Hurricane Season Rainfall: 2005 vs. 2010

Impact aside, for some time now the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season has been compared to, or at least scaled against, the record-breaking season of 2005 when numerous intense hurricanes made landfall in the United States, central America and Mexico.

With a record 12 hurricanes forming this year, the 2010 season was the most active since 2005. However, the major difference is the location in which tropical cyclones formed and the areas in which their greatest rainfall totals were deposited.

During the 2005 season, the highest tropical cyclone rainfall totals (between 28 and 32 inches) were deposited over the Caribbean Sea, eastern Gulf of Mexico, western Cuba and over the waters in the Atlantic off the southeastern U.S. coast. During the 2010 season the highest tropical cyclone rainfall totals (also between 28 and 32 inches) were deposited over the open waters of the Atlantic north of Puerto Rico.

The image above shows the tropical cyclone rainfall occurring in 2010. This year, south Texas was the only location in the U.S. where tropical cyclone rainfall was greater than in 2005.

Return to home

Earthquake-Ravaged Haiti Braces for Worst as Hurricane Season Nears

Yesterday I blogged about the hype surrounding the upcoming hurricane season. What was the hype you ask? Scroll down and have a peek, but all-in-all, the Atlantic sea surface temperatures are already at record warm levels and continue to get warmer. That combined with other factors, such as a fading El Niño in the Pacific may make for an interesting hurricane forecast in months to come.

However, it's not all about hurricanes. The Caribbean Island chain lies embedded within Hurricane Alley and whether or not any of these islands are directly hit with a cyclone this year, a wetter than average rainy season is certainly in store. So what does that mean for our friends in Haiti? This situation could potentially complicate difficult humanitarian relief operations following the devastating 7.0 magnitude earthquake on January 12.

Haiti already has a long list of tragic flooding events following just mere glancing blows by tropical storms. In 2008 alone, the country was struck by Tropical Storm Fay on August 15 – 16, by Hurricane Gustav on August 26, by Tropical Storm Hanna on September 1 and by Hurricane Ike on September 6 – 7.

As it stands now, vast swathes of the country are devoid of greenery, soil-holding roots, trees or grasses. Centuries of deforestation as a result of mother nature's beating has left the entire country a mudslide waiting to happen. And with the current Haiti rainfall outlook showing a 50 percent chance that rainfall will be above average during the period from May through July, and a 55 percent chance of above average rainfall from June through August, humanitarian experts fear that excessive rainfall would bring with it an increasing threat of disease and mudslides, among other hazards to the 1.7 million Haitians currently living in tent cities after losing their homes in the quake.

Luckily, the United Nations, the Department of Defense's Southern Command, the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Red Cross and the Haitian government recognize the threat, and are racing to brace the impoverished nation for the worst.

With nothing between you and a deluge but a flimsy sheet of plastic, it's a tough time to be living in earthquake-ravaged Haiti! Hopefully things won't turn out as awful as they expect...

Fierce March Lion Still Roars

March doesn't seem to be ending like a lamb, does it? With major snowfall, rain and wind for a good portion of the northeast, the month surely roared in like a lion, but that pattern seems to be repeating itself as we close out the first 31 days of the meteorological spring.

As we turn the corner on the last 60 hours of March, here we are enduring another major coastal deluge. At a time the weather should resemble the peacefulness of a lamb (actually, I really don't know how peaceful a lamb is), we are looking at several more days of windswept rain, wind, and coastal and urban/river flooding, as well as disruptive snow in northern New England. Sounds familiar right? It's Déjà vu for NYC-area residents who experienced a similar storm a few weeks ago that left in its wake plenty of coastal and structural damage due to high winds and rising waters.

Well, the good news is if you like lambs, you'll be bleating bahh bahh bahh by the end of the week as a much drier, warmer pattern overtakes the eastern third of the nation. But remember, April showers bring May flowers, so rainy days could and will once again reappear.

Daylight Savings Nor'easter

The Mid-Atlantic and Northeast is once again taking a beating from a major coastal storm! The storm, which I am now dubbing the "Daylight Savings Nor'easter," began Friday morning and promises to deliver wind and rain through Monday. That's right, rain! Not snow this time! Temperatures have warmed since the last Nor'easter (the Snowicane) and much of the area is now looking at a heavy, wind-driven rain, as opposed to the heavy blizzard snows that have dumped record snowfall across the area since late last year.

This afternoon we entered the peak of the Daylight Savings Nor'easter and in true form I headed right out in it and battled torrential flooding rains, near hurricane force winds and sub-freezing wind chills to bring you this report!



As of 7:00 p.m. the storm continues to rage. The constant easterly fetch off the Atlantic is bringing the ocean onshore and raising wave heights to near 20 feet. Coastal communities are experiencing damaging hurricane force winds and the heavy rains continue to push inland across New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. The wind is knocking down power lines across the area and the rain associated with this storm, combined with the melting snow pack, is leading to hazardous flood conditions.

Stay tuned to your local news outlets on the latest effects regarding the Daylight Savings Nor'easter. Oh, and speaking of daylight savings, if you still have power don't forget to set your clocks forward one hour before you hit the sack tonight!

Slush Approaching the District!

Quick everybody, panic!!! Weather is approaching the District of Columbia!!! A fast moving low pressure system is set to move through the mid-Atlantic Thursday night into Friday.

Citizens in the national capital area should prepare for The Northeast Quadrant's least favorite precipitation type; the dreaded wintry mix of snow, sleet and rain! Nothing even remotely fun like ice pellets.

Boo "storm!" I should also mention that the storm is likely to cause stupidness during the morning rush.

New Yorkers need not panic, you likely only to get some rain or snow. Not that you would panic anyway. That is all.