by tyler | Apr 9, 2024 | CNN, weather
Here is a look at the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season.
Past coverage of the 2023 and 2022 hurricane season and the latest weather news can also be found on CNN.
Follow the storm tracker for the path and forecasts of the latest storm.
The 2024 Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30. The areas covered include the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea.
The National Weather Service defines a hurricane as a “tropical cyclone with maximum sustained winds of 74 mph (64 knots) or higher.”
Hurricanes are rated according to intensity of sustained winds on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. The 1-5 scale estimates potential property damage.
A Category 3 or higher is considered a major hurricane.
The National Hurricane Center advises preparedness:
• A hurricane watch indicates the possibility that a region could experience hurricane conditions within 48 hours.
• A hurricane warning indicates that sustained winds of at least 74 mph are expected within 36 hours.
April 4, 2024 – The Colorado State University Tropical Meteorology Project team predicts an “extremely active” Atlantic hurricane season. The team forecasts 23 named storms, including 11 hurricanes, five of which will be major hurricanes.
Pronunciation Guide
by tyler | Oct 26, 2023 | CNN, weather
Hurricane Otis knocked out all communications and unleashed a “nightmare scenario” in Acapulco in southern Mexico on Wednesday morning. Tracking over the incredibly warm ocean water near the coast, the storm rapidly intensified just before landfall and gave officials and residents little time to prepare.
Otis strengthened from a tropical storm to an extremely dangerous Category 5 hurricane in just 12 hours before it slammed ashore as the strongest storm on record to hit this area and the Pacific coast of Mexico.
The sudden burst of power took many by surprise as Otis bore down on Acapulco, a popular tourist destination that’s also home to roughly 800,000 people.
As Otis kept strengthening and neared the coast, forecasters at the National Hurricane Center warned that a “nightmare scenario” was unfolding.
Otis’ center slammed into Mexico’s coast near Acapulco at around 12:25 a.m. local time with sustained winds of 165 mph, the National Hurricane Center said. The much weaker storm is now headed inland and is expected to dissipate over southern Mexico by Wednesday night, the center said.
Read more: Hurricane Otis’ explosive intensification is a symptom of the climate crisis, scientists say
The storm’s full scope of devastation is not yet clear.
Mexico’s President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said Wednesday morning his government had no reports of casualties, but all communication systems in the area are down, including with emergency crews on the ground. López Obrador said they had reports of material damage and roads blocked by landslides.
Mexican officials are driving to Acapulco to assess the damage in person given the loss of communications and because officials said the area can’t be reached by air.
“We don’t have a damage assessment because until now, there is no communication with Acapulco,” National Coordinator of Civil Protection Laura Velázquez said in an interview with local news Milenio TV.
“We are going there because we do not have any communication with our colleagues who have already been there for a week doing preventive work for a tropical storm and which in 12 hours became a hurricane,” Velázquez explained.
The storm knocked out power to more than 500,000 customers in Mexico’s Guerrero state, the power company CFE said in a statement. Power was restored to 40% of those customers, the utility added.
On Tuesday night, the president implored coastal residents of the state of Guerrero, which includes Acapulco, to seek shelter and stay away from rivers, streams and ravines ahead of the storm’s landfall.
Guerrero Gov. Evelyn Salgado Pineda announced Wednesday morning temporary shelters were open in Tecpan de Galeana, Coyuca de Benítez and Acapulco.
Otis was not forecast to become a hurricane until early Tuesday morning, a little more than 24 hours before it would make its unprecedented Category 5 landfall.
A hurricane watch was issued Monday afternoon for Acapulco and surrounding parts of the coast. The forecast was on the “high side of pretty much all the intensity guidance” that forecasters get from computer models, Michael Brennan, director of the National Hurricane Center, told CNN.
But the storm was still severely underestimated. Brennan said the satellite data and hurricane models were underplaying its current intensity and how strong it could potentially get.
Disruptive high-level winds were expected to keep a lid on Otis’ strength. But it was a small storm, which made it much more prone to big changes in intensity. As Tuesday progressed, and the storm began to move over incredibly warm water near the coast, it became clear environmental conditions weren’t playing out as forecasters expected and Otis was not going to be held back.
The forecasters at the National Hurricane Center were using satellites to estimate the intensity of Otis, a common practice for tropical systems – but there can be problems with this method.
“We don’t always have the best, complete picture of what’s going on underneath the cloud canopy you see on satellite imagery,” Michael Brennan, director of the National Hurricane Center, told CNN.
That’s where NOAA’s aircraft reconnaissance team, the Hurricane Hunters, come in. Planes drop sensors into the storm to take real-time measurements as they fall through the cyclone, including wind speed and pressure.
