Sunday, June 1, 2008

Hurricane Season 2008

Alright people. Today kicks off the 2008 Atlantic Hurricane Season. There is probably a lot of stuff you need to do to get ready. Don't slack. I want to try to keep this as daily as possible, so check back ofter. I want to start with some education. Here are some terms to know. We are going to start with the tropical range of storm variants. These are the storms I like to get outside and watch as the blow over. There will be a test on this at a later date.

Tropical Depression:
A tropical cyclone in which the maximum sustained surface wind speed (using the U.S. 1-minute average) is 33 kt (38 mph or 62 km/hr) or less.


Tropical Disturbance:
A discrete tropical weather system of apparently organized convection -- generally 100 to 300 nmi in diameter -- originating in the tropics or subtropics, having a nonfrontal migratory character, and maintaining its identity for 24 hours or more. It may or may not be associated with a detectable perturbation of the wind field.


Tropical Storm:
A tropical cyclone in which the maximum sustained surface wind speed (using the U.S. 1-minute average) ranges from 34 kt (39 mph or 63 km/hr) to 63 kt (73 mph or 118 km/hr).


Tropical Storm Warning:
A warning that sustained winds within the range of 34 to 63 kt (39 to 73 mph or 63 to 118 km/hr) associated with a tropical cyclone are expected in a specified coastal area within 24 hours or less.


Tropical Storm Watch:
An announcement for specific coastal areas that tropical storm conditions are possible within 36 hours.

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