Nipples the Clown
05-09-2007, 12:34 PM
Year's first named storm -- Andrea -- forms 3 weeks before hurricane season begins
MIAMI -- Subtropical Storm Andrea formed Wednesday off the southeastern U.S. coast, more than three weeks before the official start of the Atlantic hurricane season, forecasters said.
Meteorologists didn't think the storm with top sustained winds near 45 mph would strengthen significantly or be much of a threat. Still, a tropical storm watch was issued for parts of Georgia and Florida, meaning tropical storm conditions are possible within the next 36 hours.
Click here to find out more!
LocalLinks
The year's first named storm was centered about 140 miles southeast of Savannah, Ga., and about 150 miles northeast of Daytona Beach at 11 a.m. EDT, the National Hurricane Center said in Miami. It was moving west at about 3 mph.
Subtropical systems are hybrid weather formations that are usually weaker than hurricanes and tropical storms. They share characteristics of tropical systems, which get their power from warm ocean waters at their centers, and more typical bad weather that forms when warm and cold fronts collide.
``It's kind of a half-breed,'' said Richard Pasch, a senior hurricane specialist at the center.
Forecasters said Andrea has the warm center characteristic of tropical storms but its core is not particularly well defined.
Eighteen tropical storms and four hurricanes have been recorded in May since 1851. The earliest hurricane to strike the U.S. was Alma in northwest Florida on June 9, 1966.
Private and university forecasters have predicted that the 2007 season that starts June 1 and ends Nov. 30 will be especially active, producing up to 17 tropical storms and hurricanes and a ``well above average'' possibility of at least one striking the U.S. The federal government plans to release its predictions May 22.
The Atlantic basin has been in a busy period for hurricanes since 1995. Some federal forecasters believe this is part of a natural cycle. But the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a U.N.-sponsored group, says global warming caused by humans has led to an increase in stronger hurricanes.
MIAMI -- Subtropical Storm Andrea formed Wednesday off the southeastern U.S. coast, more than three weeks before the official start of the Atlantic hurricane season, forecasters said.
Meteorologists didn't think the storm with top sustained winds near 45 mph would strengthen significantly or be much of a threat. Still, a tropical storm watch was issued for parts of Georgia and Florida, meaning tropical storm conditions are possible within the next 36 hours.
Click here to find out more!
LocalLinks
The year's first named storm was centered about 140 miles southeast of Savannah, Ga., and about 150 miles northeast of Daytona Beach at 11 a.m. EDT, the National Hurricane Center said in Miami. It was moving west at about 3 mph.
Subtropical systems are hybrid weather formations that are usually weaker than hurricanes and tropical storms. They share characteristics of tropical systems, which get their power from warm ocean waters at their centers, and more typical bad weather that forms when warm and cold fronts collide.
``It's kind of a half-breed,'' said Richard Pasch, a senior hurricane specialist at the center.
Forecasters said Andrea has the warm center characteristic of tropical storms but its core is not particularly well defined.
Eighteen tropical storms and four hurricanes have been recorded in May since 1851. The earliest hurricane to strike the U.S. was Alma in northwest Florida on June 9, 1966.
Private and university forecasters have predicted that the 2007 season that starts June 1 and ends Nov. 30 will be especially active, producing up to 17 tropical storms and hurricanes and a ``well above average'' possibility of at least one striking the U.S. The federal government plans to release its predictions May 22.
The Atlantic basin has been in a busy period for hurricanes since 1995. Some federal forecasters believe this is part of a natural cycle. But the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a U.N.-sponsored group, says global warming caused by humans has led to an increase in stronger hurricanes.