Tropical Storm Irwin

[Kendall James-Vargas]

Unfortunately, there is another tropical storm out there to keep an eye on, Tropical Storm Irwin. Currently in the Eastern Pacific, Tropical Storm Irwin will hopefully weaken and not make landfall. There storms can surely be unpredictable. Keep an eye on the storm here. 

Edited August 29, 2023 by Kendall James-Vargas

[PaulB]

Another storm on its way? Is this normal for so many storms to appear all around the same time?

[Kendall James-Vargas]

It is very common this time of year! It looks like Irwin isn't a threat anymore, but there is another brewing out in the Atlantic right now. Tropical Storm Jose is the next one to keep an eye on. Thankfully it may dissipate, but it's definitely something to watch.

[kefthecruiser]

@PaulB Yep, completely normal. The peak of the Atlantic hurricane season is Sept. 10, with most activity occurring between mid-August and mid-October, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.  The eastern Pacific basin peak  is noted as late August, but this peak is less pronounced than the peak in Atlantic activity.

I think hurricanes are publicized more now due to heightened concern over global warming. A silver lining not always noted is that ocean water temperatures drop after the hurricane passes as it is the ocean heat that powers the hurricane. It's Mother Nature helping itself.

We call many of the storms 'fish storms'. Current examples are Irwin (east Pacific) and Franklin (Atlantic). These are storms that don't landfall and thus only the sealife is impacted. Ships of course typically divert to avoid. 

Nothing new here to this old hurricane tracker.

[Kendall James-Vargas]

@kefthecruiser This season seems more than precise considering your typical hurricane season analysis! Thanks for this great description of the dreadful thought of hurricanes. I'm glad that the ones above that are brewing in the Atlantic will very likely dissipate, not making landfall. One thing I'm not very knowledgeable about is how sealife is negatively impacted by 'fish storms'. Could you give me examples of how sealife is negatively impacted by hurricanes that don't make landfall? Instinctually, I would imagine the sealife moves out of harm's way. 

[kefthecruiser]

@Kendall James-Vargas Sealife impact is due to winds whipping up large waves. As an extreme example:

"Waves nearly 100 feet tall were recorded last year in the Gulf of Mexico when Hurricane Ivan headed toward shore, forcing scientists to rethink what is normal. The center of the category 4 hurricane, with winds raging up to 150 miles per hour, passed right over six of the Naval Research Laboratory's wave-tide gauges, churning up waves more than 90 feet high.

"We were a little surprised that the waves were so large," Bill Teague of the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) at Stennis Space Center told LiveScience. "But the reason we were surprised is because this was the first time measurements had been taken of large waves." "

I doubt there is any significant loss of life or long term impact, more like riding a roller coaster!  Yes, I suspect, once they realize it, the sealife that can moves out of harm's way by diving deeper into the sea.

[Kendall James-Vargas]

@kefthecruiser Thanks for clarifying! I guess some sealife just stay put and other smart mammals, like dolphins, use their intuition to flee the area. Large waves would certainly shake up the sea life. Let's just hope the sea turtles can swim away fast enough! 

[PaulB]

We don't tend to get many storms in the UK, especially hurricanes. It's breathtaking to look at as I was watching a documentary on the hurricane, and I couldn't fathom the power behind it. I pray that everyone affected comes out of the other side .

[Cruising Caribbean]

@kefthecruiser So far, the Atlantic is looking pretty clear! I'm keeping an eye on Tropical Storm Jova in the Eastern Pacific now. Its trajectory shows heading west, away from California, but you never know!