Dangerous Tropical Storm Irene headed for the Dominican Republic
Tropical Storm Irene roared into life last night, transitioning from a tropical wave to a 50 mph tropical storm in just a few short hours. Irene is getting organized quickly, and has the potential to become a hurricane by Monday morning. All interests in the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Cuba, the Bahamas, and South Florida should prepare for the arrival of this dangerous storm. An Air Force hurricane hunter aircraft in the storm found the strongest winds near 18°N latitude to the north of Irene's center at 8am this morning. After passing through the center, the plane returned to the area of strongest winds two hours later, and found that flight level winds at 5,000 feet had increased by about 5 - 8 mph. However, the pressure in the latest center fix taken at 10am EDT remained the same as two hours previously, 1007 mb, and the plane noted that Irene's center was not circular, signs that the storm still has some work to do before serious intensification can begin. Visible satellite loops and radar out of Martinique show the storm has rapidly organized this morning, with well-developed spiral bands forming and a large area of intense thunderstorms to the north of the center. Irene has shrugged off the dry air that was bothering it yesterday, and wind shear has fallen to the low range, 5 - 10 knots, as analyzed by the University of Wisconsin CIMSS group. Torrential rains and strong gusty winds are affecting the northern Lesser Antilles this morning. A wind gust of 41 mph was recorded at St. Eustatius at 8am local time.
Figure 1. Morning satellite image of Irene.
Track forecast for Irene
The computer models are in agreement that Irene will pass just south of Puerto Rico tonight, then hit the south coast of Hispaniola in the Dominican Republic or Haiti on Monday afternoon. Irene should then emerge into the channel between Haiti and Cuba on Tuesday afternoon, when the storm will have 12 or so hours over water before having to contend with Cuba. A trough of low pressure is expected to move across the Eastern U.S. on Wednesday and Thursday, turning Irene to the northwest and north by Thursday. The timing and strength of this trough varies considerably from model to model, and will be critical in determining where and when Irene will turn to the north. Irene's strength will also matter--a stronger Irene is more likely to turn northward earlier. The most likely path for Irene is a track just east of the Florida Peninsula and into Georgia, South Carolina, or North Carolina by next weekend, but a landfall near Miami then directly up the Florida Peninsula is also a reasonable solution--like Tropical Storm Fay of 2008 did. Fay formed just off the coast of Puerto Rico, and was never quite able to get organized enough to become a hurricane, due to passage over Hispaniola and Cuba. Fay topped out as a strong tropical storm with 70 mph winds, and did over $500 million in damage in the U.S., mostly due to flooding rains in Florida that accumulated to over 25 inches in a few areas. Fay also dumped heavy rains on Hispaniola, triggering flooding that claimed eight lives.
Figure 2. Track of Tropical Storm Fay of 2008.
Intensity forecast for Irene
Irene is embedded in a large envelope of moisture now, and wind shear will remain low, 5 - 10 knots, for the next five days. With water temperatures very warm, 28 - 30°C, these conditions should allow for intensification except when land is interfering. Irene's current appearance on satellite loops gives me the impression of a storm that is not fooling around, and I expect Irene will be a hurricane before hitting Hispaniola on Monday. Passage over Hispaniola will not destroy Irene, since it is a fairly large storm. Once the storm finishes with Hispaniola, it will have to deal with Cuba, which will keep Irene from intensifying significantly. Once Irene pops off the coast of Cuba Wednesday or Thursday into the Florida Straits, Irene will likely be a tropical storm. If the storm then has at least a day over water before hitting land, it will likely become a hurricane again, and could become a major hurricane if it ends up missing South Florida and moving over the warm waters on either side of the Florida Peninsula.
Harvey hits Belize
Tropical Storm Harvey made landfall at 2pm EDT on Saturday near Dangriga Town, Belize, as a tropical storm with 60 mph winds. Harvey continues to dump very heavy rains on southern Mexico, but dissipation is expected tonight as the storm pushes inland. Harvey was a small storm, and the strongest winds were confined to a short stretch of coast near where the center came ashore. Winds at Belize City, Belize on Saturday topped out at 15 mph.
Figure 3. Radar image of Harvey taken at 11:30am EDT on Saturday, August 20, 2011, a few hours before landfall in Belize. A small closed eye is visible just south of the offshore islands of Belize. Image credit: Belize National Meteorological Service.
Invest 98L northwest of the Cape Verde Islands
A tropical wave few hundred miles northwest of the Cape Verde Islands off the coast of Africa, Invest 98L, has become disorganized and lost most of its heavy thunderstorms. The disturbance is moving over colder waters and encountering drier air, and NHC is giving 98L only a 10% chance of developing into a tropical depression by Tuesday. The latest set of model runs keep 98L well out to sea away from any land areas over the next five days.
Links
Long-range radar out of Puerto Rico
Jeff Masters
Reader Comments
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Loop: http://cup.aos.wisc.edu/cgi-bin/tcget.cgi?time=ir ene09l.20110821_00&field=MSLP%2FWind&hour=Animate
(Not sure if there will be a further update today, tired of waiting for it)
and i see a NNW moving storm in the martinique radar.
+1000% you've explained what is going on in this forum right now.Yikes:o
LOL
I continue to agree with you, lol.
I say go to the beach, fist pump to the sky, and maybe, just maybe you can get Irene's attention :)
Jax and Savannah are both overdue for a hurricane.
The models all take it through or south of PR, but the loops seem to be hinting at a more northerly track.
Me too:) I just fear a storm that enters the Gulf with those conditions currently. Some crazy RI would happen. If these East coasters want this storm so badly they can have it. We've dealt with enough from the oil spill of last year:) Especially in the Panhandle.
LOL.
We'll have to watch the path over the next 6 hours or so. Just recently (past hour or so),it looks as if Irene is trying to correct the Northward shift and get back closer to the NHC's forecasted path.
This is based on the last couple frames of Vis sat. and the NWS long range P.R. radar.
Which isn't good.. for her intensity.. (stronger system)..
Steering still west with the weakness off the west coast of Florida.
I agree.
and I'm gonna make a sincere effort to take you up on it...
Morning guys?
The High Pressure will block it. It cannot go north of PR.
Don't you put that evil on me, Ricky Bobby!
The BVI Airports Authority has advised that all three airports will close at 12:30pm today with an estimated opening time of 10am tomorrow.
Yes, that is possible. Sullivanweather noted that yesterday that Harvey was helping to sharpen the upper level trough off the eastern seaboard, allowing for Irene to possible pull more poleward than originally thought.
At it's current movement, I cannot agree more with your forecast.
Conservative and slight rightward shifts with each cone is what I see in that loop....
that comes ture then it could be come a march stronger strom
Yes.
Hey Gro...
My bad...forgot to turn my SARCASM FLAG = ON.
:-)
Great...now I'll have to do those things just to offset what you've done!!
So if it goes North of Hispaniola, where would it end up making landfall?
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