“By the time we had the Hurricane Hunter aircraft fly into the storm (Tuesday) afternoon, the data revealed that the storm was about 20 to 30 mph stronger than we would have estimated from just looking at satellite imagery,” Brennan told CNN.
Brennan said the NHC typically deploys aircraft reconnaissance in the Eastern Pacific for “hurricane threats to land areas.” CNN has asked Brennen why the Hurricane Hunters were not sent into the storm earlier than Tuesday afternoon.
The newly acquired aircraft data confirmed Otis had begun to rapidly intensify and the storm’s forecast changed dramatically.
“It’s always the worst- case scenario when you have a storm [rapidly intensifying] very close to landfall, when you’re having to make significant upward adjustments to the forecast and the reality of the scenario that people are going to face is very different from what they may initially plan for,” Brennan told CNN.
Here’s how quickly the storm escalated on Tuesday. All times are in Acapulco time.
3 a.m. – 65 mph tropical storm: The NHC first forecasts a hurricane and says there is “about 1 in 4 chance of rapid strengthening during the next 24 hours.”
9 a.m. – 70 mph tropical storm: The NHC ups its intensity forecast slightly and notes some forecast models show “a greater than normal probability” of rapid intensification and “further upward adjustments to the intensity forecast are possible later today.”
Noon – 80 mph Category 1 hurricane: The hurricane tracks into very warm water off the Mexico coast and begins rapidly intensifying, aided by moist air and favorable high level winds, two ingredients that allow cyclones to grow stronger. “Further strengthening [is] likely until landfall,” the hurricane center warns.
1 to 2 p.m. – Hurricane Hunters fly through the eye of Otis, discovering it was much stronger than satellites had estimated.
3 p.m. – 125 mph Category 3 hurricane: The NHC dramatically alters its intensity forecast and calls for an “extremely dangerous” Category 4 hurricane with sustained winds of 140 mph shortly before landfall.
6 p.m. – 145 mph Category 4 hurricane: The NHC warns “…there are no signs of this explosive intensification stopping,” and forecasts Otis to reach Category 5 for the first time.
9 p.m. – 160 mph Category 5 hurricane: The hurricane center warns “a nightmare scenario is unfolding for southern Mexico this evening with rapidly intensifying Otis approaching the coastline.”
12:25 a.m. Wednesday – Otis makes landfall as a 165 mph, Category 5 hurricane.
Otis’ intensification was among the fastest forecasters have seen; its top-end windspeed increased by 115 mph in 24 hours and 90 mph in a 12-hour period.
The storm’s rapid intensification is a symptom of the human-caused climate crisis, scientists say – and one that is becoming more frequent.
Scientists have defined rapid intensification as a wind speed increase of at least 35 mph in 24 hours or less, generally requiring significant ocean heat.
More than 90% of warming around the globe over the past 50 years has taken place in the oceans, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. In addition, El Niño is growing in the Pacific this year, driving ocean temperatures even higher.
Otis’ strengthening “was extremely unusual,” Brian McNoldy, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Miami, told CNN. “It’s unfortunate it happened right before making landfall, but if this had occurred over the open ocean, it still would have been very remarkable.”
Before Otis, there had not been a Category 5 landfall for the East Pacific, according to the NOAA Hurricane Database. The previous strongest landfall was Hurricane Patricia in 2015, which made landfall as a Category 4 Hurricane with winds of 150 mph.
by tyler | Oct 25, 2023 | CNN, weather
Hurricane Otis knocked out all communications and unleashed a “nightmare scenario” in Acapulco in southern Mexico in Wednesday morning after the storm rapidly intensified into a Category 5 just before landfall and gave officials and residents little time to prepare.
Otis strengthened from a tropical storm to an extremely dangerous Category 5 hurricane in just 12 hours before it slammed ashore near Acapulco as the strongest storm on record to hit this area and the Pacific coast of Mexico.
The sudden burst of power gave people little time to prepare or get to safety as Otis bore down on Acapulco, the popular tourist destination that’s also a permanent home to roughly 800,000 people.
As Otis kept strengthening and neared the coast, forecasters at the National Hurricane Center warned that a “nightmare scenario is unfolding.”
Otis’ center slammed into Mexico’s coast near Acapulco at around 12:25 a.m. local time with sustained winds of 165 mph, the National Hurricane Center said. The storm is now headed inland with winds of 80 mph and is expected to dissipate over southern Mexico by Wednesday night, the center said.
The impact of the storm is not yet clear. Mexico’s President Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador said Wednesday morning his government has no reports of casualties but all communication systems in the area are down, including with emergency crews on the ground.
