Tropical Storm Kenneth Latest to Form in Pacific in 28 Years...

Above is the latest infrared satellite image of Tropical Storm Kenneth, which formed out in the Eastern North Pacific this afternoon. The last time a named storm formed this late in the season in this part of the Pacific was in association with Tropical Storm and Hurricane Winnie back in 1983.

Kenneth is also forecast to become a Hurricane, at least briefly, before weakening as it moves into cooler waters by Thursday:

As you can see by the above forecast track from the NHC, Kenneth poses no threat to land.

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Hurricane Naming Trivia - Katia vs. Katrina

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls... it's time for another exciting round of "Tropical Cyclone Naming Trivia..."

I'll take "Tropical Cyclones that begin with the letter 'K' for $10,000..."

If you've been following the list of 2011 Atlantic Tropical Cyclone names, you already know that the next one in line is Katia (pronounced "kah-tee-ah").  

Take a closer look at that name:  Katia

Notice anything missing?

Kat_i_a

...you guessed it: fill in the blanks with an "r" and an "n" and you get:  Katrina!

For some background:  those wild, wacky guys at the World Meteorological Organization rotate through the same list of tropical cyclone (tropical storm and hurricane) names every 6 years.  Since the name "Katrina" was retired after the devastating event in 2005, it had to be replaced by another female name that began with the letter K.  I guess the guys sitting around the poker (er, I mean, conference room) table at the WMO just figured it would be easier to drop a couple of consonants and whammo.... we have the new name "Katia".

All jokes aside, if what I think is going to happen is going to happen, then "Tropical Depression 12" will soon be named Katia.  Depending on how strong she gets, and exactly where she tracks, she may be no laughing matter, indeed...

Stay tuned for details!

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Hurricane Andrew - 19 Years Ago Today

The focus right now is on Hurricane Irene, and rightly so.  Let's not forget, however, the 19th Anniversary of the Hurricane Andrew strike on Florida (and later Louisiana).


The Florida landfall took place at about 4:40 a.m. EDT today, August 24th, 1992, near Elliott Key, with winds of 165 mph and a minimum pressure of 926 millibars (27.30 inches of mercury).

Total damage caused by Andrew was estimated at $26.5 billion ($41.5 billion in 2011 dollars).  At the the time, Andrew was only the third Category 5 hurricane to ever make landfall in the United States.


Due to the extensive damage and casualty rate (23 direct fatalities; 39 indirect fatalities) caused by Andrew, that particular storm name was retired by the National Hurricane Center and will never be used again.


Let us not forget what kind of damage a powerful hurricane can do as we closely monitor the progression of Irene in the coming days.  She may not reach category 5 intensity, but she will certainly be a major storm, with major impact along much of the U.S. East Coast (including much heavier populated areas than those affected by Andrew).




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