Tropical Trouble
From Tropical Storm to Category 5 in 51 hours. That's what Felix, a hurricane on steroids did last week, setting a record for the fastest intensification for any hurricane on record.
Vortext Link: Why computers failed on Felix
It's been a record setting year for hurricanes.
Not so much for the number of storms, but for the intensity. Category 5 Felix slammed ashore this week in Nicaragua, making her the 2nd Cat. 5 to make landfall in the Atlantic basin in two weeks. The last Cat. 5 was Andrew in 1992. There have only been 9 Cat. 5 hurricane landfalls in the Atlantic since 1950.
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It marks the first time two Cat. 5 hurricanes have made landfall in the same year since records have been kept in 1949!
And Henriette made landfall in Mexico the same day, the first time on record two hurricanes have landed on the same day in the Atlantic and Pacific.
This week the Colorado State University forecasters updated their predictions to forecast 10 more named storms the rest of this season, including 3 more major hurricanes.
The next may be Gabrielle, which computers are suggesting will form off the Carolina coast by this weekend.
Thursday Morning ETA computer run develops "Gabrielle"
Some Minnesotans may be thankful they have that lakefront property in Minnesota instead of oceanfront in South Carolina in the coming week!
PH