT MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 145 MPH...230 KM/HR...WITH
GUSTS. THIS MAKES EMILY A CATEGORY FOUR HURRICANE ON THE
SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE. SOME FLUCTUATIONS IN STRENGTH ARE EXPECTED
DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS.


...REPEATING THE 11 AM EDT POSITION...16.2 N... 77.3 W. MOVEMENT
TOWARD...WEST-NORTHWEST NEAR 18 MPH. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED
WINDS...145 MPH. MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE... 943 MB.

AN INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL
HURRICANE CENTER AT 2 PM EDT FOLLOWED BY THE NEXT
COMPLETE ADVISORY AT 5 PM EDT.

FORECASTER BEVEN"


The good news for (for the time being anyhow) wealthy people in the United States who minimize the risk of global climatic instability: The hurricane is only likely to affect poor people in Mexico.

5 storms in the normally relatively quiescent month of July, two of them category 4.

[NNadir]

13. The hurricane has succeeded Dennis as the strongest July hurricane ever.

"With winds of 155 mph, Emily has beaten out Dennis for the honor of strongest July hurricane on record in the Atlantic Basin. Emily remains a small but very strong and very dangerous major Category 4 hurricane. If the sustained wind were to increase 1 more mph, Emily would become a Category 5 hurricane."

http://www.weather.com/newscenter/tropical/

[Kool Kitty]

14. That's a scary stat.