Saturday, September 19, 2015

New Atlantic Storm May Brush US East Coast While Ida Spins Well Offshore

By , AccuWeather.com Senior Meteorologist
September 19,2015; 6:43PM,EDT
 
 
A broad area of showers and thunderstorms currently brewing just off the Carolina coast will cause stormy seas in the western Atlantic and could develop tropical characteristics into next week.
The feature closest to the United States could join Tropical Storm Ida which is churning over the central Atlantic.

Satellite Imagary Across the Atlantic Basin (Image/NOAA).
JUMP TO: Tropical Storm Ida
The system contains a copious amount of tropical moisture, some of which are the remnants of Tropical Storm Grace. The combination of Grace's moisture and a non-tropical system unloaded 6 inches of rain and gusty thunderstorms on parts of the Florida Peninsula over the past week.
According to AccuWeather Hurricane Expert Dan Kottlowski, "The system just offshore will struggle with strong wind shear at first, but if the shear was to relax, it could evolve into an organized tropical system over time."
Wind shear is the change in direction and speed of air currents through different layers of the atmosphere. Little or no wind shear is needed for a tropical system to develop.
Regardless as to whether or not the system develops tropically, it will stir up the ocean from Bermuda to part of the U.S. coast into next week.

Seas and surf will build from the Florida Peninsula to the Delmarva Peninsula through Sunday. Correspondingly, the number and strength of rip currents will increase. Occasionally, some of these areas will also be swiped by drenching downpours.
Bathers and boaters enjoying the last few days of the official summer season will need to exercise caution and heed advisories as they are issued. Many of the beaches will not have lifeguards on duty, since Labor Day has passed.
RELATED:
AccuWeather Hurricane Center 2015
Weekly Wrap-Up: Wildfires, Flooding Rain Wreak Havoc in Western US; Deadly Earthquake, Tsunami Ravage Chile
Fall Foliage Forecast: Warm Air May Hinder Emergence of Bright Colors in East

According to Senior Meteorologist Brett Anderson, "The combination of increasing winds and building seas will likely have an impact on cruise ships traveling from the East Coast ports to Bermuda and the Bahamas into at least Monday."
"Make sure you take along sea sickness medication," Anderson said.
How rough conditions get will be dependent upon the strength of the system and how long it lingers over the same part of the Atlantic.
A steady drift to the northeast would allow conditions to improve along the southern and mid-Atlantic coast of the U.S. early next week.
There is a chance the system stalls or is drawn northward. If the system stalls, then seas could remain rough through much of the week. If the latter occurs, showers and stormy seas could reach the coastal areas of the northeastern U.S. and part of Atlantic Canada next week.
"The biggest deterrent to tropical development in the Atlantic basin this season has been widespread wind shear," Kottlowski said.
Tropical Storm Ida
Thousands of miles to the southwest in the Atlantic, Tropical Depression 10 has gathered some strength and has been dubbed Tropical Storm Ida.

Enough wind shear is forecast around Ida to prevent the system from becoming a hurricane this weekend.
According to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Jim Andrews, "Ida could have a long enough life to find a spot in the middle of the Atlantic with low wind shear and reach hurricane status, but the system is not a threat to any major land masses at this time."
Ida is likely to remain well east of the Lesser Antilles.
While wind shear will likely remain a major deterrent through the end of the 2015 Atlantic hurricane season, there is still the potential for multiple systems to develop in a less hostile zone as the typical formation areas shift toward the southwestern part of the basin.
The area from the western Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico to the western Atlantic will remain an area to watch for both tropical and non-tropical storm development, as well as potential impact to populated areas into October.
Remember that a storm does not have to be fully tropical in nature to cause major disruptions to travel and to threaten lives and property.

No comments:

Post a Comment