Extreme conditions such as warm sea-surface temperatures are fueling an active hurricane season, but they are taking their toll on the Atlantic basin's tropical coral reefs.
The 2010 Atlantic hurricane season has thus far already been the most active since the epic 2005 season when several hurricanes plowed through the Caribbean and that year, like this year, thermal stress is taking its toll on the region's coral.
According to a statement released last week by NOAA, a strong potential for bleaching now exists in the Caribbean and it could be as severe as in 2005 when over 80 percent of corals bleached and over 40 percent died. Prolonged coral bleaching, can lead to coral death and the subsequent loss of coral reef habitats for a range of marine life. This is more than likely attributed to extremely warm and unprecedented sea surface temperatures. High temperatures cause corals to force out the symbiotic algae that provide them with food. This makes the corals appear white or 'bleached' and can increase outbreaks of infectious disease. The decline and loss of coral reefs has significant social, cultural, economic and ecological impacts.
It is still too early to tell the long-term effect and severity of this year's coral bleaching but the 2005 bleaching event was the result of the largest, most intense thermal stress ever recorded in the Caribbean during the 25-year NOAA satellite record.
I created a graphic this morning for The Northeast Quadrant's Facebook page WEATHER PHOTO OF THE DAY album which depicts satellite images of the four category 4's of 2010 (so far), featuring Hurricanes Danielle, Earl, Igor and Julia.
These four storms were classic Cape Verde hurricanes and while Danielle and Julia remained out to sea, Earl and Igor directly and indirectly impacted land mass. Both Igor and Julia attained category 4 strength simultaneously – an occurrence that has not happened since September 16, 1926.
I thought this was a pretty cool way of showing that no two storms are alike despite their similar characteristics!
After a slow start to a hurricane season that was hyped to be anything but slow, today marks the first full day since the development of Tropical Depression #6 on August 21 (which would later become Hurricane Danielle) that we've gone without a named storm in the Atlantic basin. Although we almost did it between September 5–6 when Hurricane Earl dissipated in the north Atlantic, we were surprised when Tropical Depression #10 (which would later become Tropical Storm Hermine) quickly spun up in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico before making landfall in extreme northeastern Mexico. This marks a total of 36 days having a named storm, the longest such period since the 2002 Atlantic hurricane season, which had remained completely active for 45 days from August 29 through October 12.
We are well into an above-average Atlantic hurricane season with 13 named storms and two unnamed tropical depressions, and there are only eight more names available for use before we'd need to break into Greek alphabet, which has only been done once in history – during the epic 2005 Atlantic hurricane season. With that said, today's break in activity leaves us on edge after yesterday's degeneration of both Lisa and Matthew, wondering where Nicole is... and will Otto follow?
According to the National Hurricane Center (NHC) there is an increasingly likely chance we'll see our next named storm this week as an area of convection continues to flare up in the northwest Caribbean Sea which in the short-term seems to have its eyes on the southeastern Gulf coast. Meanwhile, a very small area of convection flared overnight in the central Atlantic, but development of this system is not likely in the near-term.
There is not yet an official invest on the system in the Caribbean but by day's end I would expect to see 96L pop up! At that time the computer models should have a better handle on what the system might do – where it might go, how fast it might develop and how strong it could become. To that extent I encourage all interests in the northwest Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico to monitor possible development in this region as the break in tropical activity seems to be short-lived!
[UPDATE #1: As of 3:30 p.m. ET 09-27-10, we officially have 96L invest.] [UPDATE#2: As of 11:00 a.m. ET 09-28-10, we officially have Tropical Depression #16.] I'll leave you with 2010 Atlantic hurricane season scorecard, courtesy of The Weather Channel:
Now that you've all read my Hurricane Igor chase recap, hear it through Greg Nordstrom as he reviews his experience in Bermuda last week on his blog, EYE OF THE STORM! Greg posted his blog yesterday along with some pretty amazing videos and I definitely encourage you to check them out at hurricanechaser.net!
Great job, Greg! Looking forward to chasing with you again in the very near future!
