Tuesday, October 6, 2015

Hurricane Joaquin Heads Into the North Atlantic Ocean; May Impact Europe as a Remnant

http://www.wunderground.com/news/hurricane-joaquin-bahamas-atlantic-east-coast-bermuda-2015

Hurricane Joaquin, after lashing Bermuda with wind gusts over 60 mph and heavy rainfall Sunday, is heading across the open northern Atlantic Ocean and is expected to transition to a non-tropical low-pressure system by late Wednesday.
(MAP: Track Hurricane Joaquin with our New Interactive Storm Tracker)
Winds gusted frequently over 50 mph Sunday in Bermuda, with the strongest official wind gust reaching 64 mph at the Bermuda International Airport shortly before 9 p.m. Gusts over 50 mph continued in Bermuda into early Monday morning.
Although rainfall and winds have diminished in Bermuda, high surf was expected to continue for the next day or so. High surf is also expected to persist into the Bahamas, particularly on north-facing shores, until Wednesday.
After Joaquin moves over the open waters of the Atlantic and transitions to a non-tropical low pressure system it may impact Europe with rain and gusty winds. There are differences in the computer forecast models in where it will head, with some bringing it towards the United Kingdom, while others take it in the direction of Portugal and Spain.

Hurricane Joaquin Information


Projected Path

Second Wave of Strengthening

Joaquin had another bout of intensification early Saturday. Utilizing an instrument for estimating surface winds, the stepped frequency microwave radiometer (SFMR), a Hurricane Hunter reconnaissance mission Saturday estimated surface winds of around 135 knots, or 155 mph just before noon.
This was just 2 mph shy of becoming a Category 5 hurricane.
By wind speed, Joaquin at that time was the strongest Atlantic hurricane since Hurricane Igor in 2010 also had 155 mph maximum winds. It has been over eight years since the last Category 5 hurricane in the Atlantic basin, Hurricane Felix in 2007.

Joaquin's Hits the Central Bahamas Hard

Flooding from storm surge and torrential rainfall has been documented on Long Island and Acklins, among other central Bahamas locations. A Weather Underground personal weather station at Pitts Town, Crooked Island, reported winds up to 84 mph before it stopped reporting.
A total blackout was reported on the three hardest-hit islands of the central Bahamas. About 85 percent of the homes in one settlement on Crooked Island were reportedly destroyed.
(MORE: Bahamas Latest News/Impacts)

Rapid Intensification Earlier

An Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter reconnaissance aircraft flying through Hurricane Joaquin Thursday morning found estimated surface winds of 117 knots, or roughly 135 mph, in the southwestern eyewall's deep thunderstorms.
At one point between Wednesday morning and Thursday evening, Joaquin saw a pressure drop of 57 millibars in about 39 hours, going from a strong tropical storm to a Category 4 hurricane in the process.
Colorado State University tropical meteorologist Dr. Phil Klotzbach said Joaquin was the first Category 4 hurricane to track through The Bahamas in October since 1866. Joaquin's minimum central pressure of 931 millibars Thursday was also the lowest observed in an Atlantic Basin hurricane since September 2010, when Hurricane Igor bottomed out at 924 millibars.
Klotzbach also said Joaquin was only the 20th Category 4 or 5 hurricane to impact The Bahamas in historical records dating to 1851, and the second latest in the season to do so. Only a Nov. 10, 1932 Category 4 hurricane occurred later, Klotzbach says.
Hurricane Joaquin rapidly intensified as wind shear – harmful to the intensification of tropical cyclones – diminished, allowing Joaquin's core convection to feed off the warm water near the central Bahamas.

MORE: Hurricane Joaquin (PHOTOs)

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