Leeward Islands Moving West Northwest
August 19, 2009
Leeward | Leeward Islands Map | Windward Islands | Hurricane Bill | Bermuda
Leeward Islands Moving West Northwestv: The Leeward islands are situated in the Caribbean, they form a major part of a line of land masses called the Lesser Antilles which widen out in the north. Most of the Leeward islands are volcanic with a few that are flat coral structures.
Hurricane Bill became a dangerous Category 4 storm with top sustained winds near 135 mph early Wednesday, and forecasters said it could get even stronger as it howls over the open Atlantic.
The United States was not expected to get the brunt of Bill, but people on the East Coast were warned of possible rip tides and rough seas through the weekend.
“It remains a little early to write-off significant winds from Bill in the U.S.,” said Weather Channel tropical weather expert Steve Lyons, “but we are expecting Bill to be primarily a coastal wave event for the U.S.”
Hurricane Bill Update Started
August 19, 2009
Hurricane Bill Projected Path | Hurricane Bill Track | Hurricane Bill | Hurricane Bill Nova Scotia | Hurricane Bill Canada
Hurricane Bill Update Started:The first hurricane of the season gathered force far out over the Atlantic Ocean and appeared headed on a track that could take it near Bermuda by this weekend.
The strengthening of Hurricane Bill, along with the arrival of rapidly weakening Tropical Storm Claudette on the Florida coast and the formation of Tropical Storm Ana late last week, signaled that this summer’s Atlantic hurricane season is beginning to heat up after a slow start.
Hurricane hunter planes found that Bill, the first hurricane of the Atlantic season, had strengthened to a Category 3 storm Tuesday night.
“The wind sheer is light and the waters are warm,” said Todd Kimberlain, a forecaster at the National Hurricane Center. “Those are two essential ingredients not just for the formation, but also the maintenance, of hurricanes.”
Bill was centered about 555 miles east of the Leeward Islands, moving west-northwest near 15 mph.
The most significant threat could be to Bermuda, which the storm could pass in three or four days, Mr. Kimberlain said. But it also could move directly between Bermuda and the eastern coast of the U.S. without making landfall.
Federal forecasters only provide five-day forecasts for hurricanes and have difficulty making reliable projections of the storms’ paths beyond three days. Storms also can change direction at short notice.
Citing warm ocean water and light wind shear, Dennis Feltgen, a National Hurricane Center spokesman, said Bill was “in a very good environment to continue to strengthen.”
The last time a Category Three hurricane hit a U.S. landmass was in 2005, when Hurricane Wilma caused an estimated $20 billion in damage.
A government spokesman in Bermuda said the island’s Emergency Measures Organization will meet Tuesday to review preparedness. The last hurricane to cause significant damage in Bermuda was Hurricane Fabian, which killed four people in 2003.
The NHC meanwhile downgraded Claudette, the first tropical storm to strike the U.S. mainland this year, to a tropical depression after its wind force fell below 39 mph. Claudette formed quickly Sunday in the Gulf of Mexico but dissipated after crossing into Florida’s Panhandle and neighboring Alabama early Monday morning.
Florida received between three and five inches of rain, with only isolated minor cases of flooding, according to Florida’s Division of Emergency Management. “It wasn’t the greatest of beach days yesterday and today,” said Mike Stone, a spokesman.
Alabama also was spared any major damage. “It’s a rain event,” said Yasame Richardson, a spokeswoman at Alabama’s Emergency Management Agency.
By this time last year, six named storms, including two hurricanes, Bertha and Dolly, had already formed. Tropical storms have winds of 39 to 74 mph; storms with higher wind-speeds are upgraded to hurricanes.
The hurricane center also said Monday that Ana had dissipated over the Atlantic and was about 140 miles west-southwest of Puerto Rico as of Monday afternoon. Ana was the first named tropical storm of the season, which begins June 1 and ends November 30.
source: http://sbk.online.wsj.com
Hurricane Bill Projected Path
August 17, 2009
Tropical Storm Bill Projected Path | Hurricane Bill | Tropical Storm Bill | Tropical Storm Claudette 2009 | Hurricane Ana
Hurricane Bill Projected Path:I left the same title above as nothing has really changed since this morning with Bill’s outlook. Bill is looking very healthy on satellite imagery and will likely be a hurricane by tomorrow morning if not at 11pm and is well on his way to becoming a major hurricane, the 1st of the Atlantic season. I could easily see Bill being a category 4 hurricane or perhaps 5 in 2-3 days.
Almost all of the guidance I have seen now safely takes Bill northwest of the Caribbean Islands, and therefore I dont want to let the Virgin Islands completely off the hook, the Islands are looking safe as of this time from Bill. It looks a couple of trough in the north Atlantic will bypass Bill to the north but affect the steering currents enough to tug Bill north of west over the next couple of days and eventually head in a more NW direction. These troughs will likely not be enough to turn Bill out to sea, but will be enough to pull Bill to a latitude where a major east coast trough in about 5 days will turn Bill north and northeast and likely safely off the US east coast. For Bill to make a serious run at the US he needs to stay further south than forecast the next few days and therefore if/when the recurve occurs in association with the east coast trough, he would then be far enough west to threaten the US.
The main threat area is looking to be Bermuda. This storm could lie right in the path of this hurricane and if you live there, I would certainly keep an eye on this storm. The Caribbean Islands and the US are looking like they may escape the wrath of Bill.
Hurricane Bill 2009
August 17, 2009
HURRICANE BILL ADVISORY NUMBER 8
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL AL032009
500 AM AST MON AUG 17 2009
Hurricane Bill 2009:BILL NOW A HURRICANE…THE FIRST OF THE 2009 ATLANTIC SEASON…
AT 500 AM AST…0900 UTC…THE CENTER OF HURRICANE BILL WAS LOCATED
NEAR LATITUDE 13.8 NORTH…LONGITUDE 44.0 WEST OR ABOUT 1160 MILES
…1870 KM…EAST OF THE LESSER ANTILLES.
BILL IS MOVING QUICKLY TOWARD THE WEST-NORTHWEST NEAR 22 MPH…35
KM/HR…AND THIS GENERAL MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE FOR THE
NEXT 24 TO 48 HOURS.
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS HAVE INCREASED TO NEAR 75 MPH…120 KM/HR.
STRENGTHENING IS FORECAST DURING THE NEXT DAY OR TWO…AND BILL
COULD BECOME A MAJOR HURRICANE BY WEDNESDAY.
HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 30 MILES…45 KM…FROM
THE CENTER…AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 145
MILES…230 KM.