“We don’t have a damage assessment because until now, there is no communication with Acapulco,” National Coordinator of Civil Protection Laura Velázquez said in an interview with local news Milenio TV. Velázquez reiterated there is no information either on injured or missing people as all communication systems are currently down, including the ones used by the Navy.
President Obrador said they do have reports of material damage and blocked roads.
“The highway to Acapulco is blocked by landslides,” he said. “Today we will continue with the rescue efforts for the ones affected.”
He said there were currently no options for flying to Acapulco to see the impact, saying they needed to wait for the storm to pass.
Emergency crews were attempting to access the area by road to try to assess the damage, Velázquez said.
“We do not know what time we are going to arrive, but we are going to arrive with all the help,” she added.
The storm knocked out power to over 500,000 customers in Mexico’s Guerrero state, the power company CFE said in a statement. Power was restored to 40% of those customers, the utility added.
On Tuesday night, the president implored coastal residents of the state of Guerrero, which includes Acapulco, to seek shelter and stay away from rivers, streams and ravines ahead of the storm’s landfall.
Guerrero Gov. Evelyn Salgado Pineda announced Wednesday morning temporary shelters were open in Tecpan de Galeana, Coyuca de Benítez and Acapulco.
Otis’ intensification was among the fastest forecasters have seen; its top-end windspeed increased by 115 mph in 24 hours and 90 mph in a 12-hour period.
The storm’s rapid intensification is a symptom of the human-caused climate crisis, scientists say – and one that is becoming more frequent.
Scientists have defined rapid intensification as a wind speed increase of at least 35 mph in 24 hours or less, generally requiring significant ocean heat.
More than 90% of warming around the globe over the past 50 years has taken place in the oceans, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. In addition, El Niño is growing in the Pacific this year, driving ocean temperatures even higher.
Otis’ strengthening “was extremely unusual,” Brian McNoldy, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Miami, told CNN. “It’s unfortunate it happened right before making landfall, but if this had occurred over the open ocean, it still would have been very remarkable.”
Before Otis, there had not been a Category 5 landfall for the East Pacific, according to the NOAA Hurricane Database. The previous strongest landfall was Hurricane Patricia in 2015, which made landfall as a Category 4 Hurricane with winds of 150 mph.
Unlike Otis, which has made landfall close to a major urban area, Patricia plowed through a sparsely populated and mountainous stretch of the coast, sparing Puerto Vallarta and Manzanillo.
by tyler | Oct 23, 2023 | CNN, weather
The first significant snowfall of the season is on the way for the northwestern US and parts of the Northern Plains, and by the time the last flake falls, many high elevation areas will be buried in more than a foot of fresh snow.
A surge of cold air and deep moisture will spread from Washington and Oregon through much of Montana on Tuesday before a potent storm drops into the Northwest on Tuesday night.
Flakes will begin to fly as early as Monday night or Tuesday morning as moisture from this storm moves across the Cascades in Washington. The higher the elevation, the greater the chance for disruptive snow and tricky travel. Several key high-elevation mountain passes located in this part of the Cascades, including Stevens Pass, Snoqualmie Pass and Stampede Pass, could all be impacted.
Snow will kick off for the rest of the northwestern US Tuesday afternoon into Tuesday evening. Accumulating snowfall will begin to cover portions of Idaho and Montana as well as the Cascades in Oregon during this window as temperatures struggle to climb above the freezing mark.
Temperatures will plummet Tuesday night and force many high-elevation locations to fall well below freezing. Temperatures in northern Idaho will drop into the teens by early Wednesday morning while parts of northwestern Montana will bottom out in the single digits.
The combination of frigid air and ample moisture will set the stage for heavy snow to develop on Tuesday night. Six inches or more of snow could pile up quickly at pass levels in the Cascades on Tuesday night, with amounts approaching a foot possible for areas above 7,000 feet.
Snow accumulations will climb higher on Wednesday across the Northwest and northern Rockies. Wind speeds will also increase during this time and blow snow, which could significantly reduce visibility and worsen travel.
While the most significant snowfall totals from this storm will be in the highest elevations, some low elevation spots in Washington, Montana and South Dakota will not completely escape wintry weather.
A few inches of snow will accumulate down to 1,000 feet in parts of Washington on Wednesday, but Seattle will endure only a chilly rain.
Snow will begin to wind down across the Cascades on Thursday, but will overspread portions of the northern Plains as the storm treks east. More than a foot of heavy snow will bury parts of South Dakota on Thursday and into Thursday night.
Another risk will arise where snow does fall in lower elevation areas – melting and refreezing. Any snow that melts during the day will only freeze up overnight and cause treacherous ice to form along roadways and sidewalks.