This past week just as Igor raced off into the north Atlantic and Julia dissipated in it's wake, Tropical Storm Lisa spun up near the Cape Verde Islands and this evening became the seventh hurricane of the season! Meanwhile another tropical storm, Matthew, slammed into the Nicaraguan coast this afternoon and will bring with it several days of heavy rain throughout the central American region. But what's next? Is the U.S. on the radar for potential impact from the next storm? Find out in this episode of The Weathervein as Devin and Greg invite you to check out recaps of their Hurricane Igor chase in Bermuda as well as provide insight on the state of the tropics!
Greg and Devin provide an in-depth recap of their experience riding out and chasing Hurricane Igor in Bermuda!
Earlier this evening Greg Nordstrom and I were featured on The Barometer Bob Show as we recapped our Hurricane Igor chase in Bermuda! Scroll to minute 20:10 to hear the interview...
Well, after nearly a week of chasing the strongest hurricane thus far in the 2010 Atlantic season, I am finally back home in New York! Despite the storm’s weakened state upon its approach to Bermuda, chasing Hurricane Igor on that tiny north-Atlantic island was undoubtedly one of my greatest moments as a weather enthusiast!
The chase began on Thursday, September 16, as Greg Nordstrom and I were to depart from New York’s JFK airport but were delayed until Friday morning, September 17 due to severe weather in the area. We spent the night trying to sleep on the cold terminal floor, which sounds absolutely awful, but we did manage to have a bit of fun. We made friends with a girl by the name of Vanessa and the three of us huddled together, enjoyed some cocktails at the airport bar and tried to make the most of the situation.
On Friday morning the flight departed and arrived as smooth as could be. Upon arrival in Bermuda a local journalist by the name of Patricia contacted us and she was doing a story on Hurricane Igor and the storm chasers that were invading her island nation. We spent a few days before Igor’s landfall traversing the island with Patricia and we are so grateful for that opportunity, for without her guidance we would never have seen the things we did! From viewing roaring, crashing waves on Bermuda’s south shore to witnessing locals boarding up their homes in the lovely neighborhoods that line Bermuda’s coast – it was truly a unique experience.
On Friday afternoon Hurricane Igor began to somewhat deteriorate in organization as it officially made that northward turn and began its approach towards Bermuda. However, well in advance of what was a category 2 hurricane at the time (on its way to a category 1 from a strong category 4), Igor was responsible for a significant coastal battering. Surge was already rolling in along Bermuda’s south shore, especially into tributaries and inlets opening up to the fierce Atlantic. We were informed that areas we were looking at that appeared as a lake or river, were actually land – and this was at least 30 hours prior to Igor’s near direct hit.
Since Hurricane Igor was so massive in size, having been the third largest Atlantic hurricane ever recorded, conditions started going downhill on Saturday evening. By the time we went to sleep we were easily experiencing tropical depression conditions and by the middle of the night a weak tropical storm was in full effect.
Sunday was the day! By sunrise the winds were howling and the rain was pouring. The surf was kicking up more than it had in day’s prior and Bermuda was well entrenched in strong tropical storm conditions. Throughout the day the winds steadily increased and as evening dawned upon us we were officially experiencing Hurricane Igor, and would for the several hours to come.
During the height of the storm we took some risks but safety was on the top of our minds. While it might appear that we were too close for comfort, we made sound decisions and never felt that our life was in danger.
Although category 1 Hurricane Igor never made a direct hit to Bermuda, for the duration of the storm we were in the northeast quadrant – the strongest part of the storm, so we did feel the brunt of the impact. Many people said (locals and storm chasers alike) that Igor was the “best” and/or “strongest” category 1 hurricane they had ever experienced. I have not been in many but from what I witnessed in chasing this massive storm, I concur!
Throughout the storm as conditions and connectivity allowed, I kept everyone up to date on The Northeast QuadrantFacebook page. I know they really enjoyed seeing all the footage first-hand and I am so grateful to have been able to share the storm with them. I also submitted some footage to The Weather Channel which was aired on television and is still available online. I also conducted an interview with The Weather Channel via Skype, which aired live on Sunday morning just before the onset of Igor’s hurricane force winds.
Below you will find a movie I put together which combines the best footage from over 100 clips I filmed before and during the storm, as well as a slideshow of photos. Despite the dramatic feel these medium convey, as you can imagine it in no way showcases actually being in the storm!
Thank you so much for allowing me to share this experience with all of you – it is, after all, not only chasing Igor, but also me chasing my dream! Return to home
[Filmed Friday 9/17 and early Saturday 9/17] After a rough day of travel on Thursday, Greg and Devin finally made it to Bermuda Friday morning where they began to head on chase the monster of the Atlantic, Hurricane Igor. The record-breaking, powerful and excessively large hurricane is bearing down on the tiny island nation and the hosts of The Weathervein are capturing its every move as it inches closer to what could be a direct hit landfall on Sunday night. Check out this episode of The Weathervein and hear an update on the chase and see some amazing footage of Bermuda's coastal battering!
Well, in just a couple hours I will be meeting my good friend and pro storm chaser and meteorologist, Greg Nordstrom at JFK airport here in NYC. Together we will be leaving on a jet plane (perhaps not - a puddle jumper might do the job) to the tiny central Atlantic island nation of Bermuda.
Bermuda is in the direct path of major Hurricane Igor, now a category 4 packing winds of 140 mph with gusts over 160! While Igor will likely fluctuate in strength over the next few days, he will remain a dangerous, large and powerful tropical cyclone as he spirals closer to the island.
Igor should bring deteriorating conditions to Bermuda as early as Saturday morning, with tropical storm conditions developing Saturday afternoon through Sunday morning. Because of Igor's massive size, hurricane conditions should develop Sunday afternoon and could last right through the day on Monday. Late Monday Igor should be well northeast of the island.
Exactly what Igor delivers to Bermuda is yet to be seen, but you can bet Greg and I will do our best to bring you as much footage as possible before, during and after the storm! Our first plan is to check-in this evening, get a good night's sleep and wake up tomorrow morning to begin preparing us for the chase!
Wish us luck, and thanks for following!
Hurricane Igor's current projected path.
Satellite image of category 4 Hurricane Igor. Return to home
2010 was the fourth warmest U.S. summer on record!
NOAA's National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) confirmed this week that the summer of 2010 was, as expected and fully observed by many... HOT!
Published in NOAA's State of the Climate report and based on records dating back to 1895, the NCDC notes that although the entire country experienced the fourth warmest summer on record, three climate regions in the continuous United States had temperatures in the top five: the southeast (warmest), the central (third warmest) and the northeast (fourth warmest). Several cities broke summer temperature records, including New York, Philadelphia, Trenton, Wilmington, Tallahassee and Asheville.
Here are some highlights from the report: NCDC's Climate Extremes Index (CEI) for summer 2010 was about one-and-a-half times its historical average
The northeast climate region experienced its warmest January-August period with an average temperature more than 3.4°F above the long-term average
The majority of the U.S. had above-average temperatures last month. No state experienced an average temperature significantly below its long-term average
Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island, Connecticut and New Jersey each had their warmest year-to-date period and all of the Northeastern states ranked in the top ten percent of warmest periods on record
Only Florida and Texas had below normal temperatures for the entire year so far
Learn more about these interesting summer of 2010 facts here.
It should be noted that several weather forecasting models predict cooling in months and years ahead, so if you're like me and found this past summer difficult to deal with, relief might be in sight!
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Marketing and Communications Professional; Weather Enthusiast; Recreational Storm Tracker and Reporter; and Amateur Photographer
Ever since I was a young boy I loved the weather!
There was very little that excited me more than watching The Weather Channel since its inception in 1982. Bringing weather to life was the Channel's goal, and it delivered! I remember watching the local forecast as intense lines of storms progressed towards Edison, New Jersey (where I grew up), and being called by my father to join him on the front porch as he watched the storms close in on our neighborhood. I'd run back and forth between the gusty front porch that lied beneath the darkening sky to the cool air-conditioned living room, starring at the television as I glared at the storms getting closer and closer. As the line of vibrant red's and orange's intensified, so did my interest! My obsession for weather was born, and that's where it started!
With the tools I needed at my disposal I continued to closely follow various weather phenomenon: deadly mid-western tornado outbreaks, extreme Mississippi River flooding, Hurricanes Hugo and Andrew, crippling northeastern blizzards like the '93 Superstorm, earthquakes in the Golden State, volcanoes along the Pacific Rim... you name it!
Nearly 30 years later, those who know me well would say I have not changed all that much.
Extreme conditions such as warm sea-surface temperatures are fueling an active hurricane season, but they are taking their toll on the Atlantic basin's tropical coral reefs.