By Friday, significant accumulating snow will come to an end across much of the northern US, but a few flakes will still fly along the US-Canada border before the storm crosses fully into southern Canada.
by tyler | Oct 12, 2023 | CNN, weather
Possible tornadoes damaged homes and cars in Florida as millions of the state’s residents remain under a tornado threat Thursday morning.
A likely tornado damaged at least two homes in Clearwater Beach after it roared ashore early Thursday morning. No one was injured, Clearwater police said, but photos from the scene show debris scattered through streets and a home’s gutter impaling a car’s windshield.
A 90-year-old woman was asleep in her home when the storm hit and collapsed a wall and the home’s roof in on her. She was uninjured, Clearwater police and fire officials said.
“She woke up to the sound of glass breaking,” Clearwater Fire and Rescue spokesperson Rob Shaw told CNN. “She pulled the covers up over her head and rode out the storm.”
Damage, including downed power lines, was also reported near the coast in Dunedin, north of Clearwater Beach, town officials said.
More damage was reported from a separate potential tornado around 65 miles north in Crystal River. Citrus County officials said several roads were closed there because of downed power lines, trees and debris.
“The west side of Citrus County has experienced significant damage,” the Citrus County school district said on social media. School was canceled in the county early Thursday morning because of the damage.
The storms kept tracking east across the state, reaching parts of northeast Florida Thursday morning. On Florida’s Atlantic coast, Palm Coast fire chief Kyle Berryhill said several homes suffered “major structural damage” in Palm Coast’s Indian Trails neighborhood, but there were no injuries.
Photos posted to social media by the Palm Coast government showed a car flipped on its side, roof damage and insulation strewn about a yard there.
“We have several families that have experienced a catastrophic property loss and our hearts go out to them this morning,” Palm Coast fire chief Kyle Berryhill said in a Thursday morning news conference.
Millions of Floridians were under a tornado watch through Thursday afternoon with strong thunderstorms ongoing. Wind gusts of 30 mph to 40 mph are possible through the morning and into the afternoon across northern parts of the state as a storm system moves across the area.
The storm system will begin to move off into the Atlantic waters during the early afternoon. This means heavy rainfall and strong thunderstorms will still be possible over the area through most of Thursday, with activity beginning to wind down into the evening.
by tyler | Oct 12, 2023 | CNN, weather
A powerful storm will traverse nearly 1,500 miles of the US through the weekend and unload snow, severe thunderstorms and flooding rain along its path, culminating in the eighth consecutive dreary weekend in parts of the Northeast.
The storm will dump the first significant snow of the season on parts of the Rockies, where low-elevation rain and high-elevation snow will continue through early Friday as the potent storm strengthens and tracks across the Plains.
Parts of Colorado, Utah, Montana and South Dakota could see 6 to 12 inches of snow. Snow totals in higher elevations in Wyoming may approach 1 to 2 feet.
While heavy snow falls in high elevations in the Rockies, heavy rain and thunderstorms – some of which could become severe – will target the Plains Thursday.
The highest chance for severe thunderstorms will be from Thursday afternoon into Thursday night in parts of Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri and Iowa, where a Level 2 out of 5 risk is in place. Large hail and damaging wind gusts are the primary threats, but a couple of tornadoes are also possible.
Heavy rain will accompany some severe thunderstorms, but drenching rainfall will not be limited to those storms. Widespread rainfall totals of 1 to 3 inches are possible Thursday and Thursday night across parts of Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Rain and thunderstorms will shift east on Friday and expand across more of the Mississippi Valley and the Midwest.
Another 1 to 3 inches of rain is possible in areas caught in the heaviest storms. Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana and Illinois are just a few states set for a soaking on Friday.
The rain will help the drought-stricken Mississippi Valley and the historically low water levels on the Mississippi River. Following a dry and exceptionally hot summer, drought is present in every state in the Mississippi Valley and portions of the Plains. Exceptional drought – the most severe level of drought tracked by the US Drought Monitor – is in place across parts of Nebraska, Kansas and Iowa.
Rainfall this week across the upper Mississippi River basin will eventually work its way into the river and cause slight rises in water levels by the end of October and early November, which could also help stymie the wedge of saltwater threatening drinking water in southern Louisiana.
By Saturday, rain from the storm will spread into the Northeast and persist in the Midwest. The rain will make for yet another dreary weekend for parts of the region. Rain has fallen in the area almost like clockwork every weekend for some locations since the end of August. This could be the eighth consecutive weekend of rain for Philadelphia and the sixth consecutive for New York City.
An inch or two of rain is possible across portions of Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York on Saturday, while parts of southern New England may skate through the weekend with under an inch of rain.
Rainfall is expected to ease up early Sunday and some of the Northeast may even dry out completely by Sunday afternoon.